Brief understanding of Short Dental Implants
Every time a patient goes to the dentist to get an implant, the questions that are often asked are whether if there are any other options other than the traditional implants…?, or if there are any painless alternatives other than getting a denture…?

Well, today we are going to see one of those alternatives.

Short Implants and their history:
Early dental practices suggested the need for implants of length 12-mm to 20-mm in order to provide sufficient primary stability, but decades later after rigorous research and study on the size of Implants, indications leading to the discovery of the shorter dental implants were uncovered. This article covers some parts on the subject of Short Dental Implants & how they can be classified as well as the recent Hype for short titanium implants. 

Classification: Ever since the 7-mm implants came into the market, we can now classify implants that are termed as (“Short-Implants”) as shorter than 8-mm, and (“Ultra-Short-Implants”) as lengths of 5-mm to 7-mm. Many companies have adopted implants as short as 5 mm in their inventory, although these had not been put to use as standard short implants, Overtime they came to be known as “Ultra-Short-Implants”.

Definition: In Definition, short implants are dental implants that are shorter than 8-mm in length.

Dental Applications for short Implants:
Short implants are a valid option in situations of reduced jaw bone height.
They are also preferable when the possibility of damage to adjacent structures can be significantly reduced. Adjacent structures include maxillary sinuses, blood vessels and nerves, tooth structures, and existing implants.
The selection of the length of an implant depends on the site of implant placement, anatomical and health conditions of the patient. When sufficient jaw bone height exists, implants longer than 6 mm are preferable, because they can be placed without much surgical risk.
Although most studies on Short implants do not give specific recommendations regarding occlusion, a greater risk of occlusal overload of short implants has to be considered. 
Special caution is advised when indicating short implants in patients presenting with single missing molars and para-functional habits, any changes in occlusion should be assessed and adjusted as necessary during regular visits to the dentist.
When opting for short implants you need to go with the wider diameter variants the reason being short implants works better on molar and premolar regions but when it comes to aesthetic regions, we must reconsider short implants may not be as efficient when we think about long term endurance.
Pros:

Short implants are useful in certain situations as a method to avoid unnecessary invasive grafting which is needed for Augmentation procedures.
Short implants decrease the surgical time needed for implant placement.
Generally, the healing process is quicker with shorter implants.
Short implants are recommended for patients who need single tooth or molar replacement.
Cons: 

Can cause swelling after maxillary Sinus Augmentation, Augmentation procedures, especially those involving split-thickness flap dissection.
The survival rate of Short Implants is 96% compared to the 98% survival rate of longer implants.
Short implants have a 15% to 26% chance of failure.
Short implants with less than 6 mm length should be carefully selected because they may present a greater risk for failure compared to an implant longer than 6 mm.
What you need to know when purchasing Implants?
Not all short implants are the same, not all short implants have good results.
When you consider short implants you must consider good design and with long term endurance.
Best short implants are those which can be placed Subcrestally.
When purchasing short implants, you should go for the wider diameter options, because those work better on Molar and premolar regions.
Why is there so much skepticism in the market regarding the concept of short implants?
Despite the obvious benefits why did clinicians and researchers continue to doubt the idea of short dental implants? 

Firstly, The disadvantages and potential risks, and complications associated with these implants became more feared over the years. 

Secondly, Many rumors in the market tied to old and outdated research and diagnostic studies that showed short implants as having a higher rate of failure and as expensive over time due to increased visits to the dentist from frequent pain associated with the unhealthy oral habits that can lead to infection or displacement of the implant.

Thirdly Misinterpretation in old diagnostic studies that have resulted from a lack of advanced medical equipment to study oral conditions that cause similar symptoms to that of an implant failure.

The American Hype:
Recently, significant growth in healthcare spending has been observed in nations like America where more people have started to opt for short titanium implants as a go-to solution for tooth replacement.

Here is the reason why there is such hype in the American market for short dental implants

The growth in the healthcare spending of Americans can be attributed to the increasing focus of the government of America to meet the laid down targets of the Sustainable Development Goals or (SDG) in order to generate revenue and improve the living conditions of the general citizens.
Factors such as SDGs are anticipated to drive the market growth of the Short Titanium Implants during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Due to the technological Advancement in American dentistry, the procedure to replace a tooth is now only a matter of a single visit to the dentist. 
Mass production of Dental implants in America, due to the demand for shorter titanium implants in the American Market is another reason why people find it so convenient to get one for a cheaper price.