My SO is considering getting dental implants for his whole mouth. His teeth are just too bad for any other options (besides old fashioned dentures) at this point. Clear Choice is one possibility. Their TV ads look great, of course, but I’m wondering if anyone in Doperland has any first hand experiences.
He has a consultation on Monday. I assume they’re going to run some tests and see if he has enough bone in his jaws for it to be even a possibility. I have a very low opinion of most doctors’ version of “informed consent”, especially when the doctor has a very vested interest in promoting a specific procedure like this. What questions should he ask to help him determine if it’s a good option for him?
Both my parents have/are doing this (not sure if it’s a brand or anything here). My dad is done, and the whole procedure from start to finish tooK just over a year. They did sections of implants at a time and had to allow the bone to heal before moving on. Mom’s is more complicated, though I’m not sure why, and is taking 18 months. She’s about half way through.
It’s costing about 50K each, but both say it’s very well worth it. It is making a huge difference for them because of the issues they’ve had with their teeth all their lives. My mom works in geriactric care and told me that having bad teeth as an older person can cause so many problems, as can dentures. These teeth will last the rest of their lives and they shouldn’t have any major issues. It’s life changing for them.
Well worth it. If it would cost 50K each to get implants for each individual tooth, but you can get just a few implants that hold in a whole plate. Even when there is a lot of degradation, the corners of the jaw on the top where the eyeteeth are are very strong, and the back of the jaw is much thicker to start with and usually can take implants. Then there is always plenty of the non-dental bone in the skull underneath, but apparently some oral surgeons are reluctant to implant there.
I had no other choice when a 25 year old bridge tore out. The bone had degraded too much where the missing teeth were, so they had to put in 2 implants where the old bridge was anchored. Those plus the new set of teeth cost me about $3000. Insurance paid for anaesthetic, xrays, and consults. I spent a couple of years fretting about it while I had nothing but a temporary covering the gap. What a waste of time. I’ve been incredibly happy since having it done. The bridge now snaps on and off, making cleaning those teeth a breeze.
No, a little over $1000 for each implant, and the rest in the cost of the teeth. I might be a little under because the $1000 was the price for the oral surgean to install each implant. The devices themselves are an additional cost. But I think your dad is getting ripped off or just spending extravagantly if he’s paying that much for simple dentures. If he needed extractions done also for the first set of dentures, maybe that ran in to some extra costs.
Ever start an OP and forget you started it? :smack:
Thank you guys for your replies. TriPolar, what was the recovery like? Did you have several teeth done at once, or were they one by one? I’ve had a single post and crown, so I know that process, but I can’t imagine having my whole mouth done at once. Is he going to be able to eat, do you think? Or should I stock up on smoothies?
I only had two implants in to hold a pretty large bridge. Recovery? Piece of cake. But I’ve had a lot of serious work done on my jaw for about 40 years now since going over the front of a bike at age 10. After numerous root canals, extractions, caps, and bridges, a couple of implants was a walk in the park for me. I also picked out the most anal-retentive, left-brained oral surgeon I could. His meticulous preparations and execution of the procedure were problem free. He spent extra time trying to get the implants perfectly aligned even though that was nearly impossible with state of my jaw bone.
ETA: I think if extractions are necessary, that will cause more discomfort than the implants. They were covered with a temporary denture right away, and I could eat the next day.