Astoria Dental Group The Traditional Dental Implants vs. Mini Implants People want to talk about mini implants www.queenscourier.com i LIC COURIER i SEPTEMBER 2015 21 compared to traditional implants. The discussion is really about removable dentures versus fixed bridges. If you are not having pain from your denture and looseness is your only problem, then an overdenture can be a solution. Overdentures use implants, whether mini-implants or traditional implants, to provide some retention for a denture. An overdenture still uses the same areas of the gums and bone in the mouth for support, only to provide retention . This means that there is still some movement that people feel with overdentures. If you are looking for the most affordable solution beyond a denture, then an overdenture is the solution, but it does not provide the highest possible level of restoring function. They can provide enough retention so that you do not need denture adhesive. Traditional implants have long been used for this application also. A Proven Record In a study of overdentures that followed people as long as 25 years, the implant system we use had a more than 95 percent success rate. So if you are interested in long-term results, and you decide an overdenture is the best you can do, then over a 10-year period or longer your investment is safer with traditional implants. In our office, we do not sell implants, whether traditional or mini. We are in the “Quality of Life” business, providing restorative solutions for people with problems. We are a multi-disciplined family practice, and our interest is in providing the highest level of care, which would generally mean fixed bridges compared to removable dentures secured with implants. In the past, this was a long procedure, but today we are able to place implants painlessly and with no sutures along with a provisional fixed bridge frequently in the same day. We can even do this when someone still needs bad teeth removed. And believe it or not, the long-term success rates are even better with a fixed bridge than they are with overdentures. One study, again with the implant system our office uses, followed people 20 to 23 years and those that were available for followup had 100 percent continuous fixed bridge function during this time. Unfortunately for the public, unless fully informed, all you can compare is price. If, because of finances, you must have an over-denture, then using traditional implants still show a higher success rate over 10 years than has been documented for mini-implants. Over the long term, any price difference between miniimplants and traditional proven implants becomes insignificant given the higher success rate for return. That is why we recommend fixed bridges rather than over-dentures, because we see on a daily basis the profound impact a fixed bridge has on their lives. A fixed bridge on traditional implants does cost more than an overdenture on mini-implants, but you cannot begin to compare the difference in value you are receiving for that extra investment. Regardless, either option is better than having your teeth on the nightstand.
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