Use of mini implants for replacement and immediate loading of 2 single-tooth restorations: a clinical case report

Numerous long-term studies have shown that treatment with dental implants can provide edentulous patients with a more stable alternative to complete dentures and partially edentulous patients with a more conservative form of tooth replacement than conventional fixed partial dentures. Until recently, commercially available dental implants have been limited to diameters ranging from 3.0 mm to 7.0 mm. Although this range of diameters has been able to address most clinical needs, partially edentulous patients who could not accommodate a 3.0-mm-diameter implant without damaging adjacent dental structures were excluded from implant therapy. This article reports on the surgical treatment and immediate restoration of a patient who received mini implants that were 2.4 mm in diameter.