Losing a tooth...options?

Dentist has tried to save a large, lower molar that has split but outcome is tooth has to come out. Never envisaged losing any teeth so a bit of a shock. Has given me a few options:

1 cheapest and least work. Leave the gap after extraction. But says risks possibility the rest of my teeth on that side move to fill the gap and also the upper tooth above the gap ‘erupting’ as nothing to bite into. Cost £20

2 get a single false tooth made that will sit in the gap on the gum which clips onto teeth next to it. Needs removed at night. Cost £450

3 get a dental implant plus crown. Metal rod screwed into the bone and a crown put on top. The permanent solution. Cost £3000

She doesn’t recommend a bridge as two good teeth on either side which would need a lot of work to fit the bridge and one is a wisdom tooth.

Anyone experienced losing a single tooth and what option did you go for, why, and any regrets?!

Implant is the best option, particularly if you are below 60. Chances of rejections are lower, and you do not have to get the two adjacent healthy teeth involved. The balance is better and the other teeth would not suffer from the consequences of having a gap. Hopefully the extraction has not involved breaking the alveolar bone, so in six months you are good to go.

Option 1 for me. I have had two teeth out in the past 15 years and both have been fine. The teeth either side seem to have 'shuffled' over and no issues with the top teeth. This is the first mention I have seen of possible problems.

I found the extractions rather grim though.

Go implant and go to Eastern Europe and save a few quid probably less than have the 3k

I lost one in a similar way. Quoted same money for implant but no other options. Really missed it to start with; but now, 8 years on, its not an issue and very much doubt I will do anything about it. 3k can be put to much better use imo.


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1 for the who gives a FF

2 for the settled chap

3 for the still playing / looking guy but look outside of the UK

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Originally Posted by langdalematt

Go implant and go to Eastern Europe and save a few quid probably less than have the 3k

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What about travel insurance? What happens if there are problems, the guy gets an infection, he needs treatment and he isn't well enough to travel home. He could well end up in deep shit.

You obviously have a full complement of teeth there.
I would leave the gap and see if it concerns you.
If the opposing upper tooth starts to over erupt then worth considering other options but likely you won't miss it.

I have an implant in exactly this position. This would be my recommendation - 12 years and counting and no issues at all. BUT knowing people who have had implant issues I would NEVER go abroad. My aftercare was regular and my implant specialist a Professor at the uni dental school. Pay the money and get the proper job done every time for me.

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Originally Posted by Hood

You obviously have a full complement of teeth there.
I would leave the gap and see if it concerns you.
If the opposing upper tooth starts to over erupt then worth considering other options but likely you won't miss it.

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This is a poor 'solution.' By the time you have problems, it may be too late to change course easily.

I've had several dental implants - - they're better and stronger than my original teeth!

If in doubt, get a second opinion. And, oh yes, please don't go to Eastern Europe!

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Originally Posted by pacifichrono

This is a poor 'solution.' By the time you have problems, it may be too late to change course easily.

I've had several dental implants - - they're better and stronger than my original teeth!

If in doubt, get a second opinion. And, oh yes, please don't go to Eastern Europe!

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You won't have problems if the upper tooth is monitored.
If upper tooth starts to over erupt by .5-1mm then you can do something no problem and a 1mm over eruption on an otherwise healthy tooth isn't a problem.
If the gap bothers you then get an implant though an adhesive bridge is another option for the gap.

plus no dental implant is better or stronger than a virgin natural tooth

Had a similar thing over 2 years ago.

Not quite turned 50 and never had a filling, managed to split the tooth, split the root and have an abscess.

Hurt like hell over the May Bank Holiday, dentist pulled it out, as is second from back, bottom left it has not caused a problem and feel I can invest the £3k into something else.

Gapy teeth look goping, option 3 for me, which is what I went with when this happened to me. 8 years in and no issues.

Doing it in Thailand (Bangkok) would be cheaper plus the quality of care will be higher and you can combine it with a lovely holiday. Make sure you get a US/Australian qualified dentist and not a Thai qualified one - they are trained to a higher level for this type of procedure than their UK counterparts (not getting into a row here - was told this by a UK dentist friend) and certainly trained to a higher level than their Thai-trained counterparts.

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Originally Posted by astonandy

I have an implant in exactly this position. This would be my recommendation - 12 years and counting and no issues at all. BUT knowing people who have had implant issues I would NEVER go abroad. My aftercare was regular and my implant specialist a Professor at the uni dental school. Pay the money and get the proper job done every time for me.

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Wow. So they don’t do it properly on the Continent?


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Option 1 for me. I’ve had a couple of gaps for probably 25 years with no problem.
Never heard of opposing teeth being an issue when wisdom teeth are removed.

I had 2 x implants but one didn't work - not enough bone apparently. Dentist used a bridge but the problem is it's not really you get the money back if an implant doesn't work. I asked about Euro dentistry and my dentist was of the opinion if it's Western Europe eg germany/france etc it would be better than E.Europe. If it's a colleague down the road ie a UK dentist, my dentist could ring them and say this work was done and I'm seeing an issue and it's relatively easy to get a solution but a dentist in E.Europe or Thailand etc is less easy to contact and there could be insurance issues with messing about with dentistry done overseas. Caveat Emptor I'm afraid. Ask your dentist their opinion of implants done abroad. Bad news about the extraction is it's harder to remove from lower jaw than upper. Last one I had removed for the implant actually broke but I was so numbed up I only felt the guy moving about, no sensations of pain etc. Strauman are regarded as the best implant (Swiss) but others are available.

I had a pre-molar filling fall out a couple of weeks ago, which was pretty much the entire tooth. The dentist recommended a "posted crown", whereby the root of the tooth was retained and the crown was attached to the tooth root by a cemented in post.
This is the second such crown I've had done, and have had no issues at all.
I guess it all depends on whether the tooth root is viable?

I had this dilemma and went option 1 (despite being quoted £2k for the implant, not £3k).

I'm sure you could get it done by someone reputable for nearer £2k.

I had a very similar experience ten years ago and l decided to go for the implant option, but back then the cost was £1800, I've not regretted the decision, l've had no problems in that time and would choose the same option in the future if the situation arose, it is a lot of money to commit, but you have six months from the extraction date to explore and decide which option is best for you.

Do it once, do it right: implant.

I would go for the implant. I am looking at having a pre molar implant later in the week. It won't be anywhere near £3000 though. I wouldn't pay £3000 for an upper front tooth (well I would if I had to, but that's very top end pricing dependent on what needs doing).

I had a couple taken out donkeys years ago.

Never a problem since and as they were at the back you can't see the gap either.

Thanks everyone for the advice and telling me of personal experiences. Never thought of dental tourism and after googling I see Budapest is a key city offering this and by coincidence I am going there in 2 weeks for a city break. But, given the requirement for multi visits for this type of treatment I don’t think that is something I will take forward.

Interesting to hear how many people have not had any issues with just leaving the gap - my wife included. It is just the consequences IF you do have issues, with bone shrinkage and teeth moving that is leaning me more towards getting the implant.
Managed to get a consultation appointment for this afternoon at a specialist so will see what they say.

If it was me (and it will be tomorrow/Friday) I'd just try to make sure whoever you get to do the implant is either highly recommended, or has at least weekly if not daily experience of carrying out implants and can advise you of their personal overall failure rates.

Why is it that many TZ-ers think nothing of spending £'000s on a Rolex sports watch or similar … but they'll settle for a £20 NHS tooth extraction and a 'gap' rather than having a dental implant? I have 7 upper jaw dental implants and consider the cost, money well spent. Every time a tooth is extracted, the jawbone shrinks … which is OK if you want to enter gurning competitions and can half swallow your nose.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/41282197

To minimise the chance of implant failures, please consider having a full jaw scan before commencing the implant programme … and consider use of e.g. a Kitty Hydrofloss to remove dental plaque and prevent further gum recession / decay.

dunk

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Originally Posted by sundial

Why is it that many TZ-ers think nothing of spending £'000s on a Rolex sports watch or similar … but they'll settle for a £20 NHS tooth extraction and a 'gap' rather than having a dental implant?

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Because many of us can't afford both, and choose the nice watch over the fake tooth.

I had some trouble on 4 of my top teeth, so I bit the bullet and had implants 8k but worth every penny, and as said aftercare here was brilliant. You need to have a least three sessions, so work out,time off work, flights etc, it soon mounts up.

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Originally Posted by hilly10

I had some trouble on 4 of my top teeth, so I bit the bullet and had implants 8k but worth every penny, and as said aftercare here was brilliant. You need to have a least three sessions, so work out,time off work, flights etc, it soon mounts up.

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Where did you have yours done here or abroad?

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Originally Posted by hilly10

I had some trouble on 4 of my top teeth, so I bit the bullet and had implants 8k but worth every penny, and as said aftercare here was brilliant. You need to have a least three sessions, so work out,time off work, flights etc, it soon mounts up.

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It should go without saying that the aftercare should be good......when you've paid 8k!,Id want a few weeks recuperation in a 5 star hotel included.

And just to say,there are a lot of high earning jobs out there,but looking into people's mouths all day would not be for me,even given the extortionate fees they charge us!.

And you can tell the dentists cars at mine.My dentist drives a Maserati!,the others BMW and Porsche.

There are several different types of dental implant and which is suitable for an individual needs assessing by a qualified dental implantologost rather than a regular dental surgeon … don't assume that by travelling abroad you can definitely have an implant completed in a couple of visits. Some dental implant procedures are relatively straightforward … others not … and could be false economy agreeing to an implant programme without having a full jaw scan rather than just having regular X rays.

Some patients require jawbone augmentation before an implant is possible. Jawbone augmentation requires a few months to 'bond' before it's suitable for an implant. Any need for augmentation can be assessed via a full jaw scan … which costs maybe a few £hundred extra … but it's worth having done.

Smokers might be refused implant treatment … or any implant guarantee might have an exclusion clause regarding smoking. Gum recession can be accelerated by smoking and gum recession after dental implants can compromise their longevity.

dunk

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Originally Posted by astonandy

I have an implant in exactly this position. This would be my recommendation - 12 years and counting and no issues at all. BUT knowing people who have had implant issues I would NEVER go abroad. My aftercare was regular and my implant specialist a Professor at the uni dental school. Pay the money and get the proper job done every time for me.

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I agree and have followed that approach - we may have the same guy (Simon?). pays the money and get the job done properly.

B

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Originally Posted by Claret67

Where did you have yours done here or abroad?

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At my local dentist but a specialist who comes in twice a month. He is Polish, but my dentist did say he was at the top of his game, no reason to doubt his statement. My treatment went like clockwork, as I am 64 i was a bit uptight with how it would go, but no worries. He used some of my own bone that he scraped off and then mixed it with the bovine derivative which then made the healing a lot quicker, in fact he said for a man of my age he was amazed how quick it healed. Pain wise I had about nine hours being uncomfortable, but woke next morning more or less pain free

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Originally Posted by deejay

Thanks everyone for the advice and telling me of personal experiences. Never thought of dental tourism and after googling I see Budapest is a key city offering this and by coincidence I am going there in 2 weeks for a city break. But, given the requirement for multi visits for this type of treatment I don’t think that is something I will take forward.

Interesting to hear how many people have not had any issues with just leaving the gap - my wife included. It is just the consequences IF you do have issues, with bone shrinkage and teeth moving that is leaning me more towards getting the implant.
Managed to get a consultation appointment for this afternoon at a specialist so will see what they say.

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I had one done in Budapest and can highly recommend a practice if it’s of use to you. If you’re there, it can’t hurt to get an opinion from them too. They also have a clinic in South England if you really didn’t want to travel or if you were unsure of aftercare.

Option 1 (twice). Downsides? Cosmetics, not something I tend to worry about, so I am saving money on moisturiser and fragrances too! The only downside is eating nuts. I have had them get trapped between the two good teeth and had to push them out with a finger. Usually after they have rammed into the gum.

I'm guessing you haven't seen some of the work in eastern Europe. I'm sure there are a lot of great dentist but there are also a lot of not so great ones and costs a lot more and more complex to put things right.

There isn't a great deal of patient comeback of things haven't gone to plan

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Originally Posted by langdalematt

Go implant and go to Eastern Europe and save a few quid probably less than have the 3k

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I wouldn't recommend an adhesive bridge for a posterior tooth, much more likely to debond

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Originally Posted by Hood

You won't have problems if the upper tooth is monitored.
If upper tooth starts to over erupt by .5-1mm then you can do something no problem and a 1mm over eruption on an otherwise healthy tooth isn't a problem.
If the gap bothers you then get an implant though an adhesive bridge is another option for the gap.

plus no dental implant is better or stronger than a virgin natural tooth

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If it was my tooth, I would get the implant but there's nothing wrong with leaving it, the teeth near it may drift slightly, that's natural.

I wouldn't bother with a single toothed denture.

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