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Anyone here have any experience they can share in regard to a tooth implant. An upper molar that I had capped 45 years ago has disintegrated and that is the recommended option at this point. The estimated cost of $5,000 is bad enough - I also dread going through the process.

5 grand, yikes! Wouldn't a bridge be a lot cheaper?

I was in the same boat 14 months ago. Having had health problems prior caused by infected root canal teeth, I decided to simply live with the gap. I have only the one missing molar and I am doing fine with that!
I hope you have a dentist that knows the value of removing ALL of the root and the ligament. See my dentist's website for an education. Dr. Cook is a great man!
http://www.dentistryhealth.com/

I'm sorry.

Main thing on an implant is good bone structure to work with, or the post could fail. Good Luck !

i'm a dental hygienist so this is kinda in my area....

implants are great if there is adequate bone to support it, and if you are not a smoker. implants rarely fail, but when they do, it's almost always in a smoker.

$5,000 seems pricey, but i don't know the specifics. if they need to do some bone grafting to augment the exiting bone levels, or perhaps some other necessary treatment, then it seems reasonable. most simple implants with no other procedures usually will set you back around $2,000 at the practices that i work at.

Rayven01 wrote:5 grand, yikes! Wouldn't a bridge be a lot cheaper?

A crown for one tooth is $1,100 - my wife had two done last year. The permanent bridge involves capping the molar behind and in front of the lost tooth - runs about $3,000. A root canal followed by inserting a post to secure a crown also runs about $3,000, and if the root later breaks you are back to square one. Admittedly I do not choose to use the dentist operating out of a Sear store. Writing the check will be painful enough, but I dread going through the procedure. It take about 9 weeks for the bone to fuse with the titanium screw. Will change my diet for awhile.

My mom is in process of having 4 done - $20k. She had to have some extra bone "grown".

vit wrote:My mom is in process of having 4 done - $20k. She had to have some extra bone "grown".

Aside from the $$$, what is the degree of personal pain and suffering?

jake75 wrote:

vit wrote:My mom is in process of having 4 done - $20k. She had to have some extra bone "grown".

Aside from the $$$, what is the degree of personal pain and suffering?

i just watched a patient have 4 teeth extracted and 4 implants put in in their place this morning. local anesthesia=no pain during placement. scripted a couple dozen motrin 800's for any post operative pain. no narcotics necessary.