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Mini Dental Implants: Can This be Possible?
By Dr. Joseph Santelli, DDS
I often give seminars to local “over 55” communities, Senior Centers, Chamber of Commerce groups, etc. and the title of these talks is “The Purple Cow”. You may ask, “What does a purple cow have to do with dentistry?” I’m glad you asked!
I immediately ask my audience, “Have you ever seen a purple cow?” and “Did you think purple cows existed?” Obviously the answer is always an emphatic NO! At least I hope that is the case. Anyway, the reason I tell them that I titled my seminar the Purple Cow is that dentistry did not think a Mini Dental Implant would ever exist and perform just as well as conventional dental implants. But, the fact of the matter is, they do exist (since 1983 in France and late 90’s in this country) and they perform extremely well.
You may now ask, “What are the benefits of the Mini Dental Implants and when are they used?” Once again I’m glad you asked! In 1989 I received training with conventional dental implants and started using them to help my patients with various oral conditions. After 10 years I did a survey utilizing my office computer. I wanted to know out of ALL of the patients who initially came to my office for dental implants, what percentage actually followed up with treatment. I was surprised to see the results. It was less than one-third. At least 7 out of every 10 people who were looking to have dental implants placed never had it done. I then needed to find out why.
Continued research showed that many times the patient did not have enough jaw bone and did not want to go through painful and expensive bone addition. Many felt that the cost was too high. A certain number said they did not like the idea that it would take 6-12 months to complete treatment. They came to me for teeth and they wanted teeth now! Many more did not like the idea that there would be suturing required and that moderate to severe pain would be involved afterward. And last, but not least, some just felt that they could not be awake for the surgical procedure and hear all the sounds involved to place dental implants in their jaw.
All of these reasons were very legitimate to say the least. Then lo and behold, after 20 years of success in France and other areas of Europe, a Mini Dental Implant was developed here in the states by Dr. Victor Sendax of New York. As I received my training I was totally blown away. I could see the Purple Cow!
First, some people had very little bone but the mini implants worked very well. Second, the cost to the patients was less than ˝ of what a conventional implant usually costs. Third, the teeth were attached to the mini implants on the VERY SAME DAY! No more waiting months and months to finally get teeth. Fourth, there was no surgery necessary and therefore no suturing. This then led to very little, if any, discomfort afterwards. And lastly, because the mini implants are placed by hand and not by a dental drill, not one person had to be sedated. They weren’t even aware that they were having dental implants placed in their jaw.
Needless to say I was extremely impressed with this new technology. There are still many indications for conventional dental implants BUT, as time goes on, I find myself using the Mini Dental Implant more and more. Now out of every 10 people who come to my office looking to have dental implants performed, 9 proceed with treatment. Our patients and our office could not be happier with the successful outcomes when placing Mini Dental Implants. They are mostly used to secure loose dentures but can also be used to replace one, many, or all of a person’s teeth.
For more information about Mini Dental Implants or to make an appointment you can reach Dr. Joseph Santelli at the Center for Progressive Dentistry by calling (781) 934-9444. Visit his website at www.CenterForProgressiveDentistry.com.
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