Every September, people from all over Texas visit Plano for the annual Plano Balloon Festival. While the sky is filled with beautiful and colorful hot air balloons, the ground below is filled with big smiles and loud laughter. However, some patients like you with missing teeth may hesitate to smile and laugh with family and friends. After all, around 82% of Americans say the appearance of their teeth influences their self-confidence. When embarrassed by missing teeth, patients tend to hide their smiles behind their hands or even avoid smiling altogether. If you’re one of the many Americans struggling with missing teeth, it’s time to find a solution. Fortunately, dental implants replace missing teeth at the root! To find affordable dental implants in Plano, TX, visit Bent Tree Dental in nearby Dallas!

What Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are titanium screws that we place in your jawbone to replace missing tooth roots. While your natural teeth have roots that embed in your jawbone, restorations that replace missing teeth often lack this support. But with dental implants taking the place of tooth roots, you can experience a stable smile again!

Conventional dental implants are around 5 mm in diameter and have multiple components to their structure. Unfortunately, this design makes them difficult to place in patients who have lost jawbone structure over time. For individuals with bone loss, additional bone augmentation procedures may be necessary to rebuild the jawbone before initiating implant treatment.

Once your jawbone can support these implants, we’ll begin the placement process. First, we start with a local anesthetic to keep you comfortable. Afterward, we’ll carefully make an incision in your gum tissue to access your underlying jaw. Using a series of drills that increase in size, we will then create an opening in your bone large enough to fit the implant. With the implant body in place, we’ll then stitch your gums up to facilitate the healing process.

After a few months of healing, we’ll reopen the incision to place the abutment, or connector piece. Once your conventional implant is fully secure in your jaw, we’ll secure your final crown, bridge, or denture, depending on your needs.

Introducing Mini Dental Implants in Plano, TX

However, not everyone is able to undergo complex procedures with long healing periods. For patients seeking a more affordable and less invasive tooth replacement option, we offer mini dental implants!

These titanium posts are under 3 mm in diameter. For comparison, imagine the width of a toothpick. But don’t let their size fool you! Their titanium design makes these implants just as strong as conventional dental implants. In fact, they share a similar success rate and may even be favorable in some cases due to the many advantages they provide. These advantages include:

More streamlined: Not only are mini dental implants smaller than conventional implants, but they also feature a unique one-piece design. With only one component to place, we secure your implants in your jaw in just one appointment!
Fewer procedures: Mini implants are small and therefore require less bone for support. Without the need for ample jawbone structure, we can fit these titanium posts in smaller bone spaces, reducing the need for additional procedures. In many cases, those ineligible for conventional implants due to bone loss are still eligible for mini implant treatment!
Less invasive: Due to their tiny diameter, mini implants also require a less invasive procedure. Rather than making incisions and using stitches, we use a minimally invasive placement process! We’ll simply create a small pilot hole through your gums and into your jaw, and gently secure the one-piece implant in place.
Faster healing: With less disturbance to your gums and bone, you’ll experience a much faster healing process! While healing also depends on external factors, such as your overall health, mini implants typically provide patients with minimal discomfort and a quicker recovery. Instead of waiting months to restore your smile, you can enjoy your tooth replacement sooner.

Restoring Your Smile Affordably

Additionally, mini implants are a cost-effective alternative to conventional dental implants.

Thanks to their one-piece design, single-placement appointment, and simpler procedure, mini implants are typically much less expensive than their conventional counterparts.

During your consultation, we will assess the quality of your jawbone, determine an implant solution that suits your smile, and discuss the pricing of your treatment. While many insurance companies don’t cover dental implants, we work with third-party financing companies that help you manage your costs! With our flexible financing plans, you can afford to restore your smile, even on a budget!