Tomorrow morning I'm getting my first dental implant and was wondering what to expect. If you've had one was there much pain getting the implant inserted? Im not looking forward to having a hole drilled in my jaw :-( How long was the recovery and when could you start eating on the side of your mouth with the implant?

My wife said they are easy and worth it. The worst part is the waiting between steps.

No pain, just a ratcheting sound and a little pressure. The tooth part was done later.

Beyond the enormous bill? (my dude charged $3300/ea)

You going for pig or human bone?

It's relatively painless. I don't remember it even being a thing...

Wow, doing mine next week. Had the base put in to build up gum, but getting a titanium post put in next week. Not looking forward to road work in my mouth.

So, I am interested to see the answers you are looking for too.

Yup, completely painless.

My dentist is on the leading edge of dental techniques, goes to various schools, conferences and workshops annually.

When I had mine done, it was to replace a tooth where a root canal had failed and the crown broke off flush with the gum.

He extracted the root, reamed the hole out to size and cranked the abutment in. I ate soft food that evening, avoided aggressive chewing on that side for 24 hours and that was it.

He actually put mine off for a couple of weeks as he wanted to attend a scheduled conference on the topic first. They had come up with a new drill/burr/whatever the instrument was called that (for lack of a better term) packed the residue from the process back into the hole and reduced/eliminated the need for more bone to be added.

I was 4 months waiting for the jaw bone to grow back around the abutment and then another half-hour in the chair to torque the new crown into place. Easy-peasy.

Not cheap certainly, but I'm saving up to have it done on the other side where I'm missing a tooth.

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Originally posted by 46and2:
Beyond the enormous bill? (my dude charged $3300/ea)

Thats about what I'm paying

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
Beyond the enormous bill? (my dude charged $3300/ea)

You got off cheap. $5K for me. Extraction, bone graft, and stud was one guy who’s a specialist. That’s all he does. Crown was my regular guy.

Should be painless (w/anesthetic!). Sore at the surgical site for a few days, and your surgeon/dentist can advise you on chewing/eating, but generally soft diet for a bit; a lot depends on whether the site has to be grafted, quality of the bone, location, etc. There are immediate load implants (used without any restrictions from go), but generally better to wait for healing to take place and for the bone to fully integrate. Most prosthodontists/surgeons would prefer waiting 6-8 weeks for final restoration, sometimes longer (up to 6 months depending). Once the implant is integrated and stabilized, it's just like a natural tooth. Several risk factors for implant failure (it basically falls out), that include smoking as #1 followed closely by periodontal (gum) disease, but also systemic diseases like diabetes and liver/kidney/thyroid disease. Success rate these days for most implant systems is over 90%, but none of them are 100%. Good luck!

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Originally posted by Shaql:
It's relatively painless. I don't remember it even being a thing...

Did he knock you out? Mine certainly was not painless when everything wore off. I received a generous Rx of pain meds that covered me for a few days.

I had one last year.

A bit of discomfort but not really much pain at all using local anesthetic to numb area, probably Novocaine, and he double checked that area was numb before proceeding and had to wait a couple extra minutes at my request since I felt probe first time. Weird to have a guy use ratchet wrenches in my mouth though. I kept my eyes closed for the most part. The drilling part was surprisingly painless but could feel pressure applied. It was several visits though if I remember correctly. I did not need any bone grafting. I had extraction and implant done the same day. My regular dentist recommended an oral surgeon in town that he works with on implants.

-- Initial consult and estimate.
-- Extraction and implant post install, with cap put on post and gum flaps stitched around it. X-rays taken.
-- Follow up a couple weeks later where he basically looked at it and said it was good to go. Took antibiotics in between.
-- Wait about three months to make sure it was well secured in jaw bone, removal of cap from implant post, and then install abutment that screws into implant post where the crown goes.
-- Go to my regular dentist to have molds taken for crown.
-- Go back after the crown arrives to have dentist install and fit it.

If you expect insurance to pay for any of it make sure you coordinate with dentist and oral surgeon so that they send it proper paperwork for estimates ahead of time.

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Originally posted by PD:

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
Beyond the enormous bill? (my dude charged $3300/ea)

You got off cheap. $5K for me. Extraction, bone graft, and stud was one guy who’s a specialist. That’s all he does. Crown was my regular guy.

Damn. $3300 was bad enough.

Get the right Dentist!

My wife and I are thinking of heading down to Mexico to have this done.

I had one done to remedy a long chronic issue from an accident 15 years before. Piece of cake. Don't be alarmed by the Craftsman ratchet used to screw in the anchor. I actually chuckled when I saw it. Really? You can't afford pneumatic tools?

I have four. The only real pain is the cost (ortho surgeon and dentist).

I had two done at the same time in my rear lower jaw. Pain can be subjective. There is discomfort, and it was a tedious, high stress procedure for me. I felt drained when I left the office. The end result is good.

$3000 is a deal. My wife does these and depending on the situation implants can go as high as $9000.

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My wife and I are thinking of heading down to Mexico to have this done.

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To each his own. I would not reccomend it for a variety of reasons. Followup if needed will be difficult. I shelled out significant money and am happy with the result.

Just tell the oral surgeon not to go too deep. Mine hit the nerve and sent a shocking sensation through my face. It was super quick but when the anesthetic wore off, I had some serious numbness from my bottom lip to the side of my chin. The numbness mostly went away after a year or so, but there's a tiny bit that is permanent. Other than that and the drawn out process others mentioned, it wasn't a big deal.