Originally Posted By LuvsDsnyTrips This for sure is not Disney related....just wondering...has anyone on this board had dental implants or known someone that has had one? What was the experience? I think I am looking at one....after a botched root canal and crown....$$$$$...ouch.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox Someone close to me had to get an implant after one of his lateral incisors split lengthwise through the root. The best thing I can tell you about implants is, do not go cheap and shop on price alone. An experienced dental surgeon who knows what he/she is doing is going to charge top dollar, but it's worth it. You need someone who will be attentive to your jaw's bone density, how the nerves run through the jaw, where the implant should be placed in relation to the other teeth, etc. That will also require special radiological imaging of your entire mouth, and that can be a bit pricey as well. But that information is vital to the procedure, so the dental surgeon doesn't inadvertently place the implant in a jaw that can't support it. Seriously, don't go cheap on implants. Your mouth is at the center of maintaining your health, believe it or not, even if our society gives dental medicine a second class status. If you screw up your mouth with bad dentistry, the rest of your body, especially your cardiovascular system, will pay the price downstream for it.
Originally Posted By LuvsDsnyTrips Believe me....I am never going to take my teeth for granted .... Thanks for the advice.... I had not thought about some of the things you pointed out
Originally Posted By gardenrooms I have had 2 implants for years and love them. Had a dead front tooth from a car accident when I was a kid (pre-seatbelts - broke my front teeth on the dashboard from the back seat no less) that was crowned and I always treated it gently as it felt fragile. Never bit an apple, always cut them, etc. Finally the tooth broke (whacked in the mouth by my puppy) and I had no choice but to get an implant (or denture - ick). Now I can do anything with the tooth. (Later the next tooth over broke off at the gum line - not sure why or how, I have always taken care of my teeth, but I had no hesitation in getting the 2nd implant.) My only concern is that I would love to periodically whiten my teeth but I am sure the material of the implant will react differently than the real teeth and it could end up looking weird. Got to check with my dentist about that. They were not inexpensive, but worth every penny. Oh, and your gum will recede but mine never show anyway. I was a little worried when I saw this, but my check-ups have all been great and there was no need for concern. The procedure is much easier now that it was when I got mine. Used to have to wait between the tooth pulling/jaw drilling and the implant and wait again to get the tooth attached. Now I think they do the pulling and the implant in one visit and maybe even the tooth. Anyway I'm an old lady and the bone healed great and everything is solid. (I still treat the other crown gently. I would not consider replacing a live tooth.) I don't know what your alternative is, but I have seen many people who find their dentures very uncomfortable, and this is not at all.
Originally Posted By LuvsDsnyTrips My alternative is a "partial" which would consist of a fake tooth .....but, my friend has one that just snaps right into place and attaches to the other teeth on both sides....she hates it and says she feels like she has to much plastic in her mouth I know that I could not stand that But, they are telling me that this all will take place over months....first extract and fill with bone graft ...then the post and then the crown All I know is....for a dead tooth.... I have a lot of pain
Originally Posted By gardenrooms Well, that's the way my first implant was and I had to wear a "flipper" (like a tooth on a retainer) while I was waiting for the bone to grow in solid, which I hated and took it our whenever I was not in public. But the end result was worth it. I'm surprised your dentist still separates all the steps, because mine (and he is not one of those new places where they do it in one day, he is my regular dentist working with a periodontist) for the 2nd one combined the tooth removal with placing the implant (with a temporary crown) so much quicker to the final product and no annoying flipper, though I probably had to be careful with the tooth (I don't even remember it was so easy). Maybe it's because you need a bone graft because of the earlier problems? My bone just grew back and filled in on its own. Good luck. I will say I was a little nervous throughout the whole thing, it was all so new and different but everything went fine.
Originally Posted By LuvsDsnyTrips I am going to be asking a few more questions tomorrow .....glad you had positive outcome....pray I do as well
