Treatment of a narrow, single tooth edentulous area with mini-dental implants: a clinical report

The narrowing of an extraction site often becomes problematic when attempting to restore the space with a conventional wide-diameter implant. A woman is presented who was treated with a square head, mini-dental implant–supported fixed denture for a maxillary with a narrowed edentulous area, with a mesiodistal width of 5 mm. The implant, with a diameter of 2.4 mm, was inserted without reflecting the mucoperiosteal flap and was loaded immediately. During 12 months of follow-up, there has been no bone resorption and no inflammation observed around the implant. In conclusion, in terms of both clinical and aesthetic criteria, small diameter, mini-dental implants can be successfully used as an alternative to treatment with fixed partial dentures.