Implants are substitutes for tooth roots lost to decay or periodontal disease. Each implant is a titanium alloy cylinder that has internal threads that allow a tooth to be attached. The titanium cylinder is implanted in the jaw bone (the lower) or the maxilla (the upper). The inner screw supports a crown (tooth) the way a post supports a mailbox.
Traditionally, dentists slice open the gums, drill into the bone and transplant (graft) bone so there is enough to anchor the implant. Mini-implants such as IMTEC's MDI or Intra-locks MDL reduce the need for bone grafting, a painful, invasive procedure, because they're just half the diameter of full-size dental implants, or about the width of a wooden toothpick. Conventional dental implants involve a surgical procedure to place them and an average healing time of 3 to 4 months before teeth can be attached to them with a cost that is double of that with mini implants.
Mini implants are 40 to 50% of the cost of conventional implants and can usually be placed with a minimal surgical approach. Most Mini implants can have a person's denture or even ceramic crown attached or cemented directly to them at the time the implants are placed. An average case that would stabilize a patient's lower denture would take approximately 1.5 hours to complete and you would be able to eat with your implant supported denture that same day.
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