Discussion Board

I have 3 implants. one supports a pontic, which is a crown over an empty space beside the implant. the oldest implant is many years old. the other two are 4 years and 3 years. I am 67 and trying to avoid dentures as long as possible. the problem is the cost. I will probably get a root canal with post and crown soon where a tooth has broken though an implant might be better. I'd recommend them for anyone who can afford it. of course a good dentist is a must. bone may be needed. and the process can take several months before the final crown is put on.

I think titanium allergies are rare.

Titanium allergies are VERY rare but they do exist apparently.

I also am interested in this topic. What does anyone think about having implants done at a dental school (University)? The work is done by students, but they are overseen by some of the best, I believe? I will need multiple implants if I decide to go with implants and it is likely to become quite costly. Does anyone have a ballpark figure for implants? Thanks--

a ballpark figure for a single implant with crown could be $3000. it might be possible for two implants to support a bridge with a missing middle tooth thus reducing the price to maybe $7000 for 3. I don't know and I'm not a dentist. if you can go to a dental school for an exam and estimate that may be good.

all dental work, including implants, costs far less in Mexico, maybe $1200 for an implant with crown. but that means travel expenses and maybe 3 visits. there are good dentists there and no doubt some not so good, same as everywhere.

I sure wish EVERYONE could get good dental care!

My name is Rick Coker and I am a dentist in Tyler, TX. We have been working with dental implants for 20 years and they are spectacularly successful when done properly, but there is definitely an art to the whole endeavor. Well over 95% of the ones we have done are still working!

The patient selection must be good- they can't smoke or abuse alcohol or drugs, and obviously, their nutrition should be adequate (if you are reading this board, that shouldn't be an issue!)

The case design must also be good. Since an implant isn't a tooth, it can't withstand the same sort of pressures from the sides as a tooth can, so the bite forces on the implant must be managed well and the implant or implants shouldn't be overloaded.

It is expensive to have this done, but it is expensive to not be able to chew your food, too! The reason we do more implants these days is that teeth that have had a lot of previous dentistry, like root canals and posts and such, are weakened and often are unreliable anchors for bridges or crowns. They sometimes are all we have, but dentists like to build things to last forever, so we get nervous when the foundation of our restorations is weak.

Find a good general dentist, who is experienced in the discipline, and ask your questions. It will not be the guy in the walk in dental clinic, but someone who has taken the extra time and effort to learn this discipline!

Does this not preclude bridge connected to an implant mounted tooth? I know bridges do stress the attached teeth over time even your own teeth...

Usually when all the teeth are missing, they use the implants as anchors for the denture. Seems to work pretty well. It is too bad that your MIL had problems, but like they say, there ain't nothing like the real thing.
Dental insurance is not like medical. It is hard to find dental ins. as an individual. At least one that covers decently. Many dental ins. comp. still do not cover implants, however they may cover the cost of the crown as it is considered a replacement. That being said, the majority of ins. do have a prior ext clause, so that if the tooth was ext. before you got the plan, it will not be covered. And they also have a congenitally missing tooth clause which means if you have a retained baby tooth & it has to be ext, the ins. will not cover the cost to replace that either. They also generally have a waiting period on basic services, like fillings, & major, which would be crowns, dentures, etc. Depending on the coverage you select, they may not even cover anything but routine exams, cleaning, etc. I dont know how old you are but AARP has dental insurance. Thru Delta Dental, it does have some limitations, but it is also reasonable. There are at least 2 plans, & they are a PPO so it is good to find a DDS that participates, otherwise you will end up paying more.
Hmm, I think I have a new career advising people on dental problems, ins. etc. on this board.
Jan

DW recently had this done. Only two implants as small jaw allowed no room for any more without impinging on nerves. It has now been about 6 months and like magic. From eating everything out of the blender or food processor to eating salad and apples etc! A happy camper is she!

i just got my dental implant yesterday. for those with them,is air popped popcorn something to strictly avoid or is it fine to eat?

Chewy,

Do you mean you got the whole thing or you had the surgery? Some Dr's do the procedure seperately, once the implant is covered, then it is ready for the crown.

If you got the permanent implant, with the crown over it, I would think popcorn would be fine. Once it is cemented in, it should be fine. However, I would make sure the popcorn you eat does not have a lot of husks & also a lot of kernels. The husks can sometimes work down around the gum tissue & cause a problem & of course if you bite down on a kernel, it can break a tooth. Have you called your dentist's office & asked them? That would probably be the best thing to do.

ASK YOUR DENTIST!!!! (not us amateurs...)

If crown immediately put on implant I vote NO on anything hard or crunchy or potentially so. It takes months (not hours, or days, or weeks) for the implant to integrate w/ your jawbone so it is stable and will stay put. If it has just been put in, it is just a peg screwed into the bone and could be knocked loose or damage the surrounding bone if much force is applied to it. My wife had a couple implants to hold dentures in place (admittedly a different situation) and they did not attach the dentures to them for I think 3 months! They just left them as flat plugs w/ the abutment/attachment piece to be screwed in later.

ASK YOUR DENTIST!!!!

thanks everyone!the crown was attached yesterday and the post was implanted in april.i will ask my dentist.

Likely good to go live up to your screen name then!

thanks geoffreylevens!!