<p>I have always had really bad teeth. Last week had 5 extracted and bone grafts on the front 2 in preparation for implants (the front 2 had been crowned several decades ago but the roots had finally cracked and I was having lots of problems and there was a lot of bone damage from infections and stuff). Right now I am miserable and uncomfortable and eating, which is something I really like to do, is an uncomfortable miserable chore (I’m allowed to eat with it in as long as I don’t bite on the front - but it hurts to chew - i had a pot roast and mashed potato in a restaurant last night and actually ended up taking the teeth out to be able to eat :(). </p>
<p>So I am being a whiny baby and the thought of a year or more (or for ever if the grafts are not successful) of discomfort eating is depressing. Anyone else had grafts and implants. How did it all turn out? Did you get used to eating with the partial.</p>
<p>DH had a bone graft before an implant, but it was his last molar (one up from wisdom tooth which was removed). First bone graft didn’t really take ( he thinks a piece came out and there wasn’t enough material left to hold). The Dr tried to put in the shaft anyway and it came out fairly soon. So then another bone graft set and another shaft implant and it all worked fine. H just didn’t chew on that side for about 6 months with the grafts. He didn’t complain about much pain ever … ( and he has a low tolerance for pain, so I don’t think it did hurt much after the first 2 days).</p>
<p>DS did not have to have a bone graft, but he has two implants in the front. He was born missing adult teeth and yikes the measures taken to make room were awful. Braces were the least of it. When he turned 18, he had the semi-permanent bridge that he had in for years taken out and the holes drilled for the implants. One took, but one came loose (actually, now that I think of it, maybe both came out by the time the dentist could get to him, we were out of state (of course) at the time. Anyway, they just let the bone heal longer and tried again. He had “fake” teeth on a retainer like thing and always had to take it out to eat. He didn’t complain about any pain. And now the teeth have been there for a year and he is really happy. they are just like real teeth. </p>
<p>So our experience has been NOT to push getting the tops onto the shafts very soon. Go ahead and let that bone set really really well around the shaft. … OH, and be sure to have someone with experience take the “caps” off the shaft when they are ready to install the screw in thing holding the “tooth”. One of DS’s shafts was broken loose by a dentist without a lot of experience using too much pressure to get the cap off (I think he was screwing it the wrong way, but maybe not). Next go round, we had the surgeon who did the implant take off the cap (loosened it anyway) then ran to the dentist who was making and fitting the crown.</p>
<p>Good luck with it all! With patience, it seems to be well worth it. H and S both are completely unaware of anything foreign in their mouths now.</p>
<p>And now after all that, he is NOT brushing his teeth very well at all this summer. I am SO mad! They will be his dentists bills now tho’.</p>
<p>Yes, and the biggest aggravation is the length of time for the procedure - about a year. However, I recently saw a dental group advertising on tv that they do it all in 24 hrs. I suspect if your oral surgeon and whomever makes the tooth are the same person or in the same office then it is quicker. </p>
<p>My husband had a front tooth done almost ten years ago, and still isn’t comfortable with it.
Another family member got a jaw infection that reoccurred for years from the implant.</p>
<p>There is also an issue with your nasal sinuses and the implant. Sometimes the implant can interfere if there isn’t enough space. That happened to my son who was born without a tooth. He then got a bridge which looks better than an implant, and care is minimal.</p>
<p>I’d have gone with a bridge if it was possible (I have 2 in other areas). But the teeth surrounding the two front ones (which are already crowned) have unusually short roots and are not strong enough to carry a bridge for the 4 front teeth. </p>
<p>The bone graft definitely makes it a longer process - I had virtually no bone left in the area so a 24 hour procedure would have been impossible.</p>
<p>I also had a bone graft years ago that didn’t take. More recently the dentist wanted me to redo it before crowning a tooth. The cost of the bone graft $1750 and the crown $1500 were more than replacing the tooth, so I just had the crown with no bone graft. It’s been about 5 years and the root is fine, as well as the crown.</p>
<p>If you smoke, that is supposed to negatively affect the bone graft.</p>
<p>I had a tooth out and was told I was not a good candidate for an implant, because it might not take after the infections I had suffered in the area. </p>
<p>I have a coworker that has one and has had issues with it. The first shaft did not take and he had to have it done again. It was ok for several years, but now he is having issues with it getting infected and they want to put him on antibiotic therapy, which he’s not thrilled about.</p>
<p>I am dealing with this with my mom. She had the initial work done on October 27th, 2010 and she just had the implants put in last Monday. But she is 81 and had significant bone loss due to 50+ years of smoking, etc. Hoping to have the tops of the implants put on within 4 months so they can take the impressions and get her new lower denture. </p>
<p>She keeps saying that the first thing she’s doing is going to Stoney River for steaks :)</p>
<p>You dont want to hear this. My H has had an implant &, bone graft. Dentist didnt like how it was ( the post was a bit crooked) so took it out and started all over. New graft. New post. Was fine… for about a year. Then the post got loose. He is on graft/post # 3.</p>
<p>H is in the process now. He had the extraction/bone graft in May. The dr said it was doing well. He has to have some kind of CT scan to see how it’s progressing before he goes back for the actual implant. My secretary has had 5 and is absolutely satisfied.</p>
<p>DD1 has had a graft + implant - relatively expensive, but we did it over a 2 year period (just before holidays :-)) and spread out costs to get around insurance limits.</p>
<p>I’ve had two implants–in both instances the tooth cracked. Both were teeth with fillings. I hate no problems with the implants. It isn’t cheap and it does take time. IIRC in probably paid in the neighborhood of $3K for each tooth. That included extracting the tooth, doing the implant, and then getting a crown.</p>
<p>Hi, I’m a senior in high school and am faced with a similar problem. Our old dentist extracted one of my front teeth back in elementary school and now my newer dentist and orthodontist advise me to get an implant. Periodontist said that a bone graft is needed because my bone has been deteriorating all this time. I’ve been wearing a retainer with a tooth in it, but this is a bit of a hassle especially when eating in public. Since most of you have had experience in this area, is it worth it/safe to do the bone graft and implant? My periodontist is a certified prostodontist as well if that matters.</p>
<p>Wow, do I have a story for you all. When my younger brother was 16 he bought a motorcycle at auction as an investment to fix up and resell. The ONLY time he every rode it was to warm up the oil to change it. A woman ran a stop sign and the end result was a messed up upper bridge with 6 missing teeth. (The woman died of cancer later that year.) He became his dentist’s first patient. He rebuilt the upper bridge and it lasted almost 30 years.</p>
<p>Now, at age 46 he just went through a bone graft procedure where bone was taken from his hip for a bone graft. He is in MUCH pain. Cost for the entire procedure will be over $40,000!</p>
<p>Wear a helmet. Or for that matter, don’t ride a motorcycle EVER!</p>
<p>Younger daughter is having this procedure done Friday for one tooth that never came in. Will cost $3,500 total, with no dental insurance.</p>
<p>^^^AHS, I don’t know if any dental insurance covers bone grafts & implants. I was considering an implant 2 years ago. The whole magilla would have been in the $3,000-4,000 range, while have the bridge made was covered at 50% and cost me less than $1000 out of pocket.</p>
<p>Our son was born missing his two front incisors. He got implants when he was 16 (after ten years of orthodontic work to prepare his mouth). It was a two-step process, first they implant the posts that will hold the teeth and after they have had time to heal, they install the prosthetic teeth. He’s had them for 4 years, no problems. Insurance didn’t pay anything. I think it was around $6,000 for both.</p>
<p>My FIL had implants and had nothing but problems with his. He eventually gave up and got dentures.</p>
<p>I don’t have dental insurance…I told my daughter I expect her to keep her teeth for 50-70 more years! She has a retainer with a fake tooth as it was congenital. She is also having wisdom teeth removal at the same time, so the graft will be done at that time. Better to do it now with the bone graft source from the wisdom tooth extraction. (Which is covered by my health insurance because of impaction.) </p>
<p>Think of us on Friday! I’m going to appeal for the bone graft because of the congenital issue. Think of us for that too!!</p>
<p>My brother was born missing 10teeth! The same congenital issue as others posted. He had the braces forever and they actually moved the teeth he did have around to stimulate bone growth in the spots where they were missing. He got implants/bridges when he turned 18 and It was very expensive. Two months later he got in a bicycle accident and knocked them all out! It seemed to take a year to fix it all again but I don’t think he has had any problems since.</p>
<p>One more thing that might help people going through oral surgery. Wisp toothbrushes are great! They aren’t as deep and invasive as a regular toothbrush. </p>