Mini-Implants
By Dr. Linda Niessen -- Baylor College of Dentistry STORY: MINI-IMPLANTS SCRIPT #534 SHOOT: 11/12/03 AIRDATE: Monday, December 8, 2003
Monday, December 08, 2003
"Mini implants are so new we don't have long term studies. But patients say the benefits of increased comfort and security outweigh any disadvantages."
Overall health can suffer if you lose many of your teeth. Now, a new type of implant solves a major problem for people who need dentures. Dr. Linda Niessen looks at mini- implants in this week's segment of Dental Health Check.
Mini implants fill the gap that's been missing for years in the treatment of lost teeth. Conventional implants require a certain amount of bone to hold the titanium post or implant. So some patients, especially older ones, could not have implants. Now, there is an alternative: the mini-implant.
"Many times, the implants are placed without an incision," says Dentist Dr. Steven Fuqua. " Healing time is rather quick. Activation is immediate. So they go home with their dentures being supported by the implants themselves."
Dr. Fuqua, a prosthodontist, says the new implants work well with lower dentures. "The patient has more security, more stability of the denture. They can go out and not worry about the denture being loose or coming out of their mouth."
For 30 years, Crystaline Wheeler has worn conventional dentures. She now has lower mini-implants. "They couldn't make dentures that would stay in. So they put the implants in and they hold them real good and tight," Crystaline said. Mini implants attach only to lower dentures. Dentists place four implants but some patients do well with just two.
Faye Miller has just two implants for her lower denture. "Without the implants," said Faye, "the dentures just slide around and I didn't like that."
Dentist Dr. Steven Williams added, "It's a very nice streamlined effective way to satisfy an age old problem of lower dentures just not fitting well."
Mini implants are so new we don't have long term studies. But patients say the benefits of increased comfort and security outweigh any disadvantages. For Baylor College of Dentistry, The Texas A&M Health Science Center in Dallas, I'm Dr. Linda Niessen, Channel 8 News.
Dr. Linda Niessen, clinical professor in the Department of Restorative Sciences and the Office of Communications and Development at Baylor College of Dentistry, hosts Dental Health Check, the only weekly dental feature shot on location in the nation.
