Losing a Tooth - Dental Implant ?

crabbie Yes, I had to have a tooth pulled and went the implant root (pun intended).  It was a real bummer when I found out that the tooth had to come out.  I also had a cracked root in a tooth that had been root canaled over 15 years ago.  I think that it was one more thing added to my plate during a stressful time.  It was another loss of control...I decided on an implant, and although it's a 6 month ordeal, it's worked out well for me.

  If you dedide on an implant, I would suggest going to an Oral/Maxillofacial surgeon.  Extractions and implants are a major part of what they do.  I had no pain with the extraction, although I was terrified.  There was about 2 weeks of pain/discomfort afterwards, but I lived.  I had a bone graft which was done at the same time as the extraction.  The post for the crown was placed 3 months after the extraction and it was a breeze.  Minimal to no pain.  You have to wait 3 months after the post placement for the final crown, so that the post can grow into the bone.

Aside from the cost, an implant has the best long term results.  A bridge is the next best option, but has to involve the teeth that are on either side of the extracted tooth.  If anything happens to one of the crowns in the bridge, all three have to be replaced.

I was concerned that it would be obvious I had a missing tooth for 6 months.  That was what bothered me the most about getting an implant, but mine is also in the back (lower) and I can't even notice that it's missing.  In fact, I am waiting until after the first of the year to get the crown when I start new with my dental insurance.  Good-luck.  Hope this helped.

Wendy 

 Here's my big, long, honkin' implant story. 

Several years ago, I had a root canal on a very painful tooth. The pain persisted. I had a second root canal in the same tooth. Didn't get rid of the pain. Saw so many specialists I lost count. Finally determined that I had three roots instead of two, had a THIRD root canal on that same tooth. Arghh!

A year ago, I'd had enough. My dentist, who had since become a specialist in implants, suggested extraction and implant. The extraction wasn't bad - although he gave new meaning to "yanking" out a tooth!  Lots of back-and-forth movements with the tool, but I was completely numb and didn't feel any pain.

I was sent home with pain meds and given detailed instructions on how to treat the socket. Unfortunately, it abscessed, and I had to have an emergency procedure to scrape out the bone and start over.

HOWEVER - that was the worst of it, and only a small percentage of extractions get abscessed. I learned that because of the overgrowth of bone I have, there is very little blood supply, and it's difficult for healing to take place. I was just more prone to infection.

As for the implant, it is a long process, as it takes months for each step to heal. I will tell you that the most crucial step I had was the injection of PRP, or Platelet-Rich Plasma, into the jawbone prior to placing the initial post of the implant.

Most dentists don't do this, and if they do, they might use a regular centrifuge as opposed to the expensive piece of equipment designed just for dental procedures. That just doesn't work.

Before your procedure, the dentist draws a small amount of blood from your arm. The blood is then put in the centrifuge, and the platelets are separated from the red blood cells. The platelets are then injected into the jawbone, which accellerates the healing process. Within 24 hours after my injection, the site was already healing rapidly with almost no redness at all. From then on, it was so easy!

I got my permanent implant last month - about a year after the original tooth was extracted. I love it! The only thing I notice is that the new "tooth" has no feeling at all, kind of like after an injection of novocaine. Good, though, as I sure was tired of the pain!

Like I told the dental assistant when I left: One implant down, two to go!

Ha! - your imagination is coming up with much more interesting possibilities than the real story. I actually had a bridge put in during my teenage years because I was missing a tooth that never came in. One of the teeth supporting the bridge cracked, so I had to have that one removed and implants were my only option. The bridge was fine for many years, though.

Good luck sorting this out. It is like many things we have had to deal with - once you have information and a plan, you feel better about it :-)

Hi,

Just happened by your post.  I lost 4 front teeth in a motorcycle accident over 30 years ago.  I've been living with a partial for all these years.  I finally decided to have the implant surgery (I am a genuine dental phobe).  I had 3 implants placed and one extraction to allow for better placement of the final teeth.  I had to have a substantial amount of bone grafting as well, since my tooth loss was so long ago.  I was black and blue and swollen for about 2 weeks, so much that I really couldn't leave my house without everyone in my path staring at me like i had been beaten.  It was really unbelievable how bad I looked

I will likely be ready for phase 2 in Feb, about 6 months after the initial surgery.  Total cost will be about $16,000 and only about $1,500 will be covered by insurance.  So it is a huge investment.    I hope it will be worth it. 

The first thing i always notice about people is their teeth.  It's like that old saying, "you don't know what you've got till it's gone"  I miss my teeth 1000x more than I miss my breast

Crabbiepattie,

Yes my friends dental implant did have a happy ending.  Things took a litle longer than she wanted, but they made sure that her system  could support the implant.

 Good luck.