narrowSKY
narrowSKY addresses the opposite constraint to copaSKY: not a ridge that is too short, but one that is too thin.
At a glance
- Purpose
- Ridges too narrow for a standard implant
- Also used for
- Small gaps, such as lower front teeth
- Material
- Titanium
- Family
- Part of the SKY range
- Alternative
- Ridge widening graft, then a standard implant
- Related
- copaSKY 3.0 is also a narrow option
The problem of a thin ridge
Bone shrinks in width as well as height after a tooth is lost, and it does so fastest in the first year. A standard implant needs bone on all sides, roughly a millimetre and a half of it, so a ridge that has thinned can rule one out even when height is fine.
There is also a spacing problem. Lower front teeth are small and close together, and a standard-diameter implant may simply not fit between the roots of the neighbouring teeth without crowding them.
Narrow implant or widen the ridge?
A narrow implant fits the bone you have. One appointment, no graft, lower cost, shorter timeline. The implant is thinner, so it is mechanically less strong and less suited to carrying heavy chewing loads, which is why narrow implants are used most often at the front of the mouth rather than on molars.
Ridge widening grafts bone onto the side of the ridge, waits several months, then places a standard implant. More surgery, more cost, more time, and it ends with a full-strength implant.
For a lower front tooth, a narrow implant is often the sensible choice. For a molar taking heavy load, widening the ridge may be worth it. Ask your dentist to explain which applies to your site and why.
A reduced-diameter two-piece implant like narrowSKY is not the same thing as a mini implant. narrowSKY is a proper two-piece implant that happens to be thin, capable of carrying a crown. Mini implants are one-piece devices used mainly to hold dentures in place. If you are unclear which is being proposed, ask directly, the difference matters.
Questions worth asking your dentist
- Is my ridge too narrow for a standard implant, and by how much?
- What would ridge widening involve, and what would it cost?
- Is this a two-piece implant that can carry a normal crown?
- Is this site taking heavy chewing load?
- What diameter and length are you planning?
- Will you record the system, diameter, length and reference number in writing?
Related systems
miniSKY
The mini implant, used mainly for denture retention.
blueSKY
The standard-diameter implant.
References
- bredent. SKY System Presentation. Document 000250GB.
- bredent. Technical Data. Document 0091008GB, February 2025.
Specifications compiled from bredent's publicly available product literature and Canadian product pages. Manufacturer performance claims are identified as such. DentalImplantInfo.ca is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by bredent. bredent, SKY, blueSKY, copaSKY, whiteSKY, narrowSKY, miniSKY, BioHPP and Docklocs are trademarks of their respective owners, used here for identification and educational purposes.