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Our Planmeca Panoramic X-ray machine eliminates the need to bite on painful film tabs for most x-rays.  Our state of the art x-ray machine gives easier, better, and faster images, all with lower radiation doses of even a few years past.  This machine will greatly improve the way you feel about dental x-rays.

In addition to traditional X-rays, we have the ability to take Cone Beam 3D dental images.  This investment keeps us at the forefront of dentistry.  Few dental offices have this advanced technology and Valley View Dental is one of the pioneers in this field.  It is much more diagnostic for implant planning and placement and can also help diagnose many problems that you can not see on a two-dimensional X-ray of the past.

Dental implants are the strongest and most reliable method to replace a missing tooth.  There are also countless implant types and manufacturers and some implants work better under certain conditions than others.  In its simplest form, there are full size or conventional implants and mini implants.  Mini implants were designed to aid in stabilization of loose dentures.  Although there are some instances where teeth can be placed on mini implants, they are typically used to anchor a patient’s denture to eliminate the need for denture adhesive.  To replace a tooth and especially a large molar, a conventional implant is usually a better choice.  They are stronger and more robust in order to withstand the heavy demands of chewing.  To determine which works best for you and  your situation, we will need to assess the area of placement of each individual case.

 

Say Goodbye to Loose Dentures and Denture Adhesive with Mini Dental Implants

Mini Implants provide an easy solution for ill fitting upper and lower dentures.

 

Dr. Porcello has been trained and certified by Dr. Shatikin of Buffalo, NY in placing mini dental implants. These implants are primarily used for retaining a patient’s bottom denture. Usually 4 mini dental implants are placed and sometimes a patient’s existing denture can be used and an adapter placed into the denture that then clicks or snaps over the mini dental implant to keep the denture in place. This is normally used on patient’s bottom dentures, but can be used on the upper denture as well, and can be used to replace some missing teeth.

 

What can Mini Dental Implants do for me?

You should be able to eat, smile, and talk comfortably and confidently with dentures in your mouth- mini dental implants can help you. If you have a loose or poor fitting denture, the extra support given by mini dental implants can be a life changing experience. Mini dental implants can also be used to replace single missing teeth.  Many of our patients come to us with sores on their gums from improper denture fit. Or they come into our office with their dentures in their hands, not in their mouths. Mini dental implants provide you with a comfortable and secure denture fit all day long without needing goopy denture adhesive.

 

What Are Mini Dental Implants?

A Mini Dental Implant (MDI) or a mini implant is a miniature titanium implant that acts like the root of your tooth and has a connector that is placed into the base of your denture. The denture connector snaps into the mini dental implant and your denture is held firmly in place. The head of the implant is shaped like a ball and the mini dental implant holds the denture tightly and securely in place. When seated, the denture gently rests on the gum tissue. The implant fixtures allow for ideal micro-mobility while withstanding natural lifting forces, thus keeping the denture in place while eating and talking. The connector acts like a socket that contains a rubber O-ring. The O-ring snaps over the ball when the denture is seated.

 

What is the process to have a mini dental implant placed?

The mini implant placement procedure is a short and sweet single appointment. There is no open surgery involved, no sewing and no sutures. The small size of the implants allow for a simple and patient convenient protocol. The entire procedure is done with local anesthesia to provide a safe and painless experience. After a short healing period the connectors are placed into your dentures and you are ready to experience the difference mini dental implants can make in your life. An added benefit of the simple procedure is that the cost of mini dental implants is less than standard dental implants.

 

Is the Mini Dental Implant FDA approved?

Yes. After providing technical and clinical evidence to the FDA that the product was safe for public use and in fact had beneficial attributes, the FDA approved its formal consent to market Mini Dental Implants not only as a transitional or temporary dental product, but significantly, as a long-term item.

 

When can Mini Dental Implants be used?

A mini dental implant can be utilized both for better denture fit and for single tooth replacements. When critically needed for support purposes, and where solid bony adaptation (integration) has clearly occurred, mini implants can function as long-term supporting structures rather than as short-term or medium term devices. In fact, some have been successfully functioning in patients’ jaws for several decades. In the past several years, some clinicians have been utilizing MDI’s for single tooth replacements and in crown and bridge cases.

 

What’s the primary and most effective use for Mini Dental Implants?

The most effective use of this unique dental product is stabilization of a lower denture. There are approximately 50,000,000 people in the United States who are “edentulous” (literally meaning lacking teeth) who struggle daily with dentures. A majority suffer a great deal of discomfort as a result of loose or ill-fitting dentures and from the thick layers of the denture glues they have to use. Many denture wearers simply withdraw from any type of social engagement as a result of being compelled to wear them. Moreover, it’s not uncommon for family members to complain about a denture wearer’s disagreeable breath as a result of food being trapped and decaying under their dentures. Successful placement of the Mini Dental Implant addresses and solves all of these social and practical problems. Denture patients all over the world have experienced relief from loose or ill-fitting dentures and from disgusting layers of denture adhesive by getting the mini dental implants. Uniquely, the MDI can stablilize a denture in a couple of hours by a trained doctor, with the patient leaving the dentist’s office with a tight, secure denture.

 

How specifically can Mini Dental Implants help denture wearers?

The standard insertion protocol for mini dental implants calls for four of them to be gently screwed into the front of a patient’s lower jaw. This is a relatively painless procedure that can be performed by a general dentist, requiring only a mild anesthesia. The mini dental implants, which are approximately the size of wooden toothpicks, are placed about five millimeters apart in the patient’s mandible. The patient’s denture is then carefully adjusted by the dentist to allow it to snap onto the four mini implants. The result is a tight fitting, completely reliable system that allows a patient to speak and eat with confidence. The Mini Dental Implants are placed in about an hour’s time. Because of the unique, minimally invasive procedure, the minute size of the implants, and the characteristic placement area, the typical Mini Dental Implants patient can enjoy a light meal an hour or so after having the mini implants placed. Further, a denture patient who has had his or her prosthesis stabilized with MDI can remove and replace the denture easily after a little practice, and can easily utilize good dental hygiene. All in all, the mini dental implant supported denture is quite satisfying.

Conventional dental implants are most commonly used to replace already missing teeth. It is not typically a painful procedure – each case is different and your dentist will explain the pros and cons and potential complications of each individual situation with you on a case by case basis, but generally having a tooth extracted is a more painful healing process than placing an implant.

There are typically 3 phases for placing an implant. First, we need to evaluate the bone present. There needs to be an adequate amount of bone present both “side to side” and vertically to make sure there is enough space to place an implant. This is most often achieved by taking a CBCT (Cone beam computed tomography), which in its simplest term would be a 3D X-ray.

This shows us exactly how much bone is present and from this 3D image we can determine what size implant will work best in each individual case. The Second phase is the actual placement of the implant. For this the patient is numbed with local anesthetic, which is the same thing used when doing a filling or an extraction. You will be numb in the area of the implant placement and it will not hurt. The implant is placed into the jaw where the root of the tooth had originally been. Then a silver disk or “healing cap” is placed on the implant while the bone integrates with the implant. This is an important distinction because it is often thought of as the implant being the tooth that is replaced. However, the implant is actually the part that is inserted into the jaw that the tooth will connect to when ready. After the implant is placed there is typically 3 months of healing before it is ready to have the tooth attached. This can be thought of as the healing time. For example when a bone is broken it is put in a cast. The cast immobilizes or stabilizes the bone so that it is not moving – it will not heal if it is constantly bending and moving. Similarly, then implant will not heal / the bone will not grow around the implant and lock it into place if you were chewing on it with the tooth attached. The Final step is to attach the new tooth to the implant. There are various ways, but the most common way we do it is to take an impression that is sent to a lab. Then the lab sends back the tooth that locks onto the implant and is held in place with a screw through the top of the implant crown. This is then covered with a tooth colored filling and can still be accessed if any maintenance or changes require access in the future.

In the past if a tooth was missing, there were 2 options to replace it: 1.) Bridge. A bridge will replace a missing or some missing teeth. However a bridge uses teeth on either side of the missing tooth to attach to which need to be shaved down to accommodate this bridge. 2.) The second way to replace missing teeth is a partial. A partial is often more economical, but its main drawback is that it is removable, meaning you take it out and put it back in yourself on a regular basis. 3.) The newest and often best replacement of a missing tooth is an implant. This replaces the missing tooth without having to disturb the teeth next to the space like a bridge and it is fixed, meaning it doesn’t come out like a partial and is generally the preferred way to replace a missing tooth.

In some cases immediate implants can be placed – meaning that when we extract the remains of a tooth we can put an implant in that same day. This decreases the amount of steps involved in order to have an implant placed making it much easier and less time consuming for patients. There are pros and cons to this approach and it can not always be done every time, therefore each case would be discussed in depth with your dentist.

Conventional implants can also be used to hold in dentures or even make a more permanent set of teeth that are only able to be removed by the dentist. These are among the most complex cases and can be discussed on an individual basis with your dentist.

Veneers are a think layer of porcelain that is bonded to your teeth, which creates a whiter, more even smile