I might need one. I know they cost a lot and take a while to get done.
Yes. They do cost a lot and take a while to get done. Have you recently lost a tooth? Everything works best when an implant replaces a newly lost tooth. The biggest problems come from bone loss. Bone can be restored, but that adds to the time and cost of the procedure. Anyway, no matter how you look at it, it’s way better than bridgework and dentures.
I have a friend who has had an incisor implant for close to twenty years (she is in her early 50s). It took something like a year for the whole process. She told me recently that it may be starting to fail, meaning it has migrated somewhat and seems a little loose.
YMMV, of course.
I have tooth with a root canal and crown but the crown is bad so it needs to be replaced. My dentist said they may not be able to do another crown so the implant may be needed .
I had my implant post put in 8 weeks ago. I get the Crown on it after New Years.
It was almost 2 thousand even with my dental insurance. I’m maxed out on the insurance until next year starts.
Did your regular dentist do the implant? Mine says they can do it, but I am leaning towards going to the local dental school and get the faculty there to do the job .
I had an implant installed roughly fifteen years ago. Two posts installed, and a row of four artificial teeth screwed onto them.
Everything works great, and I’ve only had one issue that whole time. The screw connecting the row of artificial teeth to one of the posts had worked itself loose. Took the dentist about fifteen minutes to remove the bonding material above the screws, tighten the loose one, and replace the bonding material.
I did have to endure a few jokes about having a screw looss in my head, though.
Mine was done by a regular dentist that had training in implants. He’s a younger guy in the same practice with my regular dentist.
They had trouble getting my lower jaw nerve to show on x-ray. So, they had me visit an oral surgeon in the same bldg for a special x-ray. It was $250 and did like a 3d xray. They even used a computer to model where my implant post would go. Making sure there was enough bone before it reached that nerve. Thankfully, I had enough bone.
The procedure wasn’t bad. Louder drilling than a cavity. But, they had me numb. So far, the post has been pain free since day 3.
I have one, done after previously (nearly 20 years prior) root-canaled/crowned tooth basically fell apart. Mine took longer than it had to because there was cross country move in the middle of it. Here’s how mine went:
Tucson, early November 2009 - tooth falls apart. I see dentist, endodontist and finally periodontist (they were trying to see if they could save it without the implant). Tooth is extracted 1 week before Thanksgiving by a periodontist. At the same time, a bone graft is put in so I have enough bone at that point for the future implant. Follow up visits to ensure healing is going well. Cost - ~$1500, none covered by insurance, since they don’t pay for implants (they would pay for a bridge, but after discussions with the periodontist, the implant really was the best option for me)
Around May 2010, I get the OK for the implant - the bone graft has done it’s thing well. But, I’ve accepted a new job in Atlanta, and am moving in June. Since Tucson Periodontist does 2x yearly checks for 2 years after the implant, I hold off and figure I’ll find some one to do it once I get moved. Have a regular dentist appointment shortly before moving.
November 2010, I see the new dentist in Atlanta. At the June 2011 appointment I ask for a referral to a periodontist so I can have them take a look and start estimating costs so I can set up the 2012 flex spending account and get it done.
August, I see periodontist, and I get the estimates in October, in time to put $3k in the flex account. Insurance will cover next to none (really, I think they paid $27 out of the whole thing) - in this case, it’s because the tooth was missing before I was covered on this plan.
January 2012, implant placed. $2200 - it would have been another $1000 had they needed to do a sinus lift above it - but the original bone graft gave me enough bone there that it wasn’t necessary. I had something like exactly 9mm. It has a flat cap on it.
January-June - regular follow up. In June, I got the ok to do the crown for it. Back to my regular dentist for that. Regular dentist takes fittings, orders the abutment. That comes in, he takes off the flat cap and places the abutment (this was kind of amusing - he used a tiny ratchet and I started giggling when I heard it) Takes an impression for the crown, orders it. Mid July (I’d been out of town), the final crown is placed. This was ~$1300, again, nothing paid by insurance.
I had the option of being out (not full general anesthesia, but maybe the twilight sleep stuff?) for the extraction/bone graft and the implant. I chose not to for both because I needed to be able to drive myself. In both cases they had me well numb and I really didn’t feel anything. I also didn’t take any painkillers other than OTC stuff after both procedures, though again, they’d given me a script for stronger stuff and I had it available.
So tl:dr version: Expensive, I took longer than I necessarily needed to, but it was the best option and not anywhere near as painful/difficult as I anticipated.
Are we talking about front teeth or molars here? I don’t think I’ll get implants for any of my molars (I’ve lost one already, with crowns and a root canal on four others and teeth made of chalk), but I would consider it for front teeth.
I have an implant (with a bone graft) and two crowns.
My dentist is enjoying his new boat.
You need to consider them for molars in case you lose any more teeth. Bridgework can be attached to implants, and without molars your options for that get limited. Canines are other strong points in the jaw and a loss of those should be replaced with implants to provide a holding point for later. Even if you lose a lot of teeth you can get dentures that snap into implants that will cover a large span without all the problems normally associated with dentures. I know someone with an entire upper denture held in place by just two implants. He says it’s no different than a full set of teeth.
I had a row of posts put in my lower jaw for dentures to attach to. Pulled teeth, installed posts, installed dentures all in one visit. 10 years now no problem.
This is for a molar. Went to dentist today and they tried to redo my crown but they said the tooth was too far gone so they pulled it. They also added some material to make the bone stronger. In 4 months they will check it out and see if it’s ready for the implant. Since it’s a molar it’s not very visible that I have a missing tooth for a short while.
One of the materials they can use to make your bone stronger comes from cow bones and they mentioned that Hindus object to using that. My material is artificial, not from any animal.
This is the 9th tooth I have had pulled but it’s not as bad as it sounds. 4 were wisdom teeth and 4 were premolars that were pulled because my mouth was too crowded so they were pulled right before I had braces as a kid. The braces moved my other teeth around so there is no gap where the teeth were.
Mmm, snap-in dentures. 
<----- those are my fancy new teeth
I’ve had an implant for a few years now. I had to get one because I cracked a tooth in half one day while eating broccoli (I don’t know either). I went to my dentist who pulled the upper part of the cracked tooth, leaving the part with the roots. My dentist sent me to another guy (periodontist? I don’t recall) who extracted the rest of the tooth. That past involved a lot of pulling and cursing but I was juiced up on nitrous and lidocane so it didn’t bother me too much. He sent me to an oral surgeon who checked out the extraction site and then told me to come back in a month. A month later I went back to the oral surgeon and he installed the helicoil in my jawbone. It involved some drilling and weird smells but not too bad. A month later when it was all healed up he installed the actual fake tooth. So far it’s been the greatest thing since sliced bread. I think, all told, it cost about 2 grand.
Does insurance cover implants nowadays? Last I heard, implants weren’t paid for at all because they were considered too pricey and possibly even “cosmetic”.
I got one about 25 years ago…with an unexpected downside.
The screw/post that the tooth was mounted on started loosening up after about 10 years. No biggie normally. Except in this case, a replacement post was needed and the original manufacturer was out of business and no longer made them. The part was obsolete, and no replacements could be found that would fit the socket.
Drilling out the old socket that was now solidly fused into my jaw would easily be double the pain and cost of the original implant. Screw that, it’s just a molar.
So I’m the proud owner of a toothless titanium socket 
I know Delta Dental covered half my implant costs. But it did max my coverage out for this year.
Overall I’ve been happy with Delta Dental. I get it through work.
I don’t remember all the details now, but Delta Dental covered the costs of consultation, extractions, Xrays, anesthesia, and follow ups. I have two Delta Dental plans, so those things were covered in full. I believe I had to pay for the actual implants and replacement teeth.