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1012542 tn?1313354880

Dentures or Implants

Hello all, I am brand new to this forum so please bare with me while I learn my way around and ask obvious questions that have probably already been answered.  am 48 years retired/ disabled following 7 back surgeries for L4-5/ L5-S1 disc fusions. Am on a great deal of meds that greatly diminish my production of saliva. Hence my teeth are now beginning to desinigrate. Especially in front decay starts and just takes over the whole tooth rapidly. As my DDS was doing triage on my mouth, I heard the word extraction many times, scary. The big question is . . . Dentures or implants? I no longer have my dental coverage. Please advise, thank you.
Chris
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Avatar universal
NO I do not recommend the implant.  Many of us had the best dentist insert our implants and our implants adhered to the bone perfectly but the rest of our bodies were not accepting of this foreign material in our body.

I have heard from too many people that have had allergic reactions to the implants.  Everyone of which has improved their quality of life after having the implants removed.  

Make sure before you go forward that you are not one of those people that will suffer continually until it is removed. Dentists will say there is no such thing as an allergy to the metal in it.  BUT people have shown, time and time again that it does effect the life/health of some people.

Again, do your research and do not rush into this decision.

FYI  with the right surgeon, removal of implant is easier then putting one in

Hello to all the people that have reached out for info and then had their implant removed.  I wish you a healthy and enjoyable rest of your summer.

Serbin.

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Avatar universal
This is a very late posting so if you havent had the work done I would borrow the money for implants. I'm 79 years old and had medical/dental problems and went from permanent bridgework three time which just wore out good teeth to an upper partial which was replaced five times as I lost bone. Now I'm just finishing implants which are like replacing my teeth. I'm healthy, work full time stilll, have to speak to people in training sessions and should never wasted money on dentures. What young people don't know is as you lose bone they slide around and need replacing and eventually there is not enough bone to keep them in place - especially lowers. That's why old people click when they eat and talk.   A watch when you get gum sores. My cousin has just had treatment for cancer of the mouth   Just my opinion.
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Avatar universal
Hey, I work in a dental office and I'm sort of up in the air about implants. They would be great if you could be guaranteed that they wouldn't fail. I've seen a couple cases in our office where they have failed and if the dentist doesn't guarantee them, then you are out a lof of money. If you smoke, they will not guarantee it, but I don't think they should be put in if you do smoke. I do know that current studies have shown that smoking isn't as much of a contraindication like it used to be, but I still wouldn't place them in my mouth if I smoked. Dentures, well let's just say that you can have complications with them....esp. on the lower arch. The lower arch already doesn't have as much bone as the top arch and a lot of people can never get a denture to fit good on the bottom. You do lose bone when teeth are extracted and that's why it's really hard to get a perfect fit! If you do get dentures, I would go to an established private practice. I would not go to a chain that has cheaper prices becuase you will get what you pay for! Let a dentist that owns his own practice do the work because he is more likely to be a perfectionist since the work will reflect his name. Ask around, see who recommends someone in your area. I also recommend that if you do get dentures, to have the teeth pulled first...wait for a coulple of weeks and then go in for the impressions to have them mads. I know it might be embarrassing to go around with no teeth, but that will give you the best fit. I would not have the teeth pulled the same day the dentures are going to be delivered! Good luck...I know it's a hard decision! Do know that you can have what's called an over denture. That's where an implant is placed to anchor a denture to help it to fit better!
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Avatar universal
I did some research.  Cost for implants is $1250.00 - 3,000.00 per tooth, with total cost for the implants between 15,000 to 30, 000.  You need to add to this, the cost for anesthesia, synthetic bone (if needed) and xrays.  Insurance does not cover implants.

Studies show a five year success rate for lower jaw implants & 90% for upper (especially the posterior section) because it's less dense than the lower jaw, making a successful implantation potentially more difficult to achieve.  

Dental implants can fail for many reasons.  Failure in the osseointegration process, implant in poor position.  They can break or become infected (like natural teeth) and crowns can become loose.

If you smoke, you need to quit before getting implants, because smokers face a higher rate of implant failure.  Since the procedure is fairly expensive, you would be wasting your money.

I would look at it like buying a car.  The more expensive car, has all the fancy electronics which is very tempting.  But if one thing goes wrong with the electronics, the repair cost will be very high.  I personally feel the same about implants, if one breaks, or gets infected, it's going to cost a lot of money to repair, probably one repair would buy you 2 sets of dentures.
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Avatar universal
I have many friends who have dentures.  They look like natural teeth, are very functional, and my friends eat anything they want.  You may need to go back a few times for adjustments, but it's well worth it. You have to see a dentist 2 x a year with your own teeth, so I see no problem. Implants are often done by dentists who are not really qualified to do them.  You need to see someone who is trained specifically for implants to get good results with these also.  Preparing your bone for implants can become a very involved procedure, everyone is different.  But the cost is immense, and this is why few people opt for implants.  I'm not familiar with Dental schools, but the students are supervised by the instructors, and they will keep going until it's done correctly.  Worth looking into and seeing what you think. The last I read, implants run several thousand dollars per tooth!  Good luck to you, I hope you find a good solution.  Remember even with dentures you can choose the color, and keep going back until they fit correctly.  My husband had all his teeth pulled, and dentures, and it was the best decision for him.  You would never guess that they aren't his real teeth, and he has such a good fit, that he has to use 2 hands to get them out, and he uses no type of adhesive.
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Avatar universal
3000+
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1012542 tn?1313354880
Thank you much lynn, out of curiosity just how much can these implants run?  
I have met a couple of people on my path that have had "fairly maJor" work done in Mexico for a fraction of course but in my situation this would be foolish.  What about Dental schools here
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Avatar universal
implants are really expensive but since you are only in your 40's they would be your best choice if you could scrape up the money. implants are much more like your natural teeth both in looks and in functionality. they also prevent bone loss. dentures where cheaper greatly reduce your chewing power. they also encourage bone loss. then there is the whole comport issue. implants feel like real teeth where denture can move around and are constantly in need of adjustment. if it ends up you have to get dentures purely for lack of money and payment plans are unacceptable make sure you dont cut corners and go to a cheap dental mill like the kind that advertise on tv. aspen comes to mind. these places though cheaper tend to do shoddy work. they rely on foreign or inexperienced dentists and have a high employee turn over. go to an established professional.
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1012542 tn?1313354880
Thank you for the input mammo, I do really appreciate it.
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Avatar universal
Hi Chris and welcome! If you don't have dental insurance, I'd go with the dentures, much cheaper.  You could even get the "fixed" dentures where they are permanently attached to your bone.  I'm not very familiar with implants other than how expensive they are.  But there are others on here who are very familiar with it all, and they will respond quickly.
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