Dental Implants.......$$$$$$$$$$$$

[DISNEYLOVER70]

Tomorrow at 9:30 am I get my bone graft/implant.........I will post how it all goes as soon as I am feeling good enough!! Getting general anesthesia so will probably be sleepy most of the day tomorrow.

 

[DISNEYLOVER70]

Well I am post-op 2 days. Still very sore and lots of stitches. Can't eat much without my lower denture in, and it will be awhile for the swelling to go down so that I am able to wear that. Other than that, the soreness is tolerable. My surgeon did a great job and I am just hoping now for a speedy recovery...

 

[thebeesknees]

I hope you get to feeling better soon! DH is going in next month to see about getting some implants. He already met with an orthodontist, and that part of it has been quoted as $8000 (no ortho coverage - ouch!!), have no idea how much the implants by the oral surgeon will be. DH doesn't want to spend the money, but I don't want him to have to deal with losing more teeth due to bone loss, etc., He's already had 3 pulled (grew up overseas and that's how they dealt with cavities), and he's only 38. It would be nice if he could get it all taken care of and make the ones he has left last until he's old!

 

[Mari annie]

Do you have any dental colleges near you?
We live in the burbs of Boston, and instead of paying out 5-7000.00 I took my daughter to Havard Dental School, under 2000.00 (my insurance pd 1000) and that included top/bottom/retainer. All I had to pay for was parking.
And of course.......the students work is done under the head of Dental Dept.
Check the internet, (even if it's an hour drive it's well worth it)!
Just remember, you can't always get the dates/times you need/want..my daughter went to get a consultation in Oct(end of) and couldn't get the braces on until the following April.
Just thought I d throw this out there, you'll save 30-40% on most services, and they do take either most/a insurances.

Good luck!
Happy Saving & A great smile!


few more weeks until FL! Can't wait!

 

[DISNEYLOVER70]

I am post op 5 days. Still sore and the stitches are sticking out and driving me nuts. they are supposed to dissolve on their own. I am just getting impatient i think. Still can't wear my denture. Too swollen so they won't sit down properly. I honestly dont know how people go without any teeth. I see a lot of people in stores etc and it amazes me. I am so sick of scrambled eggs and soup!!

Go back to oral surgeon on Thursday, the 18th. I will post how that goes.

My situation is different because I have a denture to deal with. But if I didn't, I honestly have to say that the surgery itself and the healing site were definately no big deal. To anyone who needs an implant, at this point in my healing stage I say go for it! I don't know how the rest of the healing is going to go, but so far so good!!!

 

[MrsPete]

You guys seem very well informed. I'd love for you to weigh in on this situation:

I've known for years that my daughter was born MISSING three teeth. She had baby teeth, but there were no adult teeth above them. When she got her braces on, two of them were pulled, and those spaces have closed in . . . but she's still missing one -- that tooth is an upper biscuspid.

When we began her braces two years ago, both the orthodontist and the dentist agreed on the best course of action: We kept the baby tooth in place, straightened it along with the other teeth, and HOPED that it'd stay in for years. The dentist said that one of his dental partners had a baby tooth that stayed in 'til he was 40-something. Fortunately, this is a LARGE baby tooth and it doesn't stand out visually.

Two weeks ago her braces came off -- teeth look GREAT -- and I took her in for a dental appointment. The dentist says that we didn't hit that "keep it 'til you're 40 jackpot". He anticipates that the baby tooth will be lost within 6-12 months. Okay, nothing we can do about that. Time to formulate a plan.

In my mind, it seems that an implant is the best option. It'll look more natural and be the least trouble for her in the long run, right?

Here's the rub: She's turning 16 in a few weeks, and the dentist says that he doesn't want to do an implant until she's at least 17. He says that her teeth are still growing (why didn't anyone mention that when they were saying, "You're very late putting braces on her at 13?") until 17-18, and they don't think they can size an implant correctly 'til then.

They say that when the inevitable happens and the baby tooth is lost, they want to put a "fake tooth" into her (clear plastic) retainer. That will "hold the spot" and prevent her teeth from closing in . . . and then when she's 17 we can do an implant. But that means that she has to wear the retainer all the time OR she goes around missing a tooth.

For the time being, I've told her to chew on the opposite side of her mouth; hopefully that'll maintain the baby tooth for as long as possible. IF she could hold onto it 'til she's 17 -- that would be May of 2011 -- then she could go straight to the implant.

I have absolutely perfect teeth and know NOTHING beyond cleanings and check-ups. Any advice?

And a related question: Her younger sister is ALSO missing teeth; they simply don't exist -- weird, I know. We were planning to start her braces this summer (she'll be 13), but now I'm thinking that we'll delay her treatment a year (or two?) just in case something similar happens to her.