Posted on 01/12/2014 8:59:01 AM PST by gortklattu
Groucho Marx once said that Abscess make the heart grow fonder, but now it means that I will be losing a troubled molar and am looking at getting an implant to replace the tooth.
Have any of you had an implant?
Do you have any Stories or Advice to pass on to your fellow freepers?
I have my full set of implants for 23 years and no problems. Just make sure of the Dr. you choose. He or she must have a track record and a good one for implants.
I had an implant. Lost a single molar on the top back right. An implant doesn’t really cost all that much more than a bridge, and it’s a whole lot better. It’s been in a few years now, and it’s just another tooth. With bridges you have a real problem getting food particles out.
I saw a specialist that used microtechnology to find out that I had three (3) visible canals but on camera,found that I actually had five (5) canals, three that were treated but the two mini-canals were left untreated and were the ones that continued to give me pain and lots of trouble.
After treatment, the tooth has given me no further problems, ten years later.
My lower right first molar was a crown. A few years ago I was brushing and it came off and spun around the sink. I figured it would just need to be cemented back on until I looked at the underside and saw dead tooth stuck to it.
A bridge was $3K and would maybe last 10 years, an implant was $3.3K and was forever. Got the implant and have had absolutely no problems.
I was glad to be rid of that molar. It had vexed me for years, like the time it fractured while I was in England headed back to Alaska in time for Memorial Day weekend.
‘My dentist is quoting me about eight grand per implant. That’s a bit rich for me.”
Shop around -— you should be able to get excellent implants for a lot less, without sacrificing either the quality of the implant or the quality of the oral surgeon performing the procedure. As others said, technology has come a long way, now implants are almost routine procedures.
That’s not right. Implants last indefinitely if you take care of your oral health and you maintain healthy bones with a proper diet.
A high school pal with a dentist for a dad used to tell that
one invoking the preacher’s wife as the patient.
I’m going to Costa Rica to get dental implants.
I have all my top teeth taken out and and 5 implants and dentures made all for the cost of about 20 grand, which probably would've been 40K in the states.
Was it worth it? Absolutely.
But like others said shop around.
They do everything and it cost a fraction of what American dentist charge and their dental offices blow away my own American dentist office.I know someone who got a 20k dental job done there for 4500USD.
I had a similar experience to zerosix. Look for oral surgeons that specialize in implants rather than a general dentist. I had too much bone loss at the extracted molar to get an implant, so I have a permanent bridge instead. At first it was sensitive and would chew on the other side. After a year chewing normal, eating anything, like it never happened.
“A bridge was $3K and would maybe last 10 years”
I’ve had the same bridge for 37 years. One side was loose a few years ago. Dentist popped it off and cemented it back on. No other problems.
My wife had several implants done. ClearChoice was the most expensive but also clearly the best in terms of dental staff-- I think $4-$5k with the augmentation and the crown.
I've been going to Costa Rica for my dental work. Porcelain crowns are $550, and implants are $1500. Their work is top notch too.
My wife had an implant placed at an angle and the idiot dentist didn't fit the crown properly.
To give you an idea of how powerful the human jaw is, the end result was that the titanium implant snapped in half and the crown came off. The whole thing had to be drilled out, filled with bone augmentation material and then re-drilled and replaced. Reminded me of extracting and re-tapping a broken bolt in an engine block.
ClearChoice did the replacement work-- two minor adjustments on the crown and no problems since.
In the Los Angeles area I’m seeing advertisements for $1,000 implants. I’ll have to check them out.
Smart move!
If you want to go metal free and avoid the risk of dark roots showing, you can use Zirconium, which is also more biocompatible.
http://zsystemsusa.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zirconia
You might save money and get better work by going to Costa Rica:
Dental Tourism in Costa Rica
http://www.topix.com/forum/world/costa-rica/TITS6KIM29DHDQSI5
San Jose, Costa Rica—Considering Medical/Dental Tourism
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g309293-i1208-k2204994-o160-San_Jose_Costa_Rica_Considering_Medical_Dental_Tourism-San_Jose_San_Jose_Metro_Provinc.html
You should be able to get an implant for $3500. If someone is quoting $8K you need to find a new surgeon. Once it’s in you’ll never have to think about it again. Fantastic technology. I don’t know anyone who has one who’s been dissatisfied.
Thanks to all who’ve replied. I am missing ALL of my lower molars. I have destroyed teeth that are broken off on the lower jaw and need to be dug out, healed and replaced so I can have something other than soft food again.
Thank FReepers, means a lot. I’m so tired of constant pain.
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