implants( teeth variety!)

[floppy]

Hi has anyone any experience of having teeth implants put in? I have some rather large gaps in my mouth (due to a rather over zealous dentist years ago!) and am thinking of having some implants They cost thousands so I'm thinking VERY hard!

[Ethel]

How about bridges? Less painful and cheaper than implants.

[floppy]

I think you need some teeth either side for bridges and I haven't got them!!

[Ethel]

Oh dear.

Save very very hard. But first speak to your dentist - he will xray your jaw to see if the bone is up to it.

[beryllium]

You could take a little holiday and go abroad for the work....

http://dentistabroad.co.uk/visit-hungary-for-d ental-treatments.html

The site above is very comprehensive and explains everything about implants.

[hussy]

hi floppy i have just had 2 implants put in after having a bridge but when i had my 2 year old, it went loose and had to get it taken out. you wouldn't be able to get it done abroad as its a long process but in the end its well worth it as long as you have enough bone to work on. my implants and 4 teeth cost me five and half grand but it was convent garden and one of the best consultants, i am sure you could get it done cheaper elsewhere. you will unfortunately need to wear a plate for months after having the operation of drilling holes in gums to insert the implants, dont worry you wont feel a thing! but after having to take plate out all the time, thats when you realy appreciate the implants. good luck

[MrXLA]

Hi floppy
your post would imply that your current edentulous state is 100% the fault of a previous dentist.
Therefore in detective mode I'll make the following assumptions (never wise but never the less)
1) You have never had any form of oro-facial trauma i.e you have not been in a serious accident, been assaulted etc, so your tooth loss was in no way connected with trauma (this is imporant as it may impact implant placement)
2) In the past you have had meticulous oral hygiene and regularly attended a dentist (important as you will need to if you have implants)
3) You have a low or 100% zero sugar containing diet (not many people do!) and therefore you have never had dental decay or dental caries (as dentists call it)
4) If the above are all true then you have no dental restorations and as such they have never failed (as they all do eventually) and therefore have never had any restorative dental work of any kind.
5) You do not smoke and never have and no-one in your immediate family has aggressive periodontal disease and neither do you, so your tooth loss was not as a result of 'severe gum disease' (also very important for implants)
6) All your teeth formed in the usual way (i.e. no congenitally absent teeth)

So if we assume all the above statements are true then it would suggest that your dentist examined yourself and found a pristine example of oral health and for reasons known only to themselves decided to go on an extraction rampage (unusual as I understand dentists have plenty of work to do!)

If the above seems like an accurate account then why not pursue legal action and have the implants paid for by the proceeds.

[MrXLA]

With regards to beryllium's suggestion
my advice would be simple DON'T
even if you have one of the most accomplished implantologists, using the latest equipment and technology NOBODY can gurantee a successful outcome. However if problems arise, give thought to how you might go about seeking a solution if they where placed in another country.

[hussy]

you wouldn't be able to get them done abroad anyway its to long a process and you would have to keep going out there so you wouldn't be saving any money. yes you would have to keep seeing a hygienist but if you really need to get it done like i did then yes go for it, my implants look very natural. i will say though that it doesn't always take on for everybody, especially if you smoke, but i smoke, even though i told them i stopped, and my implants took on. best of luck x

[floppy]

hi thanks for all the advice. in answer to Mrxla:
never assume, it makes an ASS of U and ME!
1. no I have never had any trauma to my face (its all natural!)
2.I don't know about meticulous but I certainly practice dental hygene and have always regularly visited the dentist for checkups and for treatment
3 no I don't have a zero sugar diet does anyone? but I do brush my teeth regularly!
4 I do have restorative dental work and i feel that if given better advice at the time some of the teeth which were taken out could perhaps have been saved
5 I do not smoke and actually have NEVER smoked (even once)
6 As far as I know my teeth are normal
All I was saying was that whenever I had problems with my teeth I felt my then dentists ( there were a few, I attended the same surgery but the dentists didn't seem to stay long )didn't seem to try very hard to save my teeth
(Perhaps I should have tried to find another nhs dentist easier said than done. now I am in a position to go to a private specialist dentist, back then I wasn't!)
I am quite prepared to pay for my implant treatment I think there is too much of this culture of suing people for everything. I took the advice at the time, nobody held me down, I just wondered if anyone had experience of implants!

[Diane1954]

neighbour o mine was always very aware her were not nice. She went to London to see a consultant,then Prague for implants. Service was fantastic they arranged everything,taxi from airport,lodgings etc(for her and husband). The opertion and aftercare was excellent She went back months later for a check up on her own, she was nervous on her own.The dental staff arranged same lodgings so she knew where she was. Six months later shes smiles at everyone.(and saved a fortune)

[mrs_overall]

I've read about people who've had implants abroad. My only concern would be that should there be any problems, you would be very lucky to find a dentist in the UK who would even look at your teeth, let alone do any work on them. There was a story in the paper this week about a woman who had implants in the USA. The teeth alll fell off and as no UK dentist would help, she had to return to the US for further work. Think of the expense.

[MrXLA]

With regards to suing as I'm sure you are aware I was being entirely sarcastic.
I was merely pointing out that all too often (in all areas of health) people are very reluctant to assume responsibility for there own health.
' I have some rather large gaps in my mouth (due to a rather over zealous dentist years ago!)'
Take some responsibility.
I have fillings because I eat too much sugar, my dentist can't follow me home and lock the fridge all he can do is give advice and if I choose not to take it (and I don't because I eat lots of choclate) then the dental caries I get is MY fault.
By the way your inference that an NHS dentist is inferior to a private dentist (specialist or not, because you can be a specialist and work in the NHS) is insulting to NHS dentists, there is no difference in their skills they possess whatsoever.

[MrXLA]

Now to the actual matter of concern, some advice that may be of help.
1) Dont go abroad even to the USA or even Europe(there probably wouldn't be anything wrong with treatment, but how will you rectify 'normal' problems that occur with implant placement.
2) I would suggest that you dont have 'immediately loaded implants' also known as 'same day teeth', needed bother you with the details suffice to say people provide them and patient's think there great because they walk out the same day with the 'new teeth', they are far more lilkely to fall out.
3) insist on a report after your consultation (most provide this), there is usually more than one way to skin a cat and ytypically there are 2 or more ways in which implants can be provided, there will also be different prices.
The actual individual implants typically range from �1800-�3000, more than �3000 per implant would suggest you were in London!
4) be sure about exactly what you hope to achieve prior to treatmen, ask as many questions as you want
5) attend for regular maintenance after
6) be aware even implants aren't necessarily 'permanent' and the restorations 'on top of them' are certainly not and as such will require replacement.
7) the longevity of your implants will be determined by a number of factors burt most importantly controlled by your own maintenance, which is more difficult than with natural teeth
8) implants are excellent and the nearest thing to a real tooth but they will not 'feel' like the real thing

[MrXLA]

incidentally Diane1954 it isn't always about the money.
Dentists usually have good lifestyles with very big incomes, however most dentist can generate significant profit sometimes greater profit margins by providing extensive bridgework or dentures even (becuase the outlay cost is much lower than for implants)
Implants are relatively expensive in this country for a numebr of reasons
- the actual cost of the implant itself
- the lab cost of restoring the implant
- both higher because relatively speaking not many implants are placed in the UK
- the time taken to plan and place implants
- the high tax rate in this country

However the over-riding difference between here and abroad (assuming you go to someone correctly trained to place and restore implants) is the quality and the fact that you can return if problems arise
- at the end of the day its a form of surgery (actually developed from orthopaedics) and as such is NEVER 100% whether you have it done here in the UK, Praque or Mars! but its far easier to have it sorted here than abroad

[MrXLA]

By the way floppy really not meaning to cause offence but it is a common misconception that one can eat lots of sugar as long as they brush there teeth and avoid dental decay.
One does not cancel out the other.

[floppy]

thanks mr xla for all the advice

[Diane1954]

spoken to my neighbour,she says if you want to know anything you can e mail her
[email protected]
Diane