Do you regret getting dentures?

[firedoc]

Originally Posted by MRBB

A regular dentist will say to save your teeth and a dentist that specializes in dentures will say to get dentures. How do you find someone who can make an impartial decision?

Thats a tough question. Just like any other field of endeavor a dentist is in practice to make a living. If all he does is dentures, what is he most likely to recommend. Dentures are a lucrative field, very good return for the time invested. The downside is dealing with the problems afterwards, and most times there are many. Dentists are taught to save teeth, a denturist has failed his dental training. Now to be fair there are some patients that are better off in dentures (especially uppers - lowers are the pits). Many 'regular' dentists do dentures also and while they may be more prone to try and save your teeth (as they were taught) there are some, shall we say, somewhat unethical dentists who will recommend what ever makes them the most profit. The best bet is to develop a long term relationship with a dentist so that you can trust him/her and follow his recommendation. If you don't have a regular dentist then talk around to your friends and acquaintances who do have one and see who they like and why. You need to talk with the dentist in a language that you understand (not dentaleze) and get the answer to all your questions before you commit. If the dentist will not do that then walk away. You then use the information you have accumulated and make an 'informed decision'.
Hope this helps a little.

[firedoc]

Originally Posted by Jim_HiTek

I agree with a previous poster, get a full set of x-rays and keep them. Maybe take some pictures too. Then get dentures. If they don't work out, you can still get implants (I think) based on the x-rays and photos. But it will depend on your dental heath and bone strength. Best to talk to your dentist about all that.

The xrays a dentist takes are legally his property and he must keep them for liability reasons. However any ethical dentist should provide you with copies, at your request, for minimal cost.

It is difficult to go to dentures and then decide on implants. Once the teeth are removed the bone in the jaw will start to shrink and could easily make implants impossible or much more difficult (expensive). Dentures are generally the last gasp.

[F239141]

My dad had dentures since he was 19 or 20, had the same set till he died at 63, had a few small repairs to them, never had to use any denture bond, ate whatever he wanted

I think the person/quality of who makes them probably makes a world of differance

I may be into them soon , the enamal is ruined on my teeth, but still no cavities, but I also have some gum disease

Nice thred, gives me alot to think about

[firedoc]

Originally Posted by Jwar

Im am also in the process of getting them. I have had partuals for decades, but just got over a year of Chemo and Radiation treatments of which took a toll on my teeth, crowns falling out, cracked or split tooth and another two jest loosened and came out.

But the up side is that Im still kicking, and if I dont get them done soon, my better half is going to biteing me on my lower half LOL

Yes, chemo and particularly radiation treatment will play havoc with your teeth. It is postulated that getting your mouth in healthy condition and then SCRUPULOUSLY keeping your teeth and gums clean (a real chore at a time when you are more concerned about other things) will prevent this deterioration. Because of that many dentists recommend that you have your teeth removed before therapy because you are very susceptable to osteoradionecrosis if done after therapy.

[firedoc]

Originally Posted by demoon

I am in the middle of a single implant right now. My dentist referred me to the specialist that is doing the implant. The implant process is quite complex and is very dependent on the bone structure of the patient. I needed bone grafting before the implant could be installed. That required a six week wait. Now that the implant is in place I wait another six weeks before the crown will be installed. There are supposedly new procedures that claim to be able to do all of this in one sitting. I am skeptical and suspect conditions must be exactly right. This single will end up costing me 3K+. And, there is no guarantee that they will not fail.

There is no guarantee that any dental work will not fail and a dentist that tells you otherwise has been taking lessons from RV salesmen. That being said, much of it is successful depending on what your definition of success is. There are sooo many factors involved, only some of which are within the dentists control. As an example, in any dental procedure there are different materials that can be used for the same thing. The 'better' materials (longer lasting, stronger, better looking etc) most likely are more expensive to the dentist and thus to you. In most cases you do get what you pay for. Ihis is one of the places that 'out of country' dentists can be a problem. When I was in practice (now retired) I would see many tragic cases of foreign dentistry. Again for full disclosure, I suppose you could ask why would I see cases that were great? Nonetheless..... Buyer beware.

[MRBB]

Originally Posted by firedoc

There is no guarantee that any dental work will not fail and a dentist that tells you otherwise has been taking lessons from RV salesmen. That being said, much of it is successful depending on what your definition of success is. There are sooo many factors involved, only some of which are within the dentists control. As an example, in any dental procedure there are different materials that can be used for the same thing. The 'better' materials (longer lasting, stronger, better looking etc) most likely are more expensive to the dentist and thus to you. In most cases you do get what you pay for. Ihis is one of the places that 'out of country' dentists can be a problem. When I was in practice (now retired) I would see many tragic cases of foreign dentistry. Again for full disclosure, I suppose you could ask why would I see cases that were great? Nonetheless..... Buyer beware.

What is the difference between an implant and a post & crown? I have 3 post & crowns and they were about $1,200 each and have lasted over 12 years.

[firedoc]

Originally Posted by MRBB

What is the difference between an implant and a post & crown? I have 3 post & crowns and they were about $1,200 each and have lasted over 12 years.

A post and crown is performed on your own tooth or at least root of a tooth. First a root canal tratment is done. Then a post (or large pin like structure) is placed into the root canal system and then a crown is cemented over that. A one piece post and core can be done but this is an undesirable way to do it IMHO.
These are usually done on badly broken down teeth.

In an implant the whole tooth (root and all) is removed and a metal (or other material) root is actually implanted into the bone and the crown structure is placed on that implant. So the 'implant' is actually the root structure upon which a superstructure or crown is placed.

A post and crown is a prosthetic dental procedure while an implant also involves a surgical procedure.

Hope this helps.

[greezykid]

Originally Posted by mymillions

Greezykid; tell me more about a full mouth of implants...in costa Rica....
I am doing some looking into impants for a lady I know. and why isn't there more talk about them? How much did it cost- is that why you went to C.R. to get them in? How long does the whole thing take? were there any uncomfortable complications to it? What knid of doctor did you see-a cosmetic dentist?- or a maxio-facial surgeon?
I think i also saw in my searching, someplace that did 4 implants on top and 4 on the bottom; and they snapped on a set of permanent dentures??? do you think that is workable? Maybe it "brands" better for those looking at dentures, but doesn't want to take them in and out all the time....I can see that. But the implants look like the way to go.-just cost standing in the way, huh?

The dentist I saw was Dr Marco Cavallini,he has been doing implants for 30 years.I was quoted $60,000 by the university of fl,which was a nasty looking place.The cost in Costa Rica was $16,000.The facilities were cleaner and more advanced than any of the money grubbing dentist I had quotes from in the U S.It is a father and son team that gurantee there work for your life.5 years after I had it done I had a implant loosen because a stem broke.I did have to make a trip back but they were great and REPLACED AT NO CHARGE.In the states the process would take about 9 months to a year.The process down there took 2 weeks,and I talked with nobody who would put that guarantee on there work.When you sit in there lobby 9 out of 10 are from th US.I researched for a year before I went down to Costa Rica.The manufacturer of the implants is in the U S and I talked to them before I left.The doctor is there instructor for all dentist that use there products.THESE IMPLANTS ARE LIKE HAVEING MY ORIGINAL TEETH,BEST THING I EVER DID.

[tbfirm]

Check out Hybridge. Expensive but worth it.

[Rick Long]

Worse thing I ever did.... KEEP YOUR TEETH at ANY COST!!!!

[Jim_HiTek]

Originally Posted by greezykid

The dentist I saw was Dr Marco Cavallini,he has been doing implants for 30 years.I was quoted $60,000 by the university of fl,which was a nasty looking place.The cost in Costa Rica was $16,000.The facilities were cleaner and more advanced than any of the money grubbing dentist I had quotes from in the U S.It is a father and son team that gurantee there work for your life.5 years after I had it done I had a implant loosen because a stem broke.I did have to make a trip back but they were great and REPLACED AT NO CHARGE.In the states the process would take about 9 months to a year.The process down there took 2 weeks,and I talked with nobody who would put that guarantee on there work.When you sit in there lobby 9 out of 10 are from th US.I researched for a year before I went down to Costa Rica.The manufacturer of the implants is in the U S and I talked to them before I left.The doctor is there instructor for all dentist that use there products.THESE IMPLANTS ARE LIKE HAVEING MY ORIGINAL TEETH,BEST THING I EVER DID.

Interesting...but in the defense of American dentists, I have had nothing but excellent work done in the US. I still have fillings done by a US Navy dentist from 1965! And have been told many times how good the work was. Until recently, all my cleanings, fillings, root canals, and crowns were done in the US. All excellent work in pleasant surroundings.

Now retired and without dental insurance, a couple years ago I went to Palomas, Mexico to an excellent dental clinic that did an extraction and a root canal for me. Again, excellent work (as stated by a state side dentist who x-rayed the area of the work last year). Unfortunately, the owner who started the business was kidnapped and I believe murdered so the clinic has deteriorated since.

But I'm curious about your statement that an implant job can be done in 2 weeks, a quick check on google and you find that the gums must heal and the bone stabilize and that can take up to 6 months! That's after the extractions...then the implants are installed in the bone, another 4 months for the flesh to grow up around the implant, then the crowns screwed or glued on.

Since I'm considering a single implant of a tooth, Doc, how about this discrepancy I'm reading here and in other posts? Does the best work take 10 months, much of it waiting to heal, or can an implant actually only take 2 weeks?

[topdownman]

I don't have em, but remember when my wife's aunt got them for the first time. I'll never forget her walking into the room and announcing "what do you think of my new KNOCKERS?" Of course, she meant to say CHOPPERS but that wouldn't have been nearly as funny

[Manuel B]

My periodontist did 2 implants in the front/top,($1,600. each, plus the cost of a crown-cap) and whenever I need a tooth pulled I go to him and he fills in the empty spot with freeze dried bone, that way if I need another implant later the spot is solid and ready, and the gum area does not sink in, he showed me snap-on dentures with no fake gum area, just the teeth against your own gums, he said you need 3 implants in a tripod pattern to do it, they felt like the snaps on a cowboy shirt. He also does sinus lifts when people have been missing top molars for a while and there is not enough bone and things droop.
I have customers with dentures that come into my place with horrible bad breath, and a few who click their dentures when they have nothing to do, weird habit.
My dentist thinks it's time for a top denture, but my periodontist thinks my OEM's are worth saving. I don't like the look of most dentures, I call them Unitooth, like one big tooth with no spaces in between, they look fake from 50 feet away.

[webslave]

Originally Posted by mymillions

Greezykid; tell me more about a full mouth of implants...in costa Rica....
I am doing some looking into impants for a lady I know. and why isn't there more talk about them? How much did it cost- is that why you went to C.R. to get them in? How long does the whole thing take? were there any uncomfortable complications to it? What knid of doctor did you see-a cosmetic dentist?- or a maxio-facial surgeon?
I think i also saw in my searching, someplace that did 4 implants on top and 4 on the bottom; and they snapped on a set of permanent dentures??? do you think that is workable? Maybe it "brands" better for those looking at dentures, but doesn't want to take them in and out all the time....I can see that. But the implants look like the way to go.-just cost standing in the way, huh?

I went the implant route right around 50 years old. I had perfect teeth (two cavities; one at 43 another at 47 y.o.), but, have always has rotten gums and the teeth were starting to come out on their own from chronic infections, in the bone itself. Spent a boat load of money on implants. Was told that was the way to go and it was for about 6 months. Then my body started rejecting the implants, had eight of them and now only have one left after having 5 replaced once and 3 replaced three times with different designs and attachment points. Started out at around 8k for the full set, finally ran to around 18K before I gave up on implants. Should have saved my money, but, it was, at the time "the way to go".

Do I wish I had my own teeth back? No way!!!! I don't have the chronic infections any longer, so, my general health is much better (I have had 1 cold since I had my teeth out). I can taste food much better, I can eat hot and cold (I hadn't been able to eat ice cream since I was 6), I can eat a wider variety of foods since my teeth don't move around any more. One big drawback though...I could never taste "sweet" to any extent when I was younger, the constant infection affected my taste buds and sense of smell, so I never developed a taste for "sweets", and now that my teeth and infections are gone, I've grown very, very fond of really dark chocolate...