Bone Graft with Mini-Dental Implants


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Standard dental implants are effective tools with many benefits for anyone using artificial teeth. However there are a number of considerations when it comes to applying mini-dental implants to the mouth which can limit who can make use of what are otherwise remarkable and life changing tools.

Dental implants are fitted through an invasive procedure that requires a surgical incision into the gum to access the jawbone. This can restrict access to the procedure as many people, particularly elderly patients, might not be able to safely go through an invasive surgery. Fortunately mini-dental implants can offer an effective alternative through a much simpler and more straightforward procedure which isn’t quite as invasive.


Another issue with the standard dental implant procedure is that the larger implants require more jawbone to successfully integrate into the jaw. This will often require bone grafting, and in this article we look at whether mini-dental implants need the same extensive step.

What is bone grafting and why would it be needed for dental implants?

As mentioned briefly in the introduction to this article, a certain amount of bone is necessary for a successful dental implant procedure. This is because implants are designed to fuse with the jawbone over time, forming a truly stable and reliable base to which dentures can be fixed.

Many people with missing or lost teeth will experience a loss of jawbone. The more teeth lost and the longer those teeth remain missing for, the more dramatic the bone loss observed. This is because our teeth actually play a critical role in maintaining bone density in our jaws, which respond to the pressures of chewing to remain dense and strong enough to support our teeth. In their absence, bone from the jaws is harvested for use elsewhere through a mechanism called resorption.

Where a person doesn’t have quite enough bone for an implant procedure to be successful, a bone grafting procedure can be performed to remedy this situation. Bone grafting is essentially the surgical replacement of lost bone mass, and while a useful tool, is often not advisable for many patients, particularly those with other underlying medical issues that might make having an invasive surgical procedure less than advisable.

Do mini-dental implants require bone grafts?

One of the benefits offered by mini-dental implants is the fact that the surgery and placement of these titanium fittings is vastly simpler and cheaper. Implants can be placed directly into a socket drilled into the jawbone without the need for an incision into the gum.

Because of their smaller size, these implants also require less bone for a successful procedure, which means that there is no need for a bone graft when applying mini-dental implants.

This means that mini-dental implants can be effectively and safely used by people who would not be able to go through an implant procedure without the need for a bone graft, which spares risk, time, cost, and discomfort.

Mini-dental implants still offer the stability and comfort provided by their fully sized counterparts, however the fact that they are accessible to more people and require less extensive surgery can make them extremely attractive to anyone looking to stabilise and support their artificial teeth.

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