As an alternative to regular implants, short implants have been in use for the past 28 years. Short implants and ultra-short implants were developed in America. Their name indicates their essential characteristic because short implants are less than ten millimeters in length.

To insert conventional implants with their large titanium root, sufficiently developed bone material must be available in the patient’s jaw. This requirement is often not fulfilled because the bone shrinks when teeth are missing for a long time. So that implantation can be performed in these cases, bone augmentation (building up the bone) has to be carried out. This approach is time-consuming, expensive and not always successful.

These shortened implants were developed as an alternative. They are far more flexible to handle than conventional implants. The complex stage of bone augmentation can often be omitted because of the short length of these implants. However, their use is not confined to cases where other implants cannot be inserted. Short dental implants can actually be seen as a genuine alternative because they are used with far greater caution than other implants. For instance, short implants allow lower drilling speeds to be used and are gentle on the bone. The risk of suffering from an infection as a result of implantation can also be significantly reduced with the aid of short dental implants.

Short dental implants therefore offer short treatment times, lower treatment costs together with a lower risk to patients. Hence they should always be considered when deciding on implant treatment.