Orland Park Dentist Reviews The Differences Between Mini and Full-Sized Dental Implants

Written by Dr. Zaibak on Oct 6, 2015

People suffering from tooth loss now have more options than ever before when it comes to replacing missing teeth. There are still the tried-and-true, traditional prosthetics, of course, like dentures and dental bridges. However, many dental patients are opting to use innovative dental implants in order to reclaim their healthy smiles.

Today we will be talking about the different types of dental implant treatments that are available to patients. Let’s learn more from our Orland Park dentists about how full-sized and mini dental implants are similar and different.

The Same Basic Structure

Both full-sized and mini dental implants have titanium roots that replace the (now missing) natural tooth roots.

Both full-sized and mini implant roots can be capped with dental restorations (crowns) in order to create an individual, stand-alone replacement tooth.

Key Differences

As the name suggests, mini implants have roots that are thinner and smaller than conventional implant roots. This means that mini dental implants are much less traumatic on the bone tissue when they are inserted (thus they necessitate less post-treatment healing time for the jawbone tissue). However, this also means that mini implant roots do not have the same load bearing capacities as full-sized roots.

Mini dental implant roots are often used in conjunction with existing prosthetics—like dentures—rather than to create stand-alone replacement teeth. Basically, the bottom of the denture is customized so that it will “lock” into place over the tops of the mini implant roots. It usually only takes four or five in order to stabilize a full denture.

Some patients benefit from full-sized dental implants, others need mini implants, and still others use a combination of both treatments. When you come in for a consultation with our Tinley Park dental implant dentists, we will help you choose the perfect treatment for your smile. Let’s get started!