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Mini Dental Implant or a Regular Size Implant?

Although I like mini dental implants for lots of reasons, I do find the need for a regular size lots of times.  In some cases a regular traditional size implant will work better. 

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This example might be one of them.  This patient had lost a Root Canal Molar with massive amounts of bone destruction. 

 

 

 

 

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Clinical view shows a WIDE ridge of bone.  However under the gum is just a thin shell of bone and then the sinus cavity (air).  This would be a great place to consider a regular size implant and a sinus lift instead of a mini dental implant.  The regular size implant will allow us to push the sinus lifting bone up and act as a scaffold for new bone growth. 

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The OCO Biomedical 6 x 6mm in place.  The sinus lift was done through the same opening made to insert the implant.  Bone was packed to lift up the sinus membrane and then the OCO implant was placed. 

 

 

 

 

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X – ray image showing the OCO Biomedical regular size implant and the lifted sinus membrane.  Additional bone can be seen as a 'half circle' around the tip of the implant.  The OCO implant will be allowed to heal for 4-6 months and then the final crown will be placed. 

 

 

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Healing Cap placed to cover the OCO implant. 

From Mini Dental Implants to Regular Size Implants, discuss with your dentist options that exist to help you replace a missing tooth with a dental implant and a fixed crown. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paresh B Patel DDS

Mini Dental Implants

Dental Implants Charlotte NC

Dental Implants Hickory Boone Asheville NC

Dentist Mooresville Lake Norman NC

 

 

 

 

Ace Surgical Mini Dental Implant Full Arch Roundhouse Bridge

Can dental implants be affordable?  My next patient wanted to get rid of his dentures and have a fixed set of crowns or a full arch roundhouse bridge on dental implants.  He brought his treatment plan for 8 dental implants and a set of 12 porcelain crowns…..total cost a bit north of $28,000.  With mini dental implants we could reduce that cost and still have a well engineered bridge. 

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He had a nice ridge of bone to work with.  It would not need any pre surgery to accommodate dental implants.  With some planning with Jon Younce CDT at First Impressions Dental Lab a logical progression treatment plan was formulated that was restorative driven. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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His pan x-ray also showed good bone with the sinus cavity totally dropped down where the back teeth were in the upper jaw.  There was also a retained set of root tips that would need to be removed on the upper right.

 

 

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Using his upper denture as a guide I made holes in the center of each back tooth and the lingual of the front teeth to ensure the mini dental implants would line up correctly for the final roundhouse full arch bridge.

 

 

 

 

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10 ACE Surgical Mini Prep 2.3mm implants were placed in the upper arch.  They were placed as parallel as possible to allow for proper draw of the final roundhouse full arch bridge.

His denture was soft lined to fit over the ACE Surgical Mini Dental Implants. 

 

 

 

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A regular crown and bridge impression was taken of the 10 ACE Surgical Mini Dental Implants.  No additional impression copings or lab analogs were used.  With mini dental implants we can create a more efficient and cost effective solution for patients by reducing parts and pieces that are normally required with traditional dental implants.

 

 

 

 

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A standard crown and bridge model was poured in Pol-u-rock by the lab and a set of trial resin crowns were made to let the patient 'test drive' the crowns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lab fabricated resin temporary crowns ready to try in and have the patient give us his feedback on esthetics, function, comfort and color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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It was decided after a few days that the temporary crowns were too long. The patient also had Bell's Palsy and we decided to try and correct the slant.  This photograph shows one side of the temporary crowns shortened to the new lenght for the lab to see our corrections.  I shapedthe other side and let the patient go home to 'test drive' them again for final approval.

 

 

Reshaped temps and final photos for the lab to duplicate the arcylic temps in porcelain for the full arch bridge

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Final porcelain bridge back from the lab.  It is in three sections.

 

 

 

 

 

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Final porcelain bridge cemented over 10 ACE Surgical Mini Prep Mini Dental Implants.

 

 

 

 

 

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Full smile with the bridge in place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

James post zirc roundhouse

 

Final pan x-ray with the 10 Ace Surgical Mini Dental Implants with the 12 units of bridge work cemented over them.  Our plan is to do a lower mini dental implant overdenture that will be converted to a bridge over time as $$ can be invested.

 

Paresh B Patel Mini Dental Implants Charlotte Hickory Lenoir NC

Mini Dental Implant & General Dentistry Mooresville NC

Mini Dental Implants for Back Jaw Teeth Crowns

Our next patient came to us seeking an alternative to the treatment options that were given to him:

1.  A set of removable partials

2.  Bone expansion or bone grafts a then traditional or conventional size dental implants.

I told him that those were both great options and at our office I would include a option #3 of some mini dental implants and fixed crowns. 

Before Mini Implants 

Before Mini Dental Implants

Before minis right

Before Mini Implants Right

Before minis left

Before Mini Implant Left

  

X-rays and study impressions were taken to see if I could place some mini implants to hold in a few crowns.  All looked possible and a phased treatment plan was made.  The patient wanted to start with a single molar on his right side, and a premolar to fill in the missing teeth on both left and right sides. 

As he could afford it additional mini dental implants would be placed to replace the missing molars and other teeth on the top and bottom. 

As usual for me two mini implants were placed to support a molar sized crown and a single mini was placed to support a premolar sized crown.  If I could have placed additional minis in the premolar area I would have – I make it a standard at my office to price the case and not by number of implants placed. 

Minis Rt side
 Mini Dental Implants Right side lower jaw

 

 

 

 

 

Mini left side

 

Mini Dental Implants left side lower jaw

 

 

 

Pan minis
 

A standard PVS impression was taken and sent to First Impressions Dental Lab in Lenoir NC.  3 PFM crowns were made and cemented with self cure resin cement.

Mini implant molar crown  
Molar Mini Dental Implant Crown far left ~ crown on a natural tooth in the middle ~ Premolar Mini Dental Implant Crown on right ~ natural canine tooth far right

 

 

 

 

 

Mini implant premolar crown

 

Premolar crown on a mini dental implant lower left jaw

 

 

 

 

 

Paresh B Patel DDS

Mini Dental Implants

Dentist Mooresville NC

Mini Dental Implants for Upper Crowns

This is part II of the post… The mini dental implants have been placed and allowed to heal.  Impressions were taken and sent to the crown and bridge lab for resin crowns to be fabricated.  Resin crowns were selected instead of traditional PFM upper crowns due to patient $$.  I kept the model work so that over time when the patient is better able to afford the Porcelain Upper Crowns we can just send the models back to the lab and skip one step in the fabrication process. IMG_7727 IMG_7728

The upper crowns were tried in over the mini implants.  Our patient approved the look and color.  They are now cemented in place.  IMG_7729
IMG_7731 Close up of premolar crowns
IMG_7732 Single Premolar mini implant upper crowns (2 minis were placed to hold the crown in place)
IMG_7733 Chewing view of premolar upper crowns over a total of 5 mini dental implants. 

 I have had lots of dentists ask me and even tell me that mini implants do not work in the upper arch or that they can't work in soft bone.  My personal experience has been if mini implants are placed in the upper arch they just need time to heal like any other size implant.  Don't be in a hurry to get the final product…you can only go as fast as the mini will integrate into the bone. 

Over the past 2 years and close to a 1000 mini implants being placed I have had one case fail in the upper arch.  It was two minis used to support a upper molar crown.  They went in solid but over 6 weeks they did not stay that way.  I believe it was either smoking or the patient functioning on them that was the cause of the failure. 

Paresh B Patel DDS Mooresville NC

http://www.dentalminiimplant.com or http://www.lkndds.com