Teeth matters

[maxcherry]

I just go to the dental hospital and let them take the tooth out. I find the thought of having implants creepy

[Psamathe]

I just go to the dental hospital and let them take the tooth out. I find the thought of having implants creepy :shock:

I'm having two implants. 1st tooth (molar) was removed a years ago and all was fine as I could eat on the other side of my mouth 'cos the gap was big and chewing was difficult on that side. Then a molar on the other side got infected and an abscess developed under the root. Root canal filling failed (they could only find one of the 3 roots so it came down to having the tooth out and by then I was fed-up with the difficulty eating with the gaps).

I had lots of amalgam fillings when young and am now finding that apparently amalgam "dries" out the tooth over the years and makes it brittle and subject to cracking and breaking - which has happened on 3 of my molars so far. So I decided not to consider a bridge.

That said I agree with your feeling about implants being creepy. I feel the same but the gap is even worse. It was a bit weird seeing the x-ray of my jaw with this plug in it. And I really don't like having bone drilled - psychological dislike rather than pain; though the bone drilling to remove the tooth was worse than the implant bone drilling.

Ian

[maxcherry]

'Bone Drilling'!!!

Good gosh! I guess if it make you happy, then do it.
I don't mind having my teeth out (three at the back) and i never had any pain afterwards, just waiting for my holes to close was a pitta.
I'm going to make myself an appointment for a check up.....just to be on the safe side

[Psamathe]

'Bone Drilling'!!! :shock:

Good gosh! I guess if it make you happy, then do it.
I don't mind having my teeth out (three at the back) and i never had any pain afterwards, just waiting for my holes to close was a pitta.
I'm going to make myself an appointment for a check up.....just to be on the safe side :oops:

Both times they have drilled bone I've hated the process - but can't feel a thing 'cos of the injections. Next few days I've had a few mild stabbing "discomfort" (pain is too strong a word).

One thing (I suspect more relevant for youngsters) is that when you have a tooth out, the jaw where the gap is gradually loses bone through the rest of your life (because there is no pressured from the teeth causing the bone to maintain itself). My Mum had complete (top and bottom) false teeth from an early age and now does not have enough jaw bone left to even think about implants (too old to be worthwhile anyway). So implants do help maintain jaw bone as well. But timescales and discomfort there is ... the cost !!!!!

Ian

[tyreon]

All posts above very informative.

I hadn't thought that 'leaving a space where one tooth was extracted' could...over time,result in some loss of jaw bone density. Seems to make sense.

Two empty spaces at the back of my jaw where dental implants could be placed. Unfilled at the moment. I can see that several visits to the dental practioner might be required. Conversely,dental implants seem to be being done within Budapest within the week(guess if there's no complications) Okay,I'm still wary. Next,whilst viewing some 'live discussion' on LBC radio,I see some implant centre down in London advertising a one-day implant service. Of course this might be rubbish...or not. That's why I'm still searching for feedback on here.

Asked my wife's friend whose friend works in Harley St about dental practice being offered abroad. She gave as enlightened answer as early mist: vacuous. But then it was a big ask(so I forgive her!)

Psamathe: Please report back on your 'success'?

It can be a strange world out there: Present dentist aware of implants. Before him,same practice,some 5 years ago,when I queried about implants the then dentist appeared non-plussed,almost unaware of the procedure!!

[Psamathe]

...I see some implant centre down in London advertising a one-day implant service. Of course this might be rubbish...or not. That's why I'm still searching for feedback on here. ...

I saw those and did some Googling and avoided them (at least I did not find anywhere offering them but would have avoided such offers).

From my researches (and with the type of implant the dentist selected for me) the implant bit in the jaw had serrated rings and was hammered into place in the hole drilled in the jaw bone (sounds nasty - in practice it was only psychological nastiness). The implant in the jaw needs to be very well attached to the jaw bone. For mine, initially they are pretty well attached. But over the following 3-4 weeks they loosen a bit (presumably as the jaw bone starts adapting) and only after that does the jaw bone start fusing with the implant itself. The fusion process takes several months. Only after that can the tooth bits be fitted and the whole thing start taking the loads of a tooth. So it is the fusion process that takes the time and I would have many questions about a process that can get round that - after all they all have the same bone issues to deal with.

The other thing to check carefully about is what the terms mean. My understanding (which may be wrong) is that the "implant" is the but that is fitted into the jawbone; the implant is used to secure the crown which is then fitted on top. So under the strict use of (my understanding of) the terms I had a "implant in a day" in that I went in, had the titanium bit fitted in the jaw and left (took around 1½ hrs). Crown, etc. will be sorted over subsequent visits. I would imagine that the subsequent work is "lower skilled" than getting the implant in place and aligned correctly, etc.

Ian

[tyreon]

And(if you don't mind)cost,Psmathe? £2k a tooth? £4k for the two?

Thanks

[661-Pete]

Well - my contribution to this thread is, perhaps, going to be cold comfort to those who have major dental problems - or who are having major work done. Sympathies all round!

The key is - of course - prevention! Do all you can to look after your teeth and gums, before the trouble develops.

I am 65 and have never had a tooth extracted because of disease or decay (I had one taken out after a cycling face-plant, but that was a special case). I have one crown on a partly-decayed tooth which needed root canal filling, and expect to get another one within the next few months.

Like Psamathe, I have rather a lot of amalgam fillings. I suspect that some of them were 'unnecessary' - brought about by a perhaps over-zealous and not-entirely honest dentist way back in my 20s. But so be it. Yes it is true that some of my over-filled teeth have become brittle over the years. I had one breakage only this week, but it has now been filled with polymer. This is the tooth that the dentist now says will probably need a crown, but the fitting should be straightforward, with no root canal necessary. I'll probably decide to go ahead in the next few weeks.

So: over the years I used to neglect my gums: not brushing correctly or sufficiently, and not flossing. Not now! I've had an epiphany, thanks to tactful cajoling by both the dentist and the hygienist (hygienists have a reputation of being scary old 'battleaxes', but I got a particularly friendly one!). So I use the electric brush for its full two minutes, making sure every surface of teeth and gums gets a brushing. And I dutifully use the interdental brushes and the floss. This has brought results: the dentist has said that over the last year or two my gum health has improved markedly. And of course, the side-benefits: healthy gums means less risk of heart disease or stroke. Late in life, but better than nothing.

Sorry about the smugness in this post, but I hope it is of interest to some on here.

Best of luck to Psamathe and others!

[Psamathe]

...
Like Psamathe, I have rather a lot of amalgam fillings. I suspect that some of them were 'unnecessary' - brought about by a perhaps over-zealous and not-entirely honest dentist way back in my 20s. But so be it. Yes it is true that some of my over-filled teeth have become brittle over the years. I had one breakage only this week, but it has now been filled with polymer.
...

The one I lost was due to a breakage (due to the amalgam) where it unfortunately the bit that broke off happened to also go below the gum line which apparently means tooth must be removed (at least under NHS it seems).

One that was a challenge on the other side was also due to amalgam drying out/brittleness where a crack formed, let the bugs in resulting in the infection. Root canal work was an attempts to rescue the tooth (covered by NHS - though a couple of dentists were not keen on root canal filling the tooth). In the end it had to be removed (they could only find one of the three roots using NHS gear).

So I also put my issues down to the amalgam fillings from a young age.

I do wonder if modern amalgam has changed from that used when I was young or if youngsters getting fillings today will be suffering similar issues as they get older.

And as you say, I also wonder if I had at least some of those fillings by over zealous dentistry. They used to take a sharp spike tool and try and push it into the top of molars to "detect" problems but I recon they were making the holes. These days fillings seem to be detected by just looking.

...
...This is the tooth that the dentist now says will probably need a crown, but the fitting should be straightforward, with no root canal necessary. I'll probably decide to go ahead in the next few weeks.
...

One comment to watch out for on crowns (if the one you will probably be having is your 1st). When I had my first crown (the final one) the dentist said it would feel "weird" and take some time to get used to. It was a disaster and I was back the next day as she had not adjusted the crown properly and it was too high making it feel dreadful, making eating a nightmare, etc. 2nd crown I told the dentist that I was "sensitive" to it being too high and he adjusted it properly and no problems.

Also (again if it's your 1st crown), don't be too aggressive with the temporary crown - they come of really rather easily. Some dentists want to re-fit the temporary, others don't really care too much. But of my two crowns (again due to tooth breakages due to amalgam) I have had two come off within a couple of days of them being fitted. Final crown should be fine (though one of mine wasn't), but the temporary one uses a very weak cement - temporary one that stayed on was then pulled-off by the dentist!

NHS pricing on crowns seems weird compared to their costs on root canal work (seems disproportionately high or the root canal filling disproportionally cheap).

Ian

[tyreon]

Way back when(just before they discovered the round wheel),I had earache. I was a youngster with milk teeth. Doctor gave my mother some tonic or other with the result that all my teeth fell out. I was then offered to be the youngest person in GB with false teeth. My mother refused,and refused the photograph being taken.

I used to go to the dentist to have teeth filled without anaesthetic. I used to scream in pain

[maxcherry]

Way back when(just before they discovered the round wheel),I had earache. I was a youngster with milk teeth. Doctor gave my mother some tonic or other with the result that all my teeth fell out. I was then offered to be the youngest person in GB with false teeth. My mother refused,and refused the photograph being taken.

I used to go to the dentist to have teeth filled without anaesthetic. I used to scream in pain

When was this!

[661-Pete]

One comment to watch out for on crowns (if the one you will probably be having is your 1st). When I had my first crown (the final one) the dentist said it would feel "weird" and take some time to get used to. It was a disaster and I was back the next day as she had not adjusted the crown properly and it was too high making it feel dreadful, making eating a nightmare, etc.

No it was not my first crown, I have two others, plus a bridge. One of the two crowns and the bridge were due to the face-plant I mentioned earlier (over 30 years ago). The other was a molar: the fitting of the crown was no problem, but the shaping of the tooth to take the crown was quite painful, despite three injections, it was the only time in many years that I felt some pain during drilling. Anyway some infection or nerve damage had crept in after the crown was fitted and some years later it became painful again. The dentist, after treating the abscess, offered to do root canal fillings by drilling through the crown (apparently this is quite feasible). I can't remember whether there were two or three roots, but the root filling went perfectly smoothly. Then he simply capped the hole in the crown with polymer and it's been fine since.

NHS pricing on crowns seems weird compared to their costs on root canal work (seems disproportionately high or the root canal filling disproportionally cheap).

This is because crowns involve a lot of lab work, done away from the dentist's surgery, which comes in expensive. As a denplan patient, I get all treatment done at the surgery free, but I still have to pay the lab fees for any crowns etc.

[tyreon]

Without anesthetic: 1958 or 1960. My mother gave me a battleship over some of the brutalised dental work that was carried out. I,then,thought that the dentist had given it me.

I was screaming in pain.

Remember the old black gas mask,put over your face to have teeth taken out? Happy dreams? if you woke up alive!!

No anesthetic! Go back 10 years or so,my previous dentist was asking me if I wanted a tooth extraction without the drug!! He said some people asked/wanted it that way!

[AlaninWales]

Without anesthetic: 1958 or 1960. My mother gave me a battleship over some of the brutalised dental work that was carried out. I,then,thought that the dentist had given it me.

I was screaming in pain.

Remember the old black gas mask,put over your face to have teeth taken out? Happy dreams? if you woke up alive!!

No anesthetic! Go back 10 years or so,my previous dentist was asking me if I wanted a tooth extraction without the drug!! He said some people asked/wanted it that way!

I have pretty much all recent dental work done without anesthetic. A dead tooth is dead; only if they drill into live tissue (which they shouldn't be doing) is there any pain. So that's two fillings a couple of years ago and last major work (root canal) just over 20 years ago.

[tyreon]

Psamathe: I hadn't read all your replies properly. My fault. Will have to review and refresh what's been said.

Reflections and hypotheticals on having dental treatment abroad. Go Budapest. Have implant(s). Oh dear,trouble happens. Well,guess I might have a written guarantee that any 'bad' dental work would be corrected free. With free transport,perhaps. (Am thinking thru what may/may not be in contract) Worse scenario: oh dear,implant/jaw becomes infected/dental work not covered by paperwork...wouldn't I just go to my local dentist to have necessary work repaired/corrected?No? Well if it was affecting my health and well-being,yes,no? (I'm thinking boob jobs here: I'm thinking I have had mattress filling implanted into my chest instead of surgical silicone. My breasts are infected....)

I'm back on this xxxxxxx subject because I have just come back from a cycling tea shop wherein some chap I 'know' is off to Budapest to have a tooth job!
I expect to find out more,and see how it went on his return.

Budapest again!

More later.