Dental implants - feedback needed

[Vil_Riker]

My endodontist issued a verdict that one of my molars is at end of life and needs to be extracted. The suggestion is to get an implant.

I am wary of foreign titanium items in my body, especially if it's going to be protruding into a bacteria pool.

Any feedback?

 

[Nessism1]

What choice is there? You don't want a hole back there. All your other teeth can shift. As long as you have a good provider, you may as well get on with it.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

I have two implants done. Oral surgeon did prep work and post, and my regular dentist did the actual "tooth" impressions and fitting. They have done well since it was several years ago. Wife is getting her first, starting with a bone graft. Three months later she will get the post implanted and then go on from there. She is using a different dental group as our old dentist had to quit his practice due to family reasons.

Flossing under the "tooth" and around the post is critical to success and avoiding any infections.
So far, I am very happy with mine.

 

[Pew]

Subbed. I'm getting two extracted soon too.

 

[Vercingetorix]

Water Pik

 

[opus1]

I'm a little over 3 years into having an implant and no issues so far.

What really hurt was the out-of-pocket costs - first time in my life I've maxed out my dental benefit, and two years in a row on top of it.

 

[kschachn]

Titanium is one of the most biocompatible materials in existence. Your fears are unfounded.

My daughter has a friend who is now well into her 30s, her dad hit a rock mowing the lawn when she was about 14 and it hit her in the mouth knocking out two teeth in the front. As far as I can tell and see the implants they placed are still indistinguishable from her natural teeth.

 

[vavavroom]

They will only begin the process of putting an implant in once the area is free of infection and is stable. Implants require meticulous dental and mouth hygiene and frequent checkups and diagnostics to prevent unnoticed infections which may easily become deadly. Titanium alloys are generally well-tolerated. Should I ever need a tooth replacement I would certainly consider an implant unless there are counterindications.

 

[wpod]

I have 4 implants and they are 24 years old and knock on wood so far so good.

 

[harbor]

I’m in the early stages of getting one and so far so good, except for the approx $5K cost. Ouch

 

[UncleDave]

My endodontist issued a verdict that one of my molars is at end of life and needs to be extracted. The suggestion is to get an implant.

I am wary of foreign titanium items in my body, especially if it's going to be protruding into a bacteria pool.

Any feedback?

It's not the titanium you have to worry about thats the easy part of the deal.

Its will your jaw be able to hold it sufficiently in place, If the answer is yes then I'd absolutely do it.

 

[Number_35]

Titanium is one of the most biocompatible materials in existence. Your fears are unfounded.

Good to hear! I have some in my leg (the aftermath of a skiing crash), and two implants (one in 2000 after a face-plant on my bike, and one in 2021 after an ancient filling in a molar gave out).

 

[vavavroom]

Some of you are on your way to become Steve Austin's cousins.

 

[dubber09]

There are basically 4 options - live with the hole, implant, bridge and denture.
Since implant procedure is highly dependent on bone regrowth it may not work well for people who are older and or smoke.
Bridges are somewhat fragile and weaken anchoring teeth. Dentures are inconvenient. Implants are normally the most expensive and complex option as well. You need to see a good dentist for second opinion and selfless advise. Personally, I'd avoid implants at all costs.

 

[SNWMBL]

I had implants done by a dentist that botched them(put screws in crooked) and they had to be surgically removed, bone grafts done and new implants installed. I had the dentist pay the best oral surgeon around to re do them and I’ve had no issues since. My only advice would be to have an oral surgeon do the hard part and let the dentist make the teeth.

 

[Geekhead]

My endodontist issued a verdict that one of my molars is at end of life and needs to be extracted. The suggestion is to get an implant.

I am wary of foreign titanium items in my body, especially if it's going to be protruding into a bacteria pool.

Any feedback?

My Dad made it to 94 with a few implant's and no issues. I had an extraction and they packed bone particles into the space so the jaw would heal with a good "foundation" for an implant in the future. It is called a ridge augmentation.

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

Had one for about 10 years, zero issues.

 

[AandPDan]

33 years here. No issues. Had to have the bone augmentation too.

 

[walterjay]

I have had 3 implants over the years. First one was about 25 years ago. I recommend them if you qualify.

 

[PWMDMD]

Dentist here...this is not advice, just a general comment. Implants are incredibly safe and by far the best method of tooth replacement compared to something like a partial denture or bridge. Teeth that have had root canals and crowns will ALWAYS need future work. It might be 5 or 10 or +20 years but they will always need more treatment and crowns and root canals fail far more often than implants. Root canals fail because the root canal system becomes infected again and crowns fail because cavities start adjacent to the crown margin and start to undermine the crown. Really the only issue with implants is if it fails to integrate into the bone and that's rare, and it usually just means removing the implant, letting the hole heal, and trying again. Once it is integrated into the bone, you're usually good to go. Titanium is incredibly biocompatible, it undergoes osteointegration (fuses to the bone), and it's really an ideal implant material.