Dental implant treatment can help you restore your smile after tooth loss—this increasingly popular restorative treatment is helping patients of all ages maintain healthy, beautiful smiles after dental trauma. Our O’Fallon dentist office offers both full-sized and mini dental implants for our patients. Today we’re going to talk about how the treatment processes for these two types of dental implants differ.
Both mini dental implants and full-sized dental implants are inserted into the jawbone. The replacement tooth is actually anchored into the jawbone, providing a stable, tooth-like foundation for the restoration that sits above the gum line.
Now the size of the titanium root differs between mini dental implants and full-sized dental implants. Mini dental implant roots are much thinner than conventional dental implant root, and this affects the treatment process.
Because mini dental implant roots are so thin, they can be inserted into the jawbone without the same invasive surgery that full-size dental implants require. Mini dental implants, therefore, are placed in one visit, and they are functional after placement. Full-sized dental implants, on the other hand, require months to heal after placement—only after the bone has healed are the implants capped with natural-looking restorations.
Because mini dental implant treatment is less invasive, most patients can have their mini dental implants placed with local anesthesia. Full-sized dental implant treatment requires more substantial sedation, like general anesthesia. Your dentist can help you decide what kind of sedation is appropriate for you and your treatment.
These are some of the basic differences between full-size dental implants and mini dental implants. If you want to learn more about these treatments, give our O’Fallon dental implant dentist a call. We will be able to help you determine whether dental implants or mini dental implants are right for you at your first consultation!