What are Mini
Dental Implants?
Mini dental implants are ultra-small diameter
(l.8 to 2.3 millimeter width), biocompatible titanium alloy implant screws,
conceived and designed over 20 years ago by a dentist, Victor I. Sendax,
DDS. Dr. Sendax originally created the unique design of this unique dental
product as a transitional device to help support fixed bridge replacements
for lost teeth. His novel theory was that mini implants could function
free standing by themselves or in combination with natural tooth supports
and/or larger conventional type dental implants. This was a revolutionary
concept in dental science.
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Is
the Mini Dental Implant FDA approved?
Yes. After providing satisfactory technical and
clinical evidence to the Food and Drug Administration that the product
was safe for public use, and in fact had beneficial attributes, the FDA
granted its formal consent to market the Mini Dental Implant device not
only as a transitional or temporary dental product, but significantly,
as a long-term item.
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How
is it possible to place Mini Dental Implants without any surgical cutting
or sutures?
Due to the extremely small size of the MDI’s
they can be placed through a pinpoint opening without any surgical cutting.
No sutures are required after placement! The procedure is extremely patient
friendly! In most cases nothing more than over the counter medications
are required after placement.
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How
can I find out if I am a candidate to have one or more teeth permanently
replaced with Mini Dental Implants?
In most cases, if you are healthy enough to have
a tooth extracted, you can have a tooth or teeth permanently replaced
with MDI’s. At your initial consultation we will take a special
x-ray that will help to determine the specific implant options for tooth
replacement.
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How
can Mini Dental Implants specifically help denture wearers?
The standard insertion protocol for Mini Dental
Implants calls for four of them to be gently placed into the front of
a patient's lower jaw while the area is numb. For an upper denture, 6
to 8 MDI’s are placed. This is a relatively painless procedure that
can be performed by a general dentist, requiring only a mild anesthesia.
The mini dental implants, which are approximately the size of wooden toothpicks,
are placed in the patient's jaw. The patient's denture is then carefully
adjusted by the dentist to allow it to snap onto the Mini Dental Implants.
The result? A tight fitting, completely reliable system that allows a
patient to speak and eat with confidence. The Mini Dental Implants are
placed in about an hour's time. Because of the unique, minimally invasive
procedure, the minute size of the implants, and the characteristic placement
area, the typical Mini Dental Implant patient can enjoy a light meal an
hour or so after having the mini implants placed. Further, a denture patient
who has had his or her prosthesis stabilized with MDI’s can remove
and replace the denture easily after a little practice, and can easily
utilize good dental hygiene. All in all, the MDI can be a life changing
procedure.
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What’s
the most common use of Mini Dental Implants for denture wearers?
There are approximately 50,000,000 people in the
United States who are “edentulous” (literally meaning lacking
teeth) who struggle daily with prosthetic devices. A majority suffers
a great deal of discomfort as a result of loose or ill-fitting dentures.
Many denture wearers simply withdraw from any type of social engagement
as a result of being compelled to wear them. Moreover, it's not uncommon
for family members to complain about a denture wearer's disagreeable breath
as a result of food being trapped and decaying under their denture prosthesis.
Successful placement of the Mini Dental Implant addresses and solves all
of these social and practical problems. It is also possible to remove
most of the portion of an upper denture that covers the roof of the mouth
after Mini Dental Implants have been placed to stabilize an upper denture.
