Real Stories, Real People from Dental Despair to Dental Delight with Mini Dental Implants.
“Now I’m Non-Stop Smiling”
Our focus is on providing you with the revolutionary benefits of mini dental implant dentistry. This unique approach to modern dentistry offers new opportunities for individuals who have lost one or more teeth. For the first time, we can replace missing teeth with implant-supported cemented and/or removable restorations in as little as one visit, without the complications of major oral surgery.
Top Advantages of Mini (Minimally Invasive) Dental Implants
This minimally invasive approach to 21st Century dental implantology offers new opportunities for individuals who have lost one or more teeth and underlying bone. Even for those who have lost all of their teeth, FDA-approved mini dental implants offer a second chance at teeth that look, feel, and function more like the teeth they were born with!
For example, one of the most respected, renowned U.S. dental educators and board-certified prosthodontist, Dr. Gordon J. Christensen, states in his national newsletter of September 2009 Clinician Report: ‘Gordon and Paul’s Top 10 Concepts, Techniques, and Products’ that the #1 concept is:
“Small Diameter Implants: Root form implants have been the most important innovation in dentistry since the air rotor nearly 50 years ago. Millions of people globally have a need for retention and support for removable prostheses, crowns, or fixed prostheses. However, many of them do not have adequate bone quantity in which to place roots from implants 3mm or over in diameter, and, for financial or health reasons, they cannot have bone grafting. Small-diameter “mini” dental implants serve these patients. Small implants, ranging from 1.8mm to 2.9mm in diameter, have now proven themselves capable of supporting complete dentures, removable partial dentures, fixed prostheses, and even some single tooth replacements. Although criticized by some, the research is supportive of these implants with proper treatment planning and placement. ”
How is a mini dental implant different from a conventional implant?
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Less Expensive
In many cases, mini dental implants cost around half the cost of traditional or conventional implants. -
Less Invasive
Because the mini dental implant requires only a small pilot hole to be placed, it is less traumatic, and minimally invasive to the bone and soft tissue; as compared to a traditional conventional implant that usually involves extensive surgery and bone grafts.
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Less Healing Time
Because placing the smaller diameter mini implant does not cause as much trauma to the bone and soft tissue in the mouth, your healing time is reduced from months to days.
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Less Discomfort
Less trauma to the gums, bone, and underlying tissue means less discomfort. Many patients need only over-the-counter pain medication for a day or so after the procedure.
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Less Restorative Time
In many cases, the mini implant can be loaded immediately after placement. This means that most procedures, including anchoring dentures, can be done in one visit.
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Less Bone Loss
A mini dental implant preserves the bone so that you can preserve the shape of your face.
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Less Bone Required
Mini implants require less bone so you’re less likely to need additional costly bone grafts.





Advanced Prosthetic Mini Implant Options






What Are Mini Dental Implants?
Mini dental implants are titanium screws that replace the root of a tooth. The ball-shaped head and collar design can be used for both permanently cemented crowns or bridges, as well as securing full dentures. When used for fixed or cemented applications, the prosthesis is cemented by Dr. Petrosky directly to the head of the implant. If the implant is to be used for a removable denture, then a housing with a rubber gasket is attached precisely to the acrylic denture and functions like a button that snaps on and off the implant. The dentures sit snugly against the gums and are retained securely allowing better chewing function and increased confidence.
A Permanent Restoration
Mini dental implants are placed by Dr. Petrosky quickly and easily using a microsurgical technique. Your dentist will use a small amount of local anesthetic and make a pin-sized puncture in the gum and jaw. The mini implant is then threaded gently and carefully into the jaw. The heads of the implants protrude from the gum tissue and provide an attachment for securing dentures or cementing crowns or bridges. It is a one-step procedure involving minimally invasive surgery.
So Many Options. One Amazing Result.
Dental implant therapy has been one of the most significant advances in dentistry in the past 25 years. Tens of thousands of grateful patients testify to the benefits of replacing lost teeth and restoring confidence in their smiles. Several different types of implants and restorations are available. The problem is, many of them are expensive and require a long recovery. Your options depend upon the amount of bone available, the patient’s general health, and restoration preference. Mini dental implants are minimally invasive and, in most cases, require only local anesthesia. With mini dental implants, less bone is necessary, which is a great benefit for patients who have previously been told they would need bone grafts to receive any dental implants. Another benefit is for patients who are medically compromised and have been told they cannot get implants.
Bigger Isn’t Always Better.
The computer and medical worlds are both striving to develop smaller and smaller components. In a similar fashion, the mini dental implant represents a smaller version of the dental implant. Smaller means less invasive, which makes the procedure and recovery easier for you. The microsurgical approach allows the mini dental implant Solutions for more patients and represents a new option for many previously denied treatment with older conventional-style implants.
A Beautiful Smile Should Break Hearts…Not the Bank.
Typically, mini dental implants are more affordable-usually half the price of conventional implant treatment. This affordability enables people to expand their treatment options, allowing some to realize their dream of fixed bridgework instead of removable dentures. Because mini dental implants require less bone, this option eliminates the need for expensive, time-consuming bone graft procedures by Dr. Petrosky.
There’s Nothing to Hold Back Your Radiant Grin
A great deal of time, research, and study have gone into the development of mini dental implants. It is safe, biocompatible, FDA-approved, and provides an improved method of tooth replacement. Mini dental implants are FDA approved ( K031106) for “ The MDI and MDI PLUS are self-tapping titanium threaded crews indicated for long-term intra-bony applications. Additionally, the MDI may also be used for inter-radicular transitional applications. These devices will permit immediate splinting stability and long-term fixation of the new or existing crown and bridge installations, for full or partial edentulism, and employing minimally invasive surgical intervention.” After 40 years of study, the technique is now used by thousands of dentists in many different countries and is recommended by some of the top implant dentists in the world.
Almost anyone with weak gums and in need of dental implants can go for mini dental implants. On the other hand, mini dental implants are not advised in the following situations:
- Uncontrolled diabetes
- History of radiation treatment for cancer (this does not include X-rays for diagnostics)
- Substance abuse
- Immuno-suppression
Patients with the following conditions may suffer complications or failure with MDIs.
- Heavy smoking/drinking habits
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Sjorgren’s syndrome
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Alzheimer’s disease
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People who clench/grind their teeth
- Young persons in their growing years
If you do not wish to go for mini or regular dental implants, you may consider options like partial or full dentures or dental bridges. Partial dentures work for persons who have some remaining teeth. A partial denture replaces missing teeth. It is held in place using clips or other devices. If you have teeth adjacent to the affected tooth, a bridge is another option. There are several types of bridges.
Mini Dental Implants have many advantages over regular dental implants:
- MDIs are much smaller than conventional implants (2 mm as against 4mm- 5.75mm for conventional implants), so it takes less drilling of the jawbones.
- MDI surgery is minimally invasive. The surgery does not usually need cutting of gums and removal of stitches afterwards.
- Trauma to jaw bone, bleeding, chances for injury, post-surgical discomfort are all minimized.
- Mini dental implant failures and complications are very rare.
- Due to their smaller size, mini dental implants can also be used when the site for implantation is too narrow for a regular implant.
- Quite often, only local sedation of the implant site is needed in the case of MDIs.
- The MDI procedure is quick and can be completed in one sitting as opposed to conventional implants which require several visits to the dentist.
- MDIs cost less than conventional dental implants (average cost of conventional implants is between $2,000 and $4,500) by at least 30%.
Mini Dental Implants are for you!
- Can help you eat, smile, and speak with renewed confidence
- Are placed using a simple, gentle, non-surgical approach
- Are affordable – less than half the cost of old, conventional-style implants
- Can be placed to anchor dentures or cemented crowns & bridges
- Can help to preserve bone & facial appearance
Welcome to Mini Dental Implant Center
Our focus is on providing you with the revolutionary benefits of mini dental implant dentistry. This unique approach to modern dentistry offers new opportunities for individuals who have lost one or more teeth. For the first time, we can replace missing teeth with implant supported cemented and/or removable restorations in as little as one visit, without the complications of major oral surgery and long healing times.
Have Your Implants Placed in the Morning and Enjoy Your Favorite Meal That Same Evening.
- Most procedures are accomplished in one visit
- We use a simple, gentle, non-surgical approach
- Eat, smile, and speak with renewed confidence
- Less than half the cost of conventional implants
- Anchoring for dentures, cemented crowns & bridges
What are Mini Dental Implants?
The Mini Dental Implant System consists of a miniature titanium implant that acts like the root of your tooth and a retaining fixture that is incorporated into the base of your denture. The head of the implant is shaped like a ball, and the retaining fixture acts like a socket that contains a rubber 0-ring. The 0-ring snaps over the ball when the denture is seated and holds the denture at a pre-determined level of force. When seated, the denture gently rests on the gum tissue. The implant fixtures allow for micro-mobility while withstanding natural lifting forces.
This system is frequently used to support fixed crowns and bridgework for people who don’t want a removable denture.
How does Mini Dental Implant Technology Broaden My Options?
Dental Implant therapy has been one of the most significant advances in dentistry in the past 25 years. Tens of thousands of grateful patients testify to the benefits of replacing lost teeth and restoring confidence in their smile. Several different types of implants and restorations are available. The choice depends upon the amount of bone available, the patient’s general health, and restoration preference.
The computer and medical worlds are both striving to develop smaller and smaller components. In similar fashion, a smaller version of the dental implant has been successfully utilized. Mini Dental Implants are more versatile than older conventional-style implants because they can be used in patients who do not have enough bone to support larger, conventional implants. RecentIy many people have gained access to the benefits of implant dentistry because at MDICA, we make implants affordable—typically half the price of conventional implant treatment. This affordability also enables people to expand their treatment options, allowing some to realize their dream of fixed bridgework instead of removable dentures. Because mini dental implants require less bone, this option eliminates the need for expensive, time-consuming bone graft procedures.
How are Mini Dental Implants Placed?
Placement of the implants is accomplished quickly and easily in a process performed in the dentist’s office, with local anesthesia or a light sedation to help make you more comfortable. Using a precise, controlled, minimally-invasive surgical technique, Mini Dental Implants are placed into the jawbone. The heads of the implants protrude from the gum tissue and provide a strong, solid foundation for securing your dentures or fixed crown and bridgework. It is a one-step procedure that requires no sutures, and most people begin using their teeth the same day. This is a major advantage over conventional implants which typically require multiple visits, multiple surgeries, and months of healing.
Dental Implants have been used successfully for many years. The implant itself is a post that is surgically placed in the jaw. A prosthesis (artificial tooth or teeth) is then attached to the post. Our office performs the entire procedure.
There are two basic uses for Dental Implants:
- As an artificial root for a single tooth replacement.
- As anchors for a fixed or removable prosthesis to replace multiple teeth.
With the exception of your natural teeth, nothing looks more natural than an implant. One important benefit of implants is that they slow the shrinking of bone and gum tissue from the area of the missing tooth, thus preventing premature aging.
- Of Americans between the ages of 18 and 64, approximately 49% are missing at least one tooth.
- Dental implants are the most advanced tooth replacement system ever devised.
- More than nine out of ten implants last longer than 15 years.
- Dental implants never develop decay.
- Dental implants never require root canals.
- Dental implants preserve the jawbone, which can prevent premature aging.
- No one can be disqualified for implant treatment solely because of their age — some patients receive implant treatment when they are in their nineties!
Mini dental implants are very strong, small, titanium screws that are approximately the size of wooden toothpicks. They can be used to anchor a bridge or denture, or for single tooth replacement.
Dr. Petrosky will first do an exam or consultation to determine how many mini-implants you will need. Then under mild anesthesia the mini-implants are gently placed. If you have a denture it is then created to fit over and “snap” onto the implants, resulting in a tight fitting denture that doesn’t “float” around the mouth interfering with speech and trapping food underneath.
For more information on Mini Dental Implants visit the following web sites:
IMTEC site
The Advantages of Minimally Invasive Dentistry
The ‘Mini-Implant has Arrived’
Resources

Implant-supported Fixed Prosthetic. Treatment Using Very Small-diameter. Implants: A Case Report, 2006 By Dennis Flanagan

Immediate Loading of Narrow Diameter Implants with Overdentures
in Severely Atrophic Mandibles by SC Cho

Immediate Loading of Narrow Diameter Implants with Overdentures
Mini dental implants: An adjunct for retention, stability, and comfort
for the edentulous patient, 2005 By Trevor McClain Griffitts, BS, a Chad
Patrick Collins, DMD,and Patrick Charles Collins, DDS,b Spokane, Wash

Minimal invasive implantology with small diameter implants, 2009 By Henriette Lerner

Small-diameter implants, 2008

Full-Arch Fixed Prosthetics Supported by Dental Implants and Natural Teeth: Planning, Provisionalization, Treatment Sequences: Two Case Examples, 2004 By Michael Tischler, DDS

Connecting Teeth to Implants: A Critical Review of the Literature and Presentation of Practical Guidelines, 2009 By Gary Greenstein, DDS, MS; John Cavallaro, DDS; Richard Smith, DDS; and Dennis Tarnow, DDS

Implant-supported Fixed Prosthetic Treatment Using Very Small Diameter Implants: A Case Report, 2006 By Dennis Flanagan, DDS

Immediate Loading With Mini Dental Implants in the Fully Edentulous Mandible, 2004 By Mi-Ra Ahn, DDS, An KM, Choi JH, Sohn DS

The Truth About Small-Diameter Implants, 2010 By Gordon J. Christensen, DDS, MSD, PhD, and Paul L. Child, Jr, DMD, CDT

Product Focus Small-Diameter Implants, 2008

Denture Stabilization With Small-Diameter Implants, 2010 By Ian Erwood, BSc, DDS

FixtTeeth…A New Approach to an Old Problem, 2008 By William Letcher, DMD

Mini Dental Implants: Immediate Gratification for Patient and Provider, 2005 By Ara Nazarian, DDS

The ‘mini’-implant has arrived, 2006 By Gordon J. Christensen, DDS, MSD, PhD

The advantages of minimally invasive dentistry/ Miniature implants versus standard-size implants, 2005 By Gordon J. Christensen, DDS, MSD, PhD’

The Increased Use of Small-Diameter Implants, 2009 By Gordon J. Christensen, DDS, MSD, PhD

Mini Dental Implants for Long-Term Fixed and Removable Prosthetics: A Retrospective Analysis of 2514 Implants placed over a five-year period. 2007 By Todd E Shatkin, DDS

Gordon and Paul’s Top 10 Concepts, Techniques, and Products/ #1 Small Diameter Implants, 2009 By Dr. Gordon Christensen

Ask Dr. Christensen 2010 By Dr. Gordon Christensen

Ask Dr. Christensen 2009 By Dr. Gordon Christensen

Ask Dr. Christensen 2009 By Dr. Gordon Christensen

Ask Dr. Christensen 2007 By Dr. Gordon Christensen

Ask Dr. Christensen 2006 By Dr. Gordon Christensen

Incorporating Mini-Implants Within the General Dental Practice, 2008
By Raymond Choi, DDS

The growing popularity of mini-dental implants,2006 By Raymond Choi, DDS, and Sarah E. Campbell

IMTEC

Replace A Posterior Mandibular Tooth 2009 By Dr. Ara Nazarian

Implant Placement and Restoration in Your General Practice 2009 By Dr. Ara Nazarian

OCO Biomedical Implants: Successful, Simple, and User-Friendly 2010 By Dr. Ara Nazarian

Simplifying the Placement of Dental Implants By Dr. Ara Nazarian
