Not the nicest thing to discuss, but maybe a good place to discuss it.
I have just read a similar thread from 2016 on here, but have different questions so figured a new thread would be good.
I had a cracked root on my lower left first molar. It had previously had a crown so had to be extracted. That was done on Monday and was pretty awful. My dentist wasn't happy to do it due to the potential complication, so I was referred to an NHS dental surgeon who took nearly 30 minutes of drilling, sawing and hammering to get it out. It was not a pleasant experience at all. I had all the potential complications and it came out in about 20 pieces. I now have a number of stitches and a reasonable amount of pain and have been eating porridge, soup and rice pudding since Monday night, as well as doing the salt water washes.
I was not aware when I sat in the chair that I could have opted to have an implant fitted at the same time as the extraction. It was rather awkward as the NHS surgeon suggested that I could walk out of the procedure there and then and make an appointment to see him at his private practice, where he could do the implant at the same time. He told me I'd need to wait 3 months before starting the implant process elsewhere, if I went ahead with the extraction there and then. We discussed it for a few minutes and I decided to do what my dentist had organised and stick to the plan. (I had the extraction free on NHS but would have had to pay for it privately if I'd walked out, and it may have been another 1-3 months to wait for another appointment, all-the-while having the rotten nasty tooth in my head.)
Question is, do I really need to wait 3 months with this enormous gap in my mouth before I can start the implant process?
I have been quoted £2400 for the implant from Hurst Dental in Cambridge, and £3400 from Devonshire House in Cambridge, who are regarded as one of the best in the UK (apparently) but also are one of the most expensive.
https://www.hurstparkdental.com
https://www.devonshirehousedental.co.uk
Any tips or pointers would be greatly appreciated.
Does anyone know how long I should be eating soft foods and doing salt washes? Is it just for a couple of days, or until the stitches have dissolved?
ETA - I should say that it was my excellent dentist who suggested and referred me to Hurst Park as she said they're very good and 30% cheaper than Devonshire House.
Last edited by mr noble; 23rd July 2021 at 11:54.
I can't comment on much of what you've had done, however a few weeks ago I had a rear molar removed that was sitting on top of an abscess, the follow up date with my dentist is November, I'm guessing that's how long it takes for the jaw to settle down after what is in effect - surgery.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
I’ve been missing my front tooth almost 10 months.
You’ll get used to the gap.
I’m getting the tooth in couple weeks so it’s going to feel weird.
Soft food until you can manage something a bit "crispier".Originally Posted by mr noble
I had a molar out a couple of weeks back from my NHS dentist ( agony, 20 minutes of pulling) and got a check list which stated you should carry on with the salt water washes for at least a week but preferably more. Always after eating as it irrigates and cleanses the wound of food particles.
Took two weeks before I felt properly OK and as it is at the back I'm certainly not having an implant.
TBH if I had a front tooth extracted I'd go for a plate. Easier and less stress.
Cheers,
Neil.
Does your gum need to stabilise and heal during the 3 months in order for the implant to be secure...a few years back I had one of my front top teeth removed and replaced with an implant, due to a fairly nasty gum infection which had affected the underlying mandible I had to wait a couple of months for that to clear and some new bone to be implanted before the post could be inserted but that doesn't sound like what you've got...Cost about 1200 euros all told and the must be now about 6 or 7 year old implant remains rock solid.
Best of luck, at least it's only a molar.
I have known Stephen Nicoll of Hurst Park surgery for many years and would recommend him highly. Also pretty handy on a motorbike.
I had a problematic molar last year that required root canal in the end. The dentist said there was a chance the root canal wouldn't work and extraction might be necessary. She said if that was the case it could be left as a gap which wouldn't have any subsequent issues or I could have a false single tooth denture made up if I was self conscious about it. She advised against any form of bridge because in the long run this places stresses on the neighbouring teeth and said if I wanted a permanent replacement going private for an implant was the best bet.
Well that's great to hear! Thank you.I have known Stephen Nicoll of Hurst Park surgery for many years and would recommend him highly. Also pretty handy on a motorbike.
Thanks for the helpful advice so far. It seems I'm going to have to get used to the gap for quite a few months then.
Just wanted to check I didn't make a massive boobooo by not having the implant put in at the same time as the tooth was taken out.
Wierdly, it's hurting more today than it has done so far. I also note that ibuprofen is better at reducing the pain than paracetamol.
Ibuprofen is definitely the painkiller of choice for dental problems.
Had tooth out a month ago - at back so happy to leave gap. Took about 2 weeks for pain to subside.
Question is, do I really need to wait 3 months with this enormous gap in my mouth before I can start the implant process?
Yes. I had one done six months ago (in San Diego). Fortunately, mine was a far back tooth so it wasn't obvious. Perhaps the could fit you for a retainer (or?) in the meantime. But yes, it takes months for the site to heal enough to install the implant.
Does anyone know how long I should be eating soft foods and doing salt washes? Is it just for a couple of days, or until the stitches have dissolved?
Salt washes for about three days (for me). I think soft food was similar, but I made sure to chew on the opposite side.Good luck!
I have a bridge which has worked loose over the years, which takes up the space of a lower left molar. I was at the dentist and he said it needed to come out "urgently".
I said not on your nelly are you pulling this out (it is still stuck in places and he did try), so we discussed options. I'm not a huge fan of dentures, so we discussed implants. Price wasn't an issue but my concern was that if it's left for 3 months as many seem to have been advised on here, what happens if there isn't sufficient bone to attach the implant base? His reply was rather indifferent, saying that if that was the case, i would need a denture. At this point I decided to leave with what I have and take my chances.
I then had a conversation with friends and this topic came up (can't remember how) and they mentioned a thing called "bovine implant". Being something I'd never heard of before, so I did some research and wasn't overly thrilled by what I read.
having read that there's a way to do the implant immediately after extraction sounds like the best solution but I wonder why my dentist never mentioned it, perhaps it's not something he's familiar or comfortable with?
My dentist never mentioned the option to have the implant done at the same time as the extraction, either.
I am assuming that maybe its a bit of a risky and not ideal way to do things, which would be why the proper dentists don't recommend it, but why the money making private clinics do?
Too late for me to choose as an option now, but I'd be interested to hear from anyone who had it done.
The clinics seem to have one called "Smile in a day" where you literally have all your teeth out and a series of implant bases installed, and then a full set of upper and lower teeth stuck on....all in a day! Christ alive, that must hurt!
They even offer it at Devonshire House. (At around £20,000) https://www.devonshirehousedental.co...-day-treatment
I’ve two implants and for both I had to wait 2/3 months after extraction to start the implant process. On one I had missing bone so had to have some bone growth material.
It depends!
I had a bad upper Molar which had a huge abscess above it that had eaten into the jaw!
The tooth was removed and a piece of coral inserted in the hole in the jaw for the bone to regrow around it, took over a year before it was deemed suitable for an implant post.
I think this depends on where the tooth is and what the x-ray reveals.
I had an extraction this week and the implant put in at the same (long) session. The abutment and crown is several months away. Pretty swollen, but rice pudding (tinned Ambrosia - a guilty pleasure) and creme caramel are helping my recovery.
Had two last year and in this instance the implants could not be put in straight after the extractions. Needed a graft to build bone depth. The gum was cut later and implants put in. Crowning was an even later stage.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I had three extractions and four implant threads at the same time, two and half hours in the chair. All went well and there were quite a few stitches so it was soup for a few days.
When presented with the options I asked my dentist what they would choose if they were sitting in the chair. Had the implant and never regretted it, though with bone grafting it was nearly a year start to finish
Implant on the day of extraction is possible in the right circumstances. My first one was a difficult extraction but the bone was good enough for implantation at the same time; my second one was a simple extraction but my dentist decided there was too much active infection to place the implant so I've had to wait four months for the site to heal. So either way is ok & you haven't made anything worse by not having the implant on the day of extraction, it just takes longer.
It's very common to need bone augmentation & there are a few options: mine is finest Swiss cow bone as I understand it. It's usually placed as a matrix for your body to grow your own bone cells around.
I'd suggest you ask if your dentist has a CT scanner as it's an important step in ensuring the best outcome. Heres mine - you can see the proposed implant placing at the top & the previous one at the bottom.
I had Swiss cow (Bovine) stuff on my first implant (about 15 years ago). On second one I went to some third party place to have a 3D scan and template made to make sure everything was at the right angleImplant on the day of extraction is possible in the right circumstances. My first one was a difficult extraction but the bone was good enough for implantation at the same time; my second one was a simple extraction but my dentist decided there was too much active infection to place the implant so I've had to wait four months for the site to heal. So either way is ok & you haven't made anything worse by not having the implant on the day of extraction, it just takes longer.
It's very common to need bone augmentation & there are a few options: mine is finest Swiss cow bone as I understand it. It's usually placed as a matrix for your body to grow your own bone cells around.
I'd suggest you ask if your dentist has a CT scanner as it's an important step in ensuring the best outcome. Heres mine - you can see the proposed implant placing at the top & the previous one at the bottom.
As a dentist, I might be able to shed some light.
If it's a molar, there's really not need to have an immediate placement if it's not in the aesthetic zone. Previously the theory was that immediate implants may have preserved bone. Araújo , Wennström & Lindhe did a study in 2006 which showed that it didn't preserve the bone.
As mentioned before, if there's a area of infection, that will be filled with granulation tissue. Whilst not a complete contraindication for an implant, if you can wait, I'd prefer to degranulate the site.
No disrespect to the NHS surgeon but they take teeth out to take teeth out. I'll take teeth out with an implant in mind and to preserve the ridge. So I'd section the molar into 2 or 3 roots depending on the tooth to preserve the walls. Could possibly do some graft at the time of extraction to preserve the ridge.
Basically there are 4 types of healing, type 1 - immediate (at time of extraction), type 2 - soft tissue healing, type 3 - soft tissue and early bony healing, type 4 - soft tissue and bony healing.
It also depends on if you can get decent primary stability of the implant. If the implant isn't stable, you'll need to bury it and expose it at a later date.
So whilst you can have any of the type 1-4 placements, the longer you wait, generally, the more predictable the surgery. The early you place, the riskier but potentially fewer visits to the implant dentist.
with regards to price, there are so many factors:
Do you need bone graft? Soft tissue graft? Are they going to do a series to temporary crowns to contour your soft tissue? Is it guided surgery or free hand (Guide costs £200 each, approx) Which implant system are they going to use? One of the bi(expensive) brands like Straumann or Nobel Biocare? Or are they going to use a cheaper brand ?
Implants at my place start from £2600 but if additional surgery is required then going up to £4000+ isn't unusual.
#20 As usual the forum delivers the goods, most of which I sort of understand
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
That’s a great post, Luckyhands, thank you.
I’m just back from the pharmacy with some antibiotics as my extract site became more painful last night and looks to be quite a deep hole there. I called my dental practice’s weekend number earlier and the dentist said it’s best to be over cautious and to start a 3 day course of antibiotics rather than let a possible infection and dry socket take hold.
I’m booked to go back for a check on Monday afternoon.
No fun at all. In fact, it’s like pulling teeth!
Can’t add much to what has also been said, but I had an implant last year and I had a long wait between extraction and implant to wait for the bone to heal; also had a bone graft that may have been part of the delay, though COVID obviously didn’t help!
One thing that I haven’t seen mentioned is a space maintainer? I had a space maintainer fitted that kept the teeth either side in place while the bone heals. Without it I understand the teeth either side will tend to migrate into the free space left by the extraction. Perhaps the location of the extraction makes a difference.
I will add that it was absolutely extraordinarily eye-wateringly expensive ... not helped by getting a good look at my dentist’s gold Patek Philippe every time I saw him ...
Classic timing, while gnawing on a T bone at dinner last night I broke the crown off my front right incisor, bloomin' marvellous...Dentist tomorrow then, if I can get in.
Last edited by Passenger; 2nd August 2021 at 12:04.
I was warned against anything like sucking that could create lower pressure in the mouth which might dislodge the clot in the extraction site.
Just be careful about the prices you have been quoted for implant work. Note that the website states it's a price guide & prices are "from" so there's plenty of scope for the cost to rise & nothing associated with an implant is cheap. My dentist gave me a breakdown with the cost of every stage or item required so I knew what was covered. You should know items such as how many post-operative checkups are included together with the cost of work such as rectification if the crown comes loose - mine are repaired free for the first year.
Did just get in to see the dentist last Wednesday...as of August most things close for the month... and happily the crown was able to be reattached upon a new post and looks better than before, about 200 quid including some discount by virtue of insurance.
By golly ... just stumbled into this, how uncanny. I have just lost a front tooth (L2 upper incisor) to a potato chip about 10 days ago. I have been quoted @£2700ish by my dentist up here in Newcastle. It will involve removal of the root, and implant peg installed at the same appt, then I think the finished article happens in about 3 months. Not only will it be the best tooth in my head when complete, but also it will probably be worth far more than the rest of me.
When I enquired if sedation was required he said it was not necessary, but depended how I felt about having a tooth root removed and him then drilling into the bone and bunging a screw in my head. I have decided for the sedative option. Meantime I am checking all my pockets, and behind the cushions in the furniture for any loose change. And it all kicks off this Friday
Last edited by toezapper; 10th August 2021 at 20:14. Reason: forgot the last bit
And you’ are from Newcastle?
On my third, no sedation, we’’ are hard as nails in London.
Hope it goes well and a light drugging and hazy mind seems a nice option.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Last edited by BillyCasper; 10th August 2021 at 22:53.
He's doing me a solid... the sedative is free... whoopah
But there may be other ways of paying.
Cheers,
Neil.
hahahahahaBut there may be other ways of paying.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
