Experiences with dental tooth implants

In My Humble Opinion
21

I’m in between post insertion and permanent crown, and so can only address your first two questions.

Yes. I had it done under local anesthetic because general would have been another $1,200 out of my own pocket. It was exhausting. They hammer the pin in, and getting your head hammered (even under local anesthetic) isn’t fun.

But when it was over, it was over. No problems after I walked out. The dentist gave me some painkiller prescriptions which I didn’t even bother to fill.

I had to be moderately careful for the first three or four weeks. My implant is on a biting tooth so I couldn’t handle food that required “extreme biting” like apples or corn on the cob. The dentist also told me to avoid sandwiches. Well, that’s like telling me to avoid oxygen. I found I could handle sandwiches fine as long as I went a little slower and favored the opposite side of my mouth.

Very minor sensitivity right after the operation, but nothing significant.

22

Implants tend to run around $1000, and that may just be the socket and not include the tooth that will be screwed in later. If you needed a graft there might have been insufficient bone to take the implant, so you should go to a good oral surgeon to get it done. I had consults with three differents oral surgeons before I picked the meticulous, left brained guy.

23

I had one in tooth #8 4 years ago (that’s the right front “big” one) and had them in #5 & 7 3 months ago. No physical pain whatsoever, what with conscious sedation (but I was unconscious). I don’t understand how there could be any thermal sensitivityafterwqrds as there is no nerve in it. The only “pain” was to the pocketbook, about $9k total, minus any coverage in your plan. The crowns alone cost $900 each.

24

I have 8 implants on the bottom and a fixed bridge on those. When the implants were put in I had versed so didn’t feel a thing. I had a denture while they healed. It hurt quite a lot for about a week when chewing. Don’t have the ones where the post protrudes through the top of the crown (I’m not sure they still do those) because they were visible and I ended up having to have the bridge removed and the posts drilled down and a new bridge cemented on. However, for comfort, if I had had the money then I would have had individual crowns. You are always aware of the bridge; not really uncomfortable but just THERE.

I recently had three upper implants put in; they healed for over a year because I had them done in Jelenia Gora, Poland and had to go back. They put a “temporary” crown over them while they were integrating, but you have to have the right situation for this. I had adjacent teeth that I was getting new crowns on so it worked out.

One of my upper crowns fell off after 3 months and I read online that dentists have varying views about how strongly to cement the crown, just in case they have to retighten the screw or there is a problem. So, discuss this with your dentist. I wish she had just gone ahead and cemented it tight because next week I have to go to a dentist here and have it recemented.

On the upper jaw I have 12 crowns, three on implants, one post, and 8 regular.

25

I have one implant (an upper molar on the right hand side). I love it - in fact that’s not really accurate because virtually all the time I’m not even aware of it. Which is the goal, right?

My experiences are as follows (YMMV as I believe there are slightly different methods)

Back story - I chipped the molar about six years ago which allowed decay to set in and a couple of years later I got an abscess and had a root canal done. That was fine for another couple of years but as is often the case the tooth was weakened and cracked right down the middle.

The dentist talked through the options - leave a gap (in retrospect probably would have been fine, and certainly cheaper, but I wasn’t keen), have a bridge (would require grinding down healthy teeth on either side), wear a denture (like my dad - no thanks!) or have an implant.

The implant was certainly expensive (about £3,000 all in all) but I’m glad I had it done.

Once they’d extracted the broken tooth I had to wait a while (I forget how long) for the gum to heal, then they drilled and set the titanium screw in the bone. This was fine and I had no pain at all. I’m not really squeamish about dental stuff - I like to be conscious and have the dentist tell me what he’s doing, as I find it interesting - so the only annoying part was that I had to be covered up with a green surgical sheet with just a hole for my mouth, so I couldn’t see what was going on. (It has to be done under sterile surgical conditions.)

The drilling was fine - a bit more heavy-duty than normal tooth drilling, but totally pain-free with just a local anaesthetic (lidocaine nerve block). The weirdest part was when the dentist inserted the screw and tightened it with a mini hex wrench :slight_smile:

They then put some kind of silicone-rubber style dressing over the area and gave me some painkillers to take for a few days, which I really didn’t need. There was the occasional slight throbbing but I certainly wouldn’t say it was painful. The screw is hollow (the pin that holds the implant screws into it), so while it’s knitting into the bone they put a little slot-head screw into it to keep it covered (which feels weird to your tongue once the dressing comes off!)

Then once the screw is knitted into the bone and the gum has healed around the screw they insert the metal pin. Then for another few weeks (I forget how long) you have the bare metal pin sticking up, which you have to be careful not to damage by biting down on anything.

Finally they attach the porcelain crown. Initially they wanted to use a “temporary” cement to attach it, so it could be removed if necessary, but the crown fell off after one or two days, so they decided to go straight for the permanent adhesive. That was 18 months ago and it’s been fine ever since.

For the first few days the crown felt noticeably “foreign” in my mouth, but soon it feels right at home. Running my tongue over my teeth now I can’t even tell which is the implant, it feels totally natural. There is absolutely no difference in sensation when biting, not a trace of pain or discomfort. No sensitivity either - of course there is no nerve so I don’t see how there could be!

The only slight annoyance is that obviously the crown sits “on top of” the gum, rather than protruding from it, which means there is a small gap underneath it where food can get caught. The gap has got smaller over time as the gum grows to fill it, but I still have to use a little interdental brush to “poke” debris out from the gap. That soon becomes part of the brushing routine, though.

Based on my experience, I’d be happy to have implants for all my teeth (if I were a millionaire!)

28

Reported for advertising.

29

I have one to replace a cracked molar which became abscessed and couldn’t be saved. It’s great. No issues whatsoever. I had the base and screw put in first, then the thingee later on.

30

Over 4 years later, and I’ve had 1.5 implants.

First was upper-right molar, the “6 year” molar (tooth # 3) which had been extracted a few years before.

I had the implant placed under IV sedation. Oddly, insurance paid for the IV sedation for that (more on that below). I had double insurance so was out of pocket relatively little, though with the implant and the subsequent crown the total was something like 4 thousand before insurance kicked in their share.

I was given vicodin or similar for pain relief after the implant placement though I only needed 2-3 tablets overall. About 6 months later (could have been as soon as 4 months but I was busy) they numbed me with local, and uncovered the now-healed implant and put another piece of hardware. Then I went to my general dentist to have the crown made. That took a couple tries as my gums had swollen a little around the post in the interim, so she actually had to zap the tissue with a laser and retry in a week.

The first time I brushed my teeth afterward was weird as hell - the vibrations went right into the bone and I could “hear” it very differently from regular brushing. I quickly got used to that.

I had another tooth extracted and implanted this past December. It was one where I’d had several root canals, and the pain never entirely went away. I had a year or so where it was almost entirely gone but then it started hurting again. The dentist tried insisting I go to see the endodontist again, and I flat out refused to waste my time and money with it.

So, I went to see the oral surgeon who’d done the earlier implant. I had it yanked under IV sedation, with the understanding that he was to use his judgment as to whether the implant could be placed right then. It turns out he WAS able to do so, and aside from needing an extra office visit right afterward (initially there was one retained stitch that was causing inflammation) it healed quite well. I had Vicodin again, which I definitely needed the first day, then not after that (well, I took one at bedtime the second day).

I just went back for a 3-month check and he says I can have the crown done any time after late April. No “unroofing” procedure needed for this one, he was able to leave the “healing abutment” uncovered. If I understand it, it’s because of the extraction being done at the same time and less bone-drilling required, or something like that. They did a bone graft at the same time - I didn’t need that the first time around, but because of the multiple procedures in one day, it was needed.

The extraction / implant was more of a big deal than either one done by itself, naturally - took longer for the pain to subside, and there were 4-5 stitches as opposed to 1-2 for each of the separate procedures.

IV sedation and insurance: well, apparently adequate pain relief is not an insurance company’s priority; this time they did not cover the IV sedation. No clue why they covered it the previous time. It was well worth paying out of pocket, for me, as I’m one of those people they write articles about in dental journals. As I told the oral surgeon, “it tends to scare the other patients when you have to chase me (screaming) down the hall”.

31

I’m in the middle of this after a bridge broke and took out the crown of one tooth and broke off another tooth below the gum line.

$10-12K including removal of the broken tooth, replacement of the broken crown, 2 implants, the new fake teeth, and a bone graft into my jaw. I have dental insurance and that takes care of about half.

The surprise? All the molds made of my teeth. I think I’ve had a half dozen different kinds of molds.

32

My first one was done in the 80’s.
In 2002, I had 4 more installed (my teeth are rotten - literally)/
Poverty kept me from having permanent crowns installed, and the temp crowns fell off about 2009.

I am using the substrate (“build up”) for teeth.

These are 7, 8, 9, and 10 - upper fronts.

Part of the procedure is a complete root canal - the nerve is removed - no sensation from it ever again.

In the 80’s, the metal post was a bleeding edge treatment. Now, any half-competent DDS can do them.

Just make sure the root is completely removed - that is the biggest exposure - that a bit of nerve is left and becomes abscessed.

33

Ditto, but next year. I had to have a tooth pulled about a decade ago when I didn’t have insurance. I haven’t done anything about it since because of my dental phobia (and needing other work, and that work being done incompetently, and so on…)

34

I had a tooth that was crowned incorrectly – the crown had a little flap or ridge that allowed food in but didn’t let it come out easily, so of course the tooth rotted away underneath. My dentist saved the tooth by cutting the gum back a bit, putting in a post, and putting another crown on. It’s worked great, but I have the same kind of issue – stuff gets under it. But it’s better than losing a tooth!

I use a Water Pik before flossing to get all the crap out from around and under my dental work. (And with all the flossing/Water Pik/brushing, I should have *much *better teeth!)

35

I see one of my old threads woke up. :wink:

I got my dental implant. It went pretty smoothly. The worst part was getting the post set. Quite a bit of drilling. Afterward it was a little tender for a few weeks. Thankfully I never experienced much pain. It did feel a bit odd for awhile after getting the crown. Chewing felt different and I was aware of the new tooth. I got adjusted to it within a few days.

Now its just another tooth in my mouth. I’m very glad that I got it done.

36

My husband has an implanted tooth. First dentist said they would need to take out the two healthy teeth on either side. I told him to find a different dentist for a second opinion, and he did, and they only took the one tooth, and inserted the implant between the two healthy teeth.

He has only ever had one bad tooth in his life,* but boy was that tooth bad. It was the only one that ever had a cavity. He had the cavity when he was thirty or so, and the filling fell out approximately every five years, with the cavity getting bigger every time, until he was 45 or so, then he got the implant.

No further problems. No further cavities. Has had implant more than 15 years.

He didn’t have a lot of pain, although I guess some people do. He did say the new tooth felt funny for awhile–more sensitive to heat & cold–but eventually that went away. A few months.

I am apparently not a good candidate for it because of the size of my teeth–small. Also full of fillings. Sometimes I would just like to get rid of all of them, but I would also like to continue to eat meat and stuff.

*Also nice, straight, even teeth with no orthodontia. Guess whose teeth our kids got?

37

It costs over $4000 where I live, but there’s not much competition here. It wasn’t too painful, and seems to be fine. My only real dental regret is getting an apico. They removed a ton of gum line, and never replaced it, so now I have to listen to the dental hygienist harp on me to floss or lose my teeth.

38

I thought I was reviving a zombie, but it turns out, someone already did.

I’m having an implant next week. Glad to read the good results.

Something different from what was said in the five-year old posts–the dentist is going to put in the screw/post at the same time that he removes the bad tooth (second molar). The price: $3,500.

I just got dental insurance (Tricare for retirees), but for big stuff (read: expensive stuff), the waiting period is ONE YEAR. :smack: And then it only pays half. I’m dealing with a broken tooth that the dentist put a boatload of filling in last week, and I don’t like the idea of coddling it for a year, so I’m just going to do it and rack up some rewards points on my credit card.

Then he said about only six weeks till he can put the crown on. Earlier posts had people waiting longer. So it sounds like the procedure has shortened since this thread was initiated. Anyone else have the post put in at the time of the tooth extraction?

39

I had it done this way about 10 years ago. Worked out great. I don’t remember how long it took to get the crown, but it seemed way shorter then the 5-6 months, however perhaps longer then 6 weeks, maybe 2-3 months.

Pain was bad the 3-4 days right after the post was implanted (after the Novocaine wore off), I stubbornly reused to take painkillers. It felt like someone punched me in the jaw. I finally gave in and it gave such relief that it changed my view about pain killers. If I would have taken them from the start it would have been a lot more comfortable

40

I had the post put in at the time of extracting the bad roots. The dentist wasn’t sure that he could do it that way until he went in and actually saw the state of my bone. I do have great bone density, and grow new bone fast, but, even so, it took several months until the ceramic crown could go on top.

No discomfort to speak of, and almost immediate recovery from the oral surgery. I’ve nothing but praise for the whole process. Except for the cost.

41

I did - had the bad tooth yanked AND the post put in at the same time last December. Basically we discussed it beforehand and he said he’d do it if he could, but no guarantees. Fortunately, he was able to do so, as it saved me a second procedure. Also a second out of pocket fee for adequate analgesia, as my insurance doesn’t consider “novocaine doesn’t work” as adequate rationale for using something that DOES (IV, or at least nitrous).

I’m surprised at the time being so short - I was told 3-4 months for this one.

Interestingly, he had to do some bone grafting this time, where he did not when doing the implant for the tooth that had been removed some years earlier. I think because that socket had long since healed and filled in - but a freshly extracted tooth would have too much of a gap in the jaw.

On rereading: Heh - I’d posted most of that already in the thread.

I wound up having the crown done in May or June. The dentist placed it, and I complained that it really felt like it was pressing hard on the tooth behind it. She jiggled something and it got better. But 3 days later, I was eating something and :::CRUNCH::: - the crown on the tooth behind the implant had come loose (fortunately it was not damaged and could just be recemented). The pressure apparently weakened the cement.

I still actually have some discomfort when the implanted tooth is pressed on hard - I think it’s because there’s some lingering damage from the old bad tooth. I will be seeing the dentist soon and bring it up then. Still better than pre-extraction.

42

When the dentist out the post/screw in at the time he removes the tooth, does he put a temporary crown on?