Anyone Got Dental Implants?

[tigsrenting]

Need a front tooth replaced with an implant. I'm looking at £1200- £2000 for that single tooth.

Anyone got any advice or experience?

Thanks

I had some implants a few years back and they have not been a problem at all. Had the work done in Budapest.

Went to a dentist here in the UK and she did three estimates, one for minimal work was about 6K up to 20K and even that wouldn't have covered everything.

My old dentist was NHS and a lovely guy who unfortunately killed himself so I was back in the hands of private dentists here who I have found are a bunch of sharks with £ signs in their eyes.

Had some crowns done as well which I've not been crazy about. They look fine but they linked them up.

Go ahead and have it done especially for a front tooth. You might pass out when you see the size of the post they screw in though

[cartimandua51]

If you get them done abroad you will need to go abroad again to get any maintenance done, a uk dentist wont accept you if you have had this work done elsewhere.

Nice.

All professions are conspiracies against the laity.

George Bernard Shaw, The Doctor's Dilemma (1911)

Not much has changed in a hundred years, it would seem!

[tigsrenting]

If you get them done abroad you will need to go abroad again to get any maintenance done, a uk dentist wont accept you if you have had this work done elsewhere.

All professions are conspiracies against the laity.

George Bernard Shaw, The Doctor's Dilemma (1911)

Not much has changed in a hundred years, it would seem!

What did you decide?

[cartimandua51]

What did you decide?

I'm still dithering - partly because of the difficulty of getting personal recommendations about clinics in Hungary. I've got to see a dentist very shortly because a filling has fallen out, and one of my front teeth is wobbling a lot so I'm approaching crunch time.

But the extortionate prices of UK dentists really sticks in my craw- for example, one local to me charges a£90 examination fee for new patients, plus about £100 per filling. If you miss your check-up (£40) they deregister you and if you want to return they charge you the new patient fee again.

I know, I know, they are highly trained professionals (at the country's expense & they can go straight into privatre practice) but

Key facts

• average taxable income for Providing-Performer dentists was £126,807, compared to £65,697 for Performer Only dentists. For all self-employed primary care dentists (that is, Providing-Performer and Performer Only dentists) this figure was £89,062
• average expenses for Providing-Performer dentists were £218,843, compared to £33,512 for Performer Only dentists
• average gross earnings for Providing-Performer dentists were £345,651, compared to £99,208 for Performer Only dentists

Source: NHS

Dental Earnings and Expenses, England and Wales, 2007/08

and this will include a fair number of part-timers & semi-retired.

Figs for Northern Ireland (couldn't immediately find E7W - I would assume they are higher)

Table 8: Average earnings and expenses by gender for self-employed Principal dentists, Northern Ireland, 2007/08

Gross Earnings Expenses TaxableIncome

Male 250 £ 334,987 £ 203,362 £ 131,625

Female104 £ 254,204 £ 158,112 £ 96,092

[AvidFan]

Had 3 if anyone's intereted.

In one sitting - 3 visits in total - one for examination, one for the op, and one to fit the crowns.

Two molars and one incisor.

The two molars are lower left at the back and next to each other (not my wisdom tooth but the two infront).

The incisor is upper left.

Went to Dentale - part of Oracle dental - up in Shrewsbury.

They train dentists to be implantologists, so you get a discount.

Total cost - £1150 * 3 but I had a bite guard made too, so the whole lot came to about 4K with consultation and cat-scan fees. For that price, you get premium crows, so they match things like age/wear-related pitting detail in molar fissures. They look absolutely identical to my own teeth.

The fittngs come with a guarantee of a remake if they fail, which I though was more useful than a post-fitting guarantee as if they take, they tend to last a long time. They use South Korean implants made by Dentium and sold as Implantium in the UK. SLA surface, so they heal quickly and bone ingress is excellent.

Been fitted for 18 months now - no problems at all. They feel just like my own teeth. Don't do any maintenance other than regular brushing.

Dentale won't touch you if you're a smoker or a drinker or if they identify you have the wrong tissue type for successful implantation.

You have to pay £50 up front to get into the next round of trainees they take on.

Well worth it in my opinion, as crumbling teeth is a reminder of your age, causes a loss of confidence and even a change of diet, which you probably don't admit to youself.

[AvidFan]

If the OP wants any more advice, please ask - I have plenty of knowledge of the process, what to expect, cheaper places, implant types, etc.

[juvenal]

If the OP wants any more advice, please ask - I have plenty of knowledge of the process, what to expect, cheaper places, implant types, etc.

Many thanks Avid, very informative.

I'm going to mull over the info from yourself (and the other useful posts on this thread - thanks to all).

Any other observations from anyone appreciated.

[Guest theboltonfury]

Had 3 if anyone's intereted.

In one sitting - 3 visits in total - one for examination, one for the op, and one to fit the crowns.

Two molars and one incisor.

The two molars are lower left at the back and next to each other (not my wisdom tooth but the two infront).

The incisor is upper left.

Went to Dentale - part of Oracle dental - up in Shrewsbury.

They train dentists to be implantologists, so you get a discount.

Total cost - £1150 * 3 but I had a bite guard made too, so the whole lot came to about 4K with consultation and cat-scan fees. For that price, you get premium crows, so they match things like age/wear-related pitting detail in molar fissures. They look absolutely identical to my own teeth.

The fittngs come with a guarantee of a remake if they fail, which I though was more useful than a post-fitting guarantee as if they take, they tend to last a long time. They use South Korean implants made by Dentium and sold as Implantium in the UK. SLA surface, so they heal quickly and bone ingress is excellent.

Been fitted for 18 months now - no problems at all. They feel just like my own teeth. Don't do any maintenance other than regular brushing.

Dentale won't touch you if you're a smoker or a drinker or if they identify you have the wrong tissue type for successful implantation.

You have to pay £50 up front to get into the next round of trainees they take on.

Well worth it in my opinion, as crumbling teeth is a reminder of your age, causes a loss of confidence and even a change of diet, which you probably don't admit to youself.

I lost 2 front teeth in a rugby accident. I found them both in my gumshield and put them back in and held them in place for a bit. The dentist cemented them in and they re-rooted as good as new. The nerve obvioulsy died so I had veneers.

That was 13 years ago. They never even have been a bit wobbly or caused me a seconds discomfort.

If anyone ever loses a tooth and it's the whole root. Quickly clean in it and place it back in the socket. It shold re root. Or keep it in milk and go to your dentist immediatley. Again, it should re root.

Excellent advice from AvidFan I think. Losing teeth must be one of the biggest confidence shatterers going, and it doesn't need to be that way usually.

I believe John Frisciante from the Chilli Peppers has a whole mouthful of implants, as does the Brazilian footballer, Rivaldo.

[juvenal]

I'm still dithering - partly because of the difficulty of getting personal recommendations about clinics in Hungary. I've got to see a dentist very shortly because a filling has fallen out, and one of my front teeth is wobbling a lot so I'm approaching crunch time.

I would preplan your decision soon, and the wobbling will accelerate rapidly. You have no idea of the consequences of suddenly having a half-inch gap in your front teeth. It makes one look like a Saturday night brawler. God knows how a woman would feel.

I've found the standard denture solution unworkable - so that was £250 down the drain. I can't speak more than a few sentences with that denture in my mouth. The dentist said it would take a month or more to get used to it - wrong in my case.

Two grand!

I may become a hermit.

[AvidFan]

I've found the standard denture solution unworkable - so that was £250 down the drain.

Not necessarily. You need something to fill the gap while you're having treatment.

You will get used to it - it does take a while. And if you take it out, you forget how to talk with it in.

I hope your dentist has "modified" the plate so that you can close your teeth properly... otherwise you should go back to him/her.

Forgot to add that :

1. At Dentale, te success rate is 98% or higher, which they put down to patient selection, materials, procedure and cleanliness. Put it like this - they have their implantologists touth the overhead lamp with a medical alcohol impregnated tissue, which they then immediately discard. That's eve though they've all scrubbed-up before the op and the place is spotlessly clean (including the lamp...).

2. My front tooth was replaced with a 2.8mm diameter implant. They did a bone augmentation with particulate (Osteon) at the same time as the implant. Basically, the front tooth had been out a while after being lost as a child, posted and crowned for part of my adult life but lost when I was beaten up (Christmas 2000). The gum tends to whither a little if there's no tooth to support at the site and it needs to be nice and thick as they like about 1-1.5mm or more of bone infront and behind the implant after they've drilled the 2.8mm hole, as it adds to the chances of long-term success. If they hadn't used particulate (which was the fully synthetic kind - not the stuff made from human cadaver bone!) I'd have had to have a bone graft from the chin or mandibles (they cut through the mouth tissue to get to the bone from the inside and have a machine that looks a little like "Alien" - a little metallic mouth that nibbles away - to harvest the bone).

3. The op for front ones is not invasive at all - two little cuts (the turn of the master surgeon!) to get the flap of skin up and they're away. The back ones take a while longer and the 4.8mm (yes - 4.8mm) drill they end up using (depth of 10mm) does tend to jangle your nerves in that region just a little. They work up in size from a pilot to the finished hole size and use a depth guage to get it just right. When they've screwed the implant in, it bites into the whole and just rests on the bottom so all the bon e ahs to do is grow into the implant a little more to give it maximum support. They can overcook the bone if they don't know what they are doing - so they should be using plenty of ice-cold water as coolant and taking it slowly.

4. You can only have local anaesthetic these days - they used to do gas but, because of the risks, it's not available anymore. Some places do an intravenous drip that sends you to happy land - but the cost is extra.

5. My implants are cemented in place - not held by grub-screws. I would imagine the back ones come loose if you have screw-held types. It might be better for "special" maintenance but the people who fitted mine seem to know a thing or two about what's best and what works reliably.

6. The fitting operation sees the implants screwed in finger-tight with an allen key. They call this "primary stability". When the bone has ingressed aftr a few months, the implants reach full stability and the posts can be fitted.

7. Your gum is stitched up over the implant while it heals and they fit a healing cap for this purpose (something that fits where the post will eventually). When the implant has healed, you go back to have the stitches out (if they haven't fallen out already). They use a punch (like a tiny cooky cutter) to go straight through your gum to the top of the implant and healing cap (local again...). They uncrew the healing cap and take impressions for the crown with a temporary post fitted. They then fit an external healing cap and send you away again while the crowns are made (2 weeks?). The external healing cap looks like the top of a large woodscrew and prevents you wearing your denture for those few weeks. Having said that, they recommend you don't wear your denture for the first few weeks after initial fitting as the bitting pressure may transmit through to the implant and disrupt bone formation if it moves.

8. You can use either salt water or Corsodyl to rinse your mouth a couple of times a day to keep the germs out while your gum heals up after implantation - no more often, or you may cause gum erosion. Eating will be difficult anyway. They'll give you strong pain killers to take away with you for the few days after the op, so you can get some sleep. Having said that, my implants just felt like a dull ache the first night and although I took pain killers, I didn't need to the next night.

If I think of anything else, I'll let you know.

[TopTaff]

I lost 2 front teeth in a rugby accident. I found them both in my gumshield and put them back in and held them in place for a bit. The dentist cemented them in and they re-rooted as good as new. The nerve obvioulsy died so I had veneers.

That was 13 years ago. They never even have been a bit wobbly or caused me a seconds discomfort.

If anyone ever loses a tooth and it's the whole root. Quickly clean in it and place it back in the socket. It shold re root. Or keep it in milk and go to your dentist immediatley. Again, it should re root.

Excellent advice from AvidFan I think. Losing teeth must be one of the biggest confidence shatterers going, and it doesn't need to be that way usually.

I believe John Frisciante from the Chilli Peppers has a whole mouthful of implants, as does the Brazilian footballer, Rivaldo.

Same here - lost 2 top front in a rugby match - spent half an hour after the game looking for the missing one - rinsed it off in milk and my GF ( now my mrs) jammed em back in - lasted me near 15 years before having them whacked out again in my last ever game of vets rugby - sadly now I'm part of the 'falsie' brigade

[cartimandua51]

snip

3. The op for front ones is not invasive at all - two little cuts (the turn of the master surgeon!) to get the flap of skin up and they're away. The back ones take a while longer and the 4.8mm (yes - 4.8mm) drill they end up using (depth of 10mm) does tend to jangle your nerves in that region just a little. They work up in size from a pilot to the finished hole size and use a depth guage to get it just right. When they've screwed the implant in, it bites into the whole and just rests on the bottom so all the bon e ahs to do is grow into the implant a little more to give it maximum support. They can overcook the bone if they don't know what they are doing - so they should be using plenty of ice-cold water as coolant and taking it slowly.

snip

7. Your gum is stitched up over the implant while it heals and they fit a healing cap for this purpose (something that fits where the post will eventually). When the implant has healed, you go back to have the stitches out (if they haven't fallen out already). They use a punch (like a tiny cooky cutter) to go straight through your gum to the top of the implant and healing cap (local again...). They uncrew the healing cap and take impressions for the crown with a temporary post fitted. They then fit an external healing cap and send you away again while the crowns are made (2 weeks?). The external healing cap looks like the top of a large woodscrew and prevents you wearing your denture for those few weeks. Having said that, they recommend you don't wear your denture for the first few weeks after initial fitting as the bitting pressure may transmit through to the implant and disrupt bone formation if it moves.

snip

If I think of anything else, I'll let you know.

Thanks for all the info.

After reading that lot (SO much more graphic than the airy descriptions on the implant websites!) I've come all over with a strong desire at least to give the denture route a whirl. If spending £300-500 can avoid the above, I'm all for it. Being over 60 I'm less concerned with the confidence aspect - if my OH doesn't like it he can see if he can do better for himself elsewhere - he's no oil painting himself these days!

I remember when my mother had all her teeth out in one fell swoop to get dentures fitted (popular method back in the 60s) she promptly lost 2 stone in weight, so what you lose on the swings.....

[Guest theboltonfury]

Same here - lost 2 top front in a rugby match - spent half an hour after the game looking for the missing one - rinsed it off in milk and my GF ( now my mrs) jammed em back in - lasted me near 15 years before having them whacked out again in my last ever game of vets rugby - sadly now I'm part of the 'falsie' brigade

I think I have a pathalogical fear of false teeth.

[AvidFan]

Thanks for all the info.

After reading that lot (SO much more graphic than the airy descriptions on the implant websites!) I've come all over with a strong desire at least to give the denture route a whirl. If spending £300-500 can avoid the above, I'm all for it. Being over 60 I'm less concerned with the confidence aspect - if my OH doesn't like it he can see if he can do better for himself elsewhere - he's no oil painting himself these days!

I remember when my mother had all her teeth out in one fell swoop to get dentures fitted (popular method back in the 60s) she promptly lost 2 stone in weight, so what you lose on the swings.....

You don't feel anything much while all that is going on. The back ones take a little longer (mine took an hour each) so the local can wear off and needs topping up. If they top up too much, it stops being effective. The front one was over in about 30 mins and I didn't feel a thing, although the nurse did comment that I had beads of sweat on my forehead when they'd finished and I knew I was tense, even though I'd managed to relax in the chair and think happy thoughts all morning.

I guess the "pain" is more imagined thah real - because you know what they're doing in there. I'd expect the "happy land" intravenous drip is a cure-all if you're worried.

[Authoritarian]

I would concur with the woodcraft folk avatar guy, the less you let these people do the better imo. I've had two mercury fillings courtesy of the NHS (despite going in both times with absolutely no pain), they look ugly, and the 2nd one has given me pain ever since. I've since gone private and this guy seems pretty good, and cheap! He was reluctant to change them for white one's; he said I could, but it would carry the risk of damaging the one that seems to be ok. The original NHS dentist informed me that a white filling would be unsuitable, I think this is because the NHS don't offer them, so she wouldn't have got all her lovely subsidies.

After my first X-ray with the current dentist he said that I'd need another filling as he'd spotted some decay. I told him 'I'd think about it'.

Anyway, a couple of Polish people at work have had dental implants, they look very good and they cost somewhere in the region of £3-400, as they had them done in Poland. AFAIK they've had no problems with them, and when I asked they told me that the service is very good. All the Polish people I know avoid British dentists, mainly because of the cost, but there are some real cowboys out there too so obviously trust is a major factor.

[Reck B]

You don't feel anything much while all that is going on. The back ones take a little longer (mine took an hour each) so the local can wear off and needs topping up. If they top up too much, it stops being effective. The front one was over in about 30 mins and I didn't feel a thing, although the nurse did comment that I had beads of sweat on my forehead when they'd finished and I knew I was tense, even though I'd managed to relax in the chair and think happy thoughts all morning.

I guess the "pain" is more imagined thah real - because you know what they're doing in there. I'd expect the "happy land" intravenous drip is a cure-all if you're worried.

I had 2 implants done a couple of years ago, cost about £4400 for the two. The whole process from start to finish took around 6 months, though it was strecthed out as they had to remove 2 roots & I had to have cow bone packed into my upper jaw so the implants had more to bind onto. i then had some kind of pork skin grafted over the hole - kind of a dental mixed grill if you like! but the dentist was excellent and we agreed to give ourselves maximum chance of the implants taking.

I went for the sedation method - very strange sensation in terms of losing time, 2 hours seemed to disappear in a flash - i was kind of aware what was going on every now and again (especially when the drilling seemed to rattle my brain) but felt no pain, only a few days of aching when the effects wore off. my girlfriend said I was hilarious when i left the surgery. i can't remember a thing!

i considered going abroad to spain or hungary but the above complications, plus the risk factor of them not working put me off. Ok it probably cost twice as much but i read some horror stories about dental tourism.

[juvenal]

I feel as if I have opened a Pandora's box here. A bit like seeing a love bite on your Granny. The information coming out is invaluable, if a bit toe-curling, and wallet-shrinking.

Thanks again, Avidfan and all.

Any more from anybody to add to the files?

[ccc]

I feel as if I have opened a Pandora's box here. A bit like seeing a love bite on your Granny. The information coming out is invaluable, if a bit toe-curling, and wallet-shrinking.

Thanks again, Avidfan and all.

Any more from anybody to add to the files?

Well not related but it's a good dentist story. Got some back teeth out when I was younger. They used some sharp sort of instrument to break the tooth up before yanking it out. Unfortunately for me they had not used enough anaesthetic prior to doing this. To say it was painful does not do it justice.

I can't imagine (Well I can but luckily it was only for a few seconds) what it was like to get this stuff done back in the day. Must have been horrific.

[cartimandua51]

I feel as if I have opened a Pandora's box here. A bit like seeing a love bite on your Granny. The information coming out is invaluable, if a bit toe-curling, and wallet-shrinking.

Thanks again, Avidfan and all.

Any more from anybody to add to the files?

Only that when I made enquiries a couple of years ago about the cost of a full set of implants (i.e. about 12 implants plus bridges etc to cover the gaps) I was quoted £28,000 . That was 12 x £2500 per implant but with a discount (!) for committing to the lot. I said I'ld, er, think about it. I have a lot of tooth root bone loss, so will definitely eventually lose the lot.

[AvidFan]

Only that when I made enquiries a couple of years ago about the cost of a full set of implants (i.e. about 12 implants plus bridges etc to cover the gaps) I was quoted £28,000 . That was 12 x £2500 per implant but with a discount (!) for committing to the lot. I said I'ld, er, think about it. I have a lot of tooth root bone loss, so will definitely eventually lose the lot.

They've definitely come down in price. Here's a cheap place that does a lot of business - I can't comment on their success rate or service though:

http://www.dentalcareplus.org.uk/implant-cost.htm

Have a look at the price list - you can have your whole mouth of teeth replaced for 16K using two implants at either end of a series of bridges.

[cartimandua51]

They've definitely come down in price. Here's a cheap place that does a lot of business - I can't comment on their success rate or service though:

http://www.dentalcar...mplant-cost.htm

Have a look at the price list - you can have your whole mouth of teeth replaced for 16K using two implants at either end of a series of bridges.

Many thanks. Have bookmarked while I, er, chew on the problem!

[tigsrenting]

Thanks for all the info.

I remember when my mother had all her teeth out in one fell swoop to get dentures fitted (popular method back in the 60s) she promptly lost 2 stone in weight, so what you lose on the swings.....

I remember my Mum doing the same. I was only little but remember it quite clearly sitting in the waiting room for what seemed like hours. She was in a terrible state, no wonder. She had good strong teeth as well but had been talked into it by my Dad.

She had years and years to regret it. She was only in her early thirties

[juvenal]

I remember my Mum doing the same. I was only little but remember it quite clearly sitting in the waiting room for what seemed like hours. She was in a terrible state, no wonder. She had good strong teeth as well but had been talked into it by my Dad.

She had years and years to regret it. She was only in her early thirties

Incredibly, this used to be common practice for young, working class married women in the UK. Done to avoid inconvenience and expense of dental treatment later on.

Incredible and horrible.

[Guest anorthosite]

[cartimandua51]

I feel as if I have opened a Pandora's box here. A bit like seeing a love bite on your Granny. The information coming out is invaluable, if a bit toe-curling, and wallet-shrinking.

Thanks again, Avidfan and all.

Any more from anybody to add to the files?

Just an update inquiry - did you ever go ahead?

I've now lost two front teeth (only one of the centre ones mercifully, and I don't naturally show much tooth when I talk or smile, so it's not as horrendous as it would be for (say, Esther Ranzen) and have been managing with dentures. However, managing is the wrong word - at first they were just uncomfortable but now I increasingly gag on them which is seriously unpleasant and it's getting worse, not better. As it's now 6 months and my gums have healed up I thought I might resucitate this thread & see if any newcomers have any further advice to offer.