Dental Implants

Why replace a molar in the first place? I had one removed about 8 years ago and nothing happened. Implants are so expensive and complicated, I would do it only for cosmetic reasons, meaning just a front tooth if necessary.

I think dentist really like to pull teeth for some reason.

I have one. The dentist did it himself. I didn't have to go to an Oral surgeon.

I forget how much it was but it was expensive.

Not a big deal pain wise. Sort of like just getting a crown. (yours does sound much more complicated though)

Yep, I remember $5,000 as well, but I remember the at least TEN visits (starting with the regular dentist) even more. This was during COVID restrictions. Am afraid that I may need another one or two more. At least the oral surgeon was hot, and very kind. The practice send a jumbo coffee mug (with their logo, of course) filled with flowers after the last of two procedures that required heavy sedation. A cute touch.

I had a back molar pulled a few months ago, because it had a massive amount of decay under the crown and it would have been a long, drawn-out, and painful process to have it fixed.

The dentist my sister worked with for 35 years told me that I should wait to see if I can get used to not having that molar (#18), and if not, I could always get an implant later. Fixing the tooth would have cost almost as much as an implant anyway.

So a few short months after having my tooth pulled, I got used to not having it, and while I can't chomp down on that side like I used to, I can still chew fine (if a bit carefully) on that side.

OP, I went through the same situation abut 18 months ago. All in, it was close to $10,000 since the implant requires a crown. Happy to report I've had no issues with it.

An implant is a fake tooth -- why would you need a crown on a fake tooth? Did you break it somehow?

I got two dental implants this year. The pain was as horrifying as friends who had been through the same procedure told me it would be. And I've had root canals, extractions and gum.disease. Good luck!

OP, the thought of a human cadaver bone in my mouth gives me the willies.

How did your tooth under crown rot?

Fuck if I know, R8! My sister told me it was because I don't floss as often as I should.

And I don't. Oh well.

R9 several of my teeth have rotted under the crowns. I really don’t get it.

I know several people who have had implants and they did not report horrible pain. They were given pain meds. The expense is ridiculous. Dentistry is a racket.

Sorry -- I meant R9.

Unlike r7 and his friends, my dental implant was no worse, pain-wise, than the regular pain of getting a cavity taken care of. The worst is at the end, when they screw in the crown to the implant (and even that was not so bad). One thing I've learned, which I was not informed of beforehand, was that with regular use the screwed-in crown can start to loosen, which comes to your notice via (1) the crown starting to minutely wobble; and (2), infection pains commencing. All one needs to do, though, is to return to the dentist and have him/her re-screw it in, tighter (just takes a few minutes). My procedure (preparation, implant, re-screwing) was all done by my regular dentist. I fortunately have dental insurance, so it didn't cost all that terribly much (a few thousand), and the charges were thoughtfully spread out over the months it all takes to come to completion.

My husband had one done and it seemed like it took forever. At least seven or eight visits over the span of a year and it was not cheap.

I had my #19 molar pulled by a periodontist years after a root canal failed. The same appointment as the extraction, I had the implant along with a cadaver bone graft to promote bone growth. About three months later, followed by a crown done by my dentist. Overall, it has been a good result though the crown broke last year and I had to have a new one fabricated and installed. I have decent insurance and the whole thing was around $1000.

R6: an implant is not a fake tooth. It’s more like a fake foundation for a tooth that’s screwed into the jawbone. A crown is the fake tooth, which is installed into the implant after the jawbone around the implant heals.

Well, this thread certainly has been painfully informative...I guess I made the right decision in not getting an implant and deciding to get used to missing a tooth.

Of course, it's not like it's a front tooth. I would have to point to the gap for anyone to even notice.

You must have the space where the bad tooth was filled with something, an implant or a partial plate. Otherwise the tooth BELOW will start to come out. It’s trying to meet the tooth opposite it.

I had my second premolar extracted because I was born without an adult tooth underneath. My "baby tooth" lasted me until my thirties. Eventually it had to be extracted. I had a bone graft put in, even though I was creeped out when the dentist told me it would be from a cadaver. I'm getting my braces off this Friday and I'm considering doing an implant next year.

R18 My dentist told me the same thing, that not doing an implant can wear down the teeth around it.

Not getting a crown of some sort to replace the missing tooth will result in a lot more damage and money being spent down the line. Dental work is not a luxury. It’s a necessity.

How old are you? After a certain age you may not need to replace a molar. I have healthy teeth and lost a molar and the dentist finally admitted I didn't need to put an implant. 63 here.

So my 2 bits to this thread is: if you have seen a trusted dentist for years, do what the dentist recommends and do not seek advice online.

I had to get my incisor removed last year (one of the big ones, front top). I damaged it decades ago in a bicycle accident. Years later it started turning brown so I eventually got a crown. Years later to last year, the dentist said it finally has to come out. Instead of getting an implant because I was a chicken and didn't want to deal with the surgery, I got what is called a Maryland Bridge. Basically, the replacement is attached to the back of the tooth next to it with ceramic. In a word, I hate it. It looks great from the front, but it took me months to get used to the big piece of ceramic in the front of my mouth and I'm still not. I wish I had just gotten the implant.

I agree with the poster who called dentistry a racket. It is outrageously expensive. A friend of mine has been seeing a dentist in Mexico for years because it is so much cheaper, even with the travel expenses.

[quote] How did your tooth under crown rot?

Easily. Many crowns are ill-fitting in the first place, so bacteria gets in and it's game over. Gum recession can expose the base of tooth after a few years.

Dental work is a crapshoot. I had my first root canal in the early 1970s when only oral surgeons did them. It took 3 visits for one root canal. Now every general dentist decided they would do them and the procedure is always too fast and shoddy. A root canal shouldn't fail if it's done properly. The original canals I got are fine 50 years later, the newer ones all 'failed' with the exception of the one I got in Costa Rica. When I went to an oral surgeon back home he was in awe of the precision in my Costa Rican root canal.. On the other hand the crowns I got in CR by the another specialist were't very good. Hella cheap though.

yes x 3 over the last 10 years, (resorption for those who know). All went well. I'm 65 now , so probably won't do it again unless front teeth. Good luck to you.

I went to get implants to replace an old three teeth bridge Ive had since I was a teenager. Never had a problem with it but the color was always off.

I went to replace it with implants only to have the Dr tell me after he removed the bridge by sawing it off, I didnt have enough gum to hide the implants and the posts would show ....now In stuck with a denture. That cost me enough..lord knows what it would cost for another opinion

I have several.

Something important to know- the crowns will last on average 10 years. I had 1 replaced last year. The actual implant was fine, but the crown gave out.

I did a molar implant after cracking a tooth in my sleep. I got lazy with the nightguard so I paid the ultimate price.

The whole process took 9 months. Dentist told me it was bovine bone meal (not human).

The mistake i made was not going under general anesthesia...i did local bc i had no one to drive me home and it had to be someone I knew and not an Uber. It was traumatic due to the pressure and pulling even though I could not feel it. That was just for the old tooth extraction. You need another surgery for the implant 3 months later, and then the tooth goes in 3 months after that which also takes a lot of getting used to.

If I have to do one again i'd rather off myself.

Maybe, R20, but I’m talking about the lower tooth POPPING OUT of the socket because there’s nothing above for it to meet.

R18? It's the bottom tooth I had pulled.

And I'm 67.

[quote] An implant is a fake tooth -- why would you need a crown on a fake tooth? Did you break it somehow?

The implant is just the screw that is screwed into your head. The tooth-shaped crown goes on the screw. The screw just works in place of a natural tooth nub. It still needs a crown.

[quote] Well, this thread certainly has been painfully informative...I guess I made the right decision in not getting an implant and deciding to get used to missing a tooth.

I’m a big proponent of getting a dental implant. I had a tooth with a root canal that cracked down to the root after the root canal but before the crown was placed. I had to have the tooth extracted and my choice immediately was to get the implant.

After the extraction, there was a period of time to let the bone close up on its own, which for me it did. There was no need for any cadaver bone. Then the screw was screwed in. It was an upper tooth. The guy had to do it the old fashioned way with a ratchet, and while there was a sensation of it entering, I didn’t feel any pain. The screw head was bare for a period of time to make sure it was okay, and then a couple weeks later the crown was put on.

The cost was huge, but I have a full set of teeth and the crown over the implant feels just like a regular tooth. There’s no pain, no discomfort. There’s no sensation whatsoever for me that would indicate to me that it was anything other than a real tooth. If you got the money and have a missing tooth, you should get an implant.

Thank you R18/R30! I was about to post the same thing after reading R1. Molars keep the opposing molars in place! I learned this the hard way.

In December 2019, I got an implant to replace a lower 2nd molar (the bridge I'd had there for a decade gave out while eating some trail-mix). When the six-month mark rolled around for my check-up & to take impressions for a crown, it was Peak Covid and I was in a high-risk group.

I have terrible anxiety in the dentist chair on a normal day, so the thought of sitting in that chair with my mouth open and people "in my face" (no matter what type of mask/shield they were wearing) was too much. I put it off, hoping Covid would calm-down and/or there'd be a vaccine soon. Waiting 2-3 months didn't seem like a big deal because the gap wasn't bothering me.

However, a few months turned into six months, and then into nearly a year, because in the middle of it all, my dentist sold her practice & moved out of state! There was some new guy taking it over (although my periodontist was still around) which really bummed me out, and gave me another excuse to put it off (as a world-class procrastinator). Also: with the transition, no one from the office was contacting me to say: "Hey, you need to take care of this NOW! Or x, y & z will happen"

Long story short....because I waited so long, the upper molar above the gap started descending because nothing was pushing against it. It wasn't loose-loose, but had descended far enough that my lower 2nd molar crown had to made a little shorter than the molars on either side. That probably doesn't sound like a big deal....but it fucking SUCKS! Food gets jammed down in there so easily (especially steak & asparagus). Very uncomfortable, I now carry those little interdental brushes everywhere (keep them in my car). And we now regularly inject the upper tooth pocket with antibiotics in an effort to save it.

Learn from my mistakes. Keep every appointment, floss daily, and if you lose a molar, replace it immediately.

I had to. It was a front tooth. 5k. The constant drilling into the bone was not painful but it was horrible. In the meanwhile I had a flipper. I had to take it out to eat.

R31, you’re such a dunce. If the BOTTOM tooth was pulled, the UPPER tooth right above will lower itself to meet it. If there’s nothing there, it’ll come OUT.

Are you a dentist, R36? Because none of the three dentists involved in my decision told me that.

And even if you are, have you examined my mouth?

Then STFU.

Yeah R36 is overreacting, at 67, R37 probably won’t live long enough for the other tooth to ease its way out.

I had a bottom wisdom tooth removed when I was 18 but not the top, Now in my mid 40s and it is starting to move down for the same reason- nothing for it to hit when I chew. But my dentist isn’t concerned about it falling out and even if it did, I wouldn’t care.

I don’t understand how a “flipper” is different from a denture

I don't know. But not once did anyone refer to it as a denture. Everybody used the term flipper.

I would have teeth removed but bone graft put in-the holes so it doesn’t change my jawline. If it doesn’t show I’m not doing implants .

UK guy here. I lost my lower back tooth about 10 years ago. My dentist said to see how I got on without it as I might not even notice it missing. He was right, it felt no different and I had no problems chomping on food.

However about 3 years ago the crown next to it came out and the dentist said it couldn’t be replaced and I would need an implant which would cost £2500. Four months after having the remains bit of tooth removed I decided I definitely needed an implant as I couldn’t bite on that side and also when I smiles there was a gap. I was in Spain on holiday and noticed there was a very swanky dentist a few doors up from my hotel. I asked the guy on reception (I have stayed there several times) if he knew what it was like. He opened his mouth and smiled to show me his teeth, he has had a load of dental work done there, he showed me some pics of his teeth before the makeover.

I went in there and two days later they put the metal stumps with screws into my mouth, they recommended I have two implants even though I initially wanted just one. I returned four months later and they fitted my new teeth. I was as really pleased with the results, the dental clinic was like a laboratory, big clean and ultra modern. I paid €2500 /£2000 for the work, in the UK it would have cost me £5000. This is somewhere that I holiday twice a year in the winter months anyway, so travel and hotel costs were not extra.

I had same day implants. That was painful. Had to use temporary crown for about a month that constantly came off. Eventually got the permanent one and it's been fine. I don't feel comfortable biting into an apple or eating corn on the cob but that's about it. It cost $6000. I asked my parents to pay for it and they did.

r6- Wrong. The implant is the thing they screw into you. Then a crown is screwed onto it.

I have a bridge over a missing tooth near the front, less hassle and I had it done in a dental school. After a few years away from regular dental visits, when I moved to Tampa, the new dentist broke the news that I had three cracked teeth, from grinding them at night!

He was able to repair all of them thank god.

The two things that I changed this year and strongly recommend is to go out and buy a waterpik/ electric toothbrush combo, and to wear a mouth guard at night. You can buy the waterpik combo for about $114 at Walmart, and the guard $30, you submerse it in boiling water and take an impression, much better than the loose one that sits in your mouth.

My hygienist explained that your teeth will “wiggle” near the bone without a guard while you sleep, and loosen, allowing gaps between the gum and bacteria to form.

After getting used to irrigating my gums, my teethc leaning visit was much better- don’t press too hard with the brush and turn the pressure to about half so you can still feel the water flushing through your teeth.

I also know that you should keep up your circulation if you are sedentary, as it affects gum health, so I take a brisk walk for 30 minutes.

My mom had terrible teeth, so I knew better.

R18 I am exactly like you. I was born without an adult tooth under two of my teeth. I still have one, but the other lasted 48 years until it finally became loose. I had it extracted and an implant put it in.

I live in Italy, and by far, medical procedures are much less here. The entire process took about a year going through all of the measures mentioned above - at least eight different visits for 3D X-rays, fittings, color matching, Installing the implant then the crown. The dentist was amazing, absolutely no pain. I felt very well taken care off.

I have the state healthcare BUT this was a private dentist. And even with 100% out of pocket expenses with that expert care, the total was like $2500.

R39, have you ever noticed the difference between a cap and a crown? That’s because there isn’t any.

I’ve been warned against getting a bridge because, to put in a bridge, the dentist has to have shave the healthy teeth on either side, weakening them

Good luck folks.