Anyone had dental implants?

Ongoing dental dramas with my crunchy puff teeth are pushing me towards getting a few crumbly gnashers at the back whipped out & my dentist has suggested dental implants as opposed to a partial denture.
Has anyone had them fitted & what was the procedure like, also any problems with infections etc afterwards?

Had one 20 years ago and apart from cost all is good. Had to go in a few times for fitting etc and had to wait for gums to shrink or something, long time ago. Its was about 1k private then, Have they gone up or down ??/

Mrs Dubleyou smashed her front teeth whilst skiing last week.

There’s going to be some implants required – something in the region of £2500 each or a bridge which will be something like £2000.

There might be some waiting to allow the bones to settle once the remnants have been extracted – but there’s also talk of some sort of calcium injection which might not need that.

If you go for the bridge route, there’s a greater risk of gum recession (I think) so the implant is better for that.

Basically, it’s probably worth it in the long run.

I have 3 of my front teeth as implants after i removed them in a face plant crash back in 2007, i had to get a bone graft into my upper jaw as i fractured that as well so all in the procedure took 12 months (ish) and quite a few visits to sit in the chair of impending doom, the total cost was just over £6.5k but the payout from my crash was used for the repair so it didn’t have to come out of my pocket. I’m very cautious when biting into food and i always slice apples etc with a knife rather than bit into them as i can’t really afford to get them replaced if i knock or pull them out again.

I had to use a plate for a long time till my gums and bone graft took – that was a hateful thing to have stuck to the roof of my mouth so i’m glad i got the implants.

Had my front tooth implant done late last year after decades with a post/crown arrangement, which kept coming loose, moved around, fell out while riding and was never settled.
The implant was expenisve, as said, but is a permanent fix and so far all fine.
No infections, acceptably comfortable (not perfect, but I’m fussy!) and looks decent.
I remember the feeling of the gums being peeled back (like lifting a carpet to get at the floorboards, as the dentist described it), which is quite unpleasant!

The weirdest thing is how “numb” the implant tooth feels. As its screwed into the bone and theres no nerve, it feels very different from other teeth. (Well, it has no feeling).

I would recommend it though.

Yes, the front 4 of mine are implants. Knocked them out and broke my jaw in a sailing “incident” 🙄 15 years ago. Had to wear a bridge for 5months, then had them all fitted in one hit, shite it hurt for about a week. After the pain went and I got used to biting again it all went well. Have been back a number of times to get the two side ones reset, but really ok and no major dramas.

Like Soma ^ I too watch what I bite into, baguettes and apples (n’ stuff) are sliced and chomped instead of bitten.

As age has inevitably hit me my jaw has sunk a bit, with this means the teeth are starting to set backwards/upwards a bit. Dentist says they’ll need replacing soon but I’m holding off as the cost will be about £7k’ish.

You might consider a bridge, could be cheaper and no real issue unless you hate the thought of one..

I also had an implant for one tooth on my lower jaw at the front left side. I had a gap there for a number of years after visiting a rather too keen NHS dentist in a rare visit to the UK who whipped the old tooth out quicker than I could think about it. The process itself is quite involved and needs weekly visits to the dentist but since then I haven’t had any problems with it. I was lucky in my health insurance paid half the costs.

I hate the dentist with a passion. For that and other reasons I lived with a gap in my teeth for 15 years before eventually getting an implant done in Singapore. Very happy I did.

Two things, yes definitely look into getting them done. Definitely get multiple quotes and considering getting them done abroad, e.g. Belgium or Paris (I have family members who are dentists here and can give an idea if you wish). The work I had done in Singapore (where I lived) was very high quality and half the price of the UK. For example the post implant was done by a specialist surgeon in a hospital and then the tooth was created/fitted by my normal dentist.

So I’ll bite…..

In general an implant retained replace,net of missing teeth is “nicer” to live with than a partial denture -easier to eat with, doesn’t come out at night etc.

It will be more costly and a more long winded process. Implants are around 2k per tooth but it usually gets cheaper the more teeth you are replacing.

The implants themselves are just a solid anchor point, they can be used in a number of ways to anchor replacement individual crowns, or a bridge or even a part denture.

Normal bridges often involve cutting down healthy teeth next door to support them and so often aren’t as good an option as an implant to fill a gap

Getting it abroad will save you money but you might be stuck the wrong side of a plane journey if something goes wrong. There no guarantee someone here will use the same system that someone abroad will (there are 100’s of implant brands that all have different tools sets)

Try to go on personal recommendation, surgeons that advertise in a big national way aren’t necessarily going to be the best value, the best quality or give the most caring service compared to a local expert.

DezB describes that strange lack of feeling. Natural teeth have an inherent “bounce” whereas implants are rigidly attached to the jawbone. Think hardtail compared to full-suss!

I had one implant several years ago, and am currently having more treatment following a muesli-related accident. They gave me a partial denture to wear for 6 months, between extraction and completion of treatment. After 24 hours, I threw it in the bin. I couldn’t bear the plate going right across the palate and pressing on the opposite teeth.

However, for a permanent partial denture, I believe there are other options.

Following a bone graft, I’m no longer 100% human, but a tiny bit bovine. Sadly, “Cowface” doesn’t sound quite as good as “Bullheart” though, does it?

Yep got 2. Apart from the cost they are brilliant

Yeah my front three upper teeth are all recently completed implants. Smashed em out MTBing roots and all and broke my jaw in three places. I was extremely lucky that the NHS have paid for my two implants with one bridge combined. A bridge solution was discussed with no implants but involves grinding down two of your existing teeth, i would now never chose to lose my own teeth so it wasnt an option. I tried false teeth for ages, they were too clean and not a good enough fit so they’d fall out with just the right angle with my tongue. It also means taking them out at night, which as a thirty year old i dont choose! The process took a long time, my dentist only worked at the hospital on Wednesdays and what with molds and taking time to let the implants heal it takes a while. One thing you fail to realise is that with an implant you wont recreate a gum line as these are created by your teeth growing through the gums. For years I always said I’d have my teeth removed and perfect implants put in their place, that’s not a decision I’d make now. One tooth alone and private will make it a faster and more satisfactory result. Space and shape of jawline and strength of jaw bone has a big impact on what implants and angles and teeth your mouth will accept. Although I’m not 100% happy, Im happy enough with the only solution I have, my 100% would be my original teeth back! I just try to get used to the fact when photos are taken I probably wont recognise my smile, nor like it as much!

Unsure where you are based but one of my biking group is an implant specialist of high regard and often tells me horror stories of having to redo bad implants so be careful of where you go – make sure they have a good track record. If you’re down south, let me know if you want his details.