Has anyone tried mini dental implants?

[Teacher Terry]

I just found out that instead of having a denture with regular implants which is very expensive (cost me 33k to just have the bottom done) that there is a procedure that has been around for 16 years that is much less invasive and costs much less. The difference is instead of the denture being permanent with the minis you snap the denture in and out. If you have it on the top it does not cover the roof of the mouth like a regular denture does. I am wondering what other peoples experiences have been with this procedure. I am considering doing this since having a denture move around, etc is terrible.

 

[euro]

what is it attached to? a couple of implanted "anchor" teeth?

 

[Sunset]

I just found out that instead of having a denture with regular implants which is very expensive (cost me 33k to just have the bottom done) .....

Have you looked into getting it done in Mexico, naturally only using someone various other people recommend highly to avoid a scammer. ?

Alternatively, how about buying dental insurance, then getting 1 tooth done per year as the insurance would cover $1,000 - $1,500 per year of the cost ?

 

[GrayHare]

What's the difference between a mini and what used to be called a partial? My grandmother had partials, and as a kid who at the time was losing baby teeth I thought her removable teeth were fascinating.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I have no teeth at all so I have to have either the mini or the regular implant to hold the denture in place. The mini has one of the best and most experienced dentist in Wichita, KS of all places and 2 of my sons live there so I can stay with them. It is only 5k because dental care has always been cheap in Wichita. The one I have now is they screw titanium pins into your jaw and then the denture is permanently attached to it. I have dental insurance but last year they only paid for xrays and to have my teeth pulled and I maxed out what little they pay. I will submit this to the insurance too. The minis are smaller and the surgery is not as invasive. I swelled up so bad I was unrecognizable and was sick for a week after having it done. With the mini people don't react like that.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I lost all my teeth last year due to my CPAP machine causing excessive dry mouth and decay. You need teeth to have a partial.

 

[Bamaman]

Teacher Terry: $33K? For half a mouth? For that kind of money, you could spend your Summer vacation in Budapest having dental work done.

I asked my regular dentist yesterday why implants cost so much. Part of it is the more educated the dental surgeon, the more they charge. Mine is a M.D./D.D.S out of Vanderbilt. And she said the hardware is unbelievably expensive--for what they are. My pending regular implant is about $3.5K. Of course, bridges and false teeth anchored to implants are different animals.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Locally they want 38k to do the top. The guy that did mine won't even do minis. He said he charges the same amount so why bother. Both dental and vet care is very, very expensive in northern Nevada. The bottoms are done and I paid so that ship has sailed.

 

[Teacher Terry]

The lab here charged 7k to make 2 sets of teeth. YOu need 2 because after a year your gums shrink and mouth changes and then you need your permanent set. The good thing about the mini is that they are able to modify your denture to fit on the rods.

 

[W2R]

Teacher Terry: $33K? For half a mouth? For that kind of money, you could spend your Summer vacation in Budapest having dental work done.

I asked my regular dentist yesterday why implants cost so much. Part of it is the more educated the dental surgeon, the more they charge. Mine is a M.D./D.D.S out of Vanderbilt. And she said the hardware is unbelievably expensive--for what they are. My pending regular implant is about $3.5K. Of course, bridges and false teeth anchored to implants are different animals.

My implant surgeon's qualifications and prices are in line with what Bamaman is quoting (including the bone graft beforehand and the crown on the implant afterwards).

But then, I don't know exactly what you need to have done, and it might be very extensive compared with anything I have experienced. $33K is awful and I can see why you are looking around at all the options.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Yes this is not done one implant at a time when you have no teeth. They put a certain # of screws in your jaw and then attach a denture to that. With the regular screws the denture is permanent and with the minis you snap the dentures in and out for cleaning. I was hoping someone had it done. Yes I don't intend to have 71k invested in my mouth. Ugh!

 

[Carpediem]

I had one dentist mention the minis to me but a second dentist said the minis wouldn't hold up very long due to the excessive pressure of chewing. He said they were intended to be used as temporary implants. But that was 6-7 years ago so things may have changed. Plus, I don't know which dentist to believe anymore due to my many bad experiences. Btw, I'm in the process now of replacing my current partial denture with a snap-on denture. However, it will snap onto 'posts' (I still have a few teeth left to support a partial denture.)

 

[Teacher Terry]

The one year success rate with the minis is 98 % and the 5 year rate 94%. I think the regular ones have higher rates but part of it is how well you take care of your teeth. You have to brush and floss to keep your gums healthy just like with real teeth. The minis have been around for 17 years. I probably will also ask him what the cost is for the other procedure too. I am sure it will probably still be way cheaper because it is in Kansas. The minis have a denture that snaps in and out and with the other procedure I had only a dentist can take it out.

 

[HadEnuff]

as a retired dentist I would say this:

I'd go to Costa Rica repeatedly before doing minis.

carry on.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Why do you say that?

 

[HadEnuff]

Why do you say that?

What makes teeth solid is something known as "crown to root ratio", meaning that if you have a long root and a short crown, it will be much more solid and resist movement better than a short root and a tall crown. You can imagine the leverage being favorable in once case, and unfavorable in the other.

Two solid long roots can support a 3 tooth bridge, even a 4 tooth bridge. But if you try to make, say, a 10 tooth bridge cemented on 2 short roots, the leverage will rock the roots, the bone will suffer, the bridge will fail.

Applying that same basic principle to implants, long implants work better than short implants (minis) for the same reason you dig a fencepost 2 feet deep rather than 4 inches.

Which is not to say minis never work, nor is it to say regulars always work. But having a case fail is no fun. If I were going to spring for the deal, in my mouth, I would want the most favorable circumstances i.e. the best physics, possible.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Thanks so much. I really appreciate the explanation. This dentist in KS also does the 4 on 4 procedure so I will ask what that costs too.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I have been spending tons of time researching and I also found where a few dentists said to get 2 implants and then they give you a denture that snaps onto the implants. Would these be deep implants or is this really just the mini?

 

[HadEnuff]

I have been spending tons of time researching and I also found where a few dentists said to get 2 implants and then they give you a denture that snaps onto the implants. Would these be deep implants or is this really just the mini?

They can be either. However, not all lower ridges have enough bone for the longer implants. If there is sufficient bone, I like the longer ones better.

Another thing to consider: Some General Dentists place and restore their own implants. Some GPs have the implants placed by a specialist, usually an Oral Surgeon or a Periodontist, and then they restore the implants after the specialist has released the patient for restoration.

There is nothing wrong with a GP placing them, if they do a lot of them. As a patient, I'd probably have a specialist place them.

 

[Teacher Terry]

The guy that did my 4 on 4 was a oral surgeon. My dentist got almost as much $ as he did for making the dentures each time. Of the 33k he got 14, 7 went to a lab and the rest to the dentist. Thanks for the in-depth explanations. I really appreciate it)

 

[travelover]

Any way to get this done at a dental school for less?

 

[kimcdougc]

OP, I appreciate you starting this thread. I have 2 bridges that are in need of replacing. Thinking I might go to Kansas or Coast Rica to get my dental work done. So expensive here in the PNW.

 

[Teacher Terry]

No dental schools near where I live. The more I research the more options I am finding. I found something called the Deutsch Removable Bridge. It has 4 implants but not sure if they use regular or mini.

 

[W2R]

Nothing wrong with what you are doing, Teacher Terry, but I would have a different approach to the problem. I'm not saying "do what I would do", but just thought you might want more approaches to consider.

I would talk to my dentist first, because he has a lot more training and experience in dentistry than I would ever gain from reading online. He is a good, trustworthy man (in my opinion), who cares about his patients including me. He always presents the pros and cons of each option that he thinks is worth considering, including the costs, very clearly and intelligently.

If I didn't trust him enough to "do his homework" about something like this, and to communicate his professional opinions to me well, then for sure I would spend my time and effort to locate a better dentist, instead of trying to learn about it myself. Also, for something as expensive as this is, I might want to get a second opinion from a second dentist that I feel is very knowledgeable and high quality.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I appreciate your ideas W2R. My dentist is excellent as is the oral surgeon that did my bottoms. The problem is that they won't do anything but the 4 on 1 procedure which costs 38k. So right now I am just researching options, etc and then when I narrow it down I will go see the person I am thinking about using. If I can get the price down similar to KS then I would do it here. So I am trying to price everything out first while researching how many of these they do and if they have any violations by the state against them, etc. When I get the field narrowed down then I will visit in person.