Recovery Has Anyone Here Had Dental Implants?

[Fiori di Bella]

No, dental implants are not covered by any insurance whatsoever in the US.

My situation is unique. I have a congenital issue that results in chronic kidney stones due to a lack of an enzyme that naturally prevents the formation of stones.

When I was young, the common theory was that calcium ought to be greatly limited to prevent frequent stones. Consequently, avoiding calcium resulted in teeth that were not very strong from a very early age.

Then a fall in which I landed on my front teeth ensured that I was destined to lose them. I had no dental insurance and I immediately saw linear cracks in my front teeth. Now the cracks have deepened and even fractured and chipped in some places.

I lose entire teeth painlessly sometimes, like when an entire tooth with it’s root came out and was stuck in a piece of melon. Other times I’ll be eating and I think I found a bone or rock in my food. But then I lick my teeth and feel a new hole or missing chunk.

I’m so self conscious about my teeth that I avoid social situations. Masks have been a blessing to me.

But now, though scared, I have real hope for a brighter future for the first time in years. I can’t tell you how excited I am! Plus, Nitrous!

 

[Zephyn]

No, dental implants are not covered by any insurance whatsoever in the US.

My situation is unique. I have a congenital issue that results in chronic kidney stones due to a lack of an enzyme that naturally prevents the formation of stones.

When I was young, the common theory was that calcium ought to be greatly limited to prevent frequent stones. Consequently, avoiding calcium resulted in teeth that were not very strong from a very early age.

Then a fall in which I landed on my front teeth ensured that I was destined to lose them. I had no dental insurance and I immediately saw linear cracks in my front teeth. Now the cracks have deepened and even fractured and chipped in some places.

I lose entire teeth painlessly sometimes, like when an entire tooth with it’s root came out and was stuck in a piece of melon. Other times I’ll be eating and I think I found a bone or rock in my food. But then I lick my teeth and feel a new hole or missing chunk.

I’m so self conscious about my teeth that I avoid social situations. Masks have been a blessing to me.

But now, though scared, I have real hope for a brighter future for the first time in years. I can’t tell you how excited I am! Plus, Nitrous!

Enjoy the nitrous, don't be afraid to lie and say you don't feel it

 

[xxsicknessxx]

It’s definitely not cheap. It’s somewhere around $2,000 per implant. I’m going to need about 8-10 implants. My teeth are terrible and I really need to have this done. I was going to pay for it from my trust fund, but a day after telling my sister that I can’t go on like this and that I planned to use my own $$, she agreed to pay for it. She’s wealthy and she stepped in luckily. I smile with my mouth closed and I’ve been honestly grateful for COVID masks.

I'm thinking of getting my entire mouth done while I have the 70 grand laying around. But it would cost me almost all my money so I'm holding off doing it. My dentist gave me this advise, don't pay top dollar unless you can afford it and don't care but even then paying mid price might get you better teeth and better work and better everything. So don't get the best, don't get the worst get the middle. I've been quoted anywhere from 55 thousands to 75 thousand. I would do it for 40k. For sure. Now I'm sad I'll never get teeth again. But I'm just letting you know it's worth it, america it's very common, my aunts has like 30k in implants. Just don't get the cheapest. Or over pay for someone to do the work that doesn't work often because they charge to much.

 

[Fiori di Bella]

No, I actually told my sister that we could go to Mexico, well-known for its dental tourism. She was positively against it and said we’re going to her dentist, who she said was the best. I had my consult with him a few weeks ago and I really liked him.
I speak Spanish (learned thru immersion) but she doesn’t and that could’ve been a factor.

 

[Bare_head]

I know a friend who got his whole mouth done. But here in the uk it is expensive aswell so to offset the price he got it done in sloakia/slovenia i think.

They seemed slightly too white. But us english are not known to have really white teeth. In the u.s everyone seems to have bright white nashers so it looked a but strange on my friend at first. A bit like that episode off friends where ross gets his teeth done ..

Keep us updated. I really would like to pay for my teeth to be done. I hate dental work aswell. Goodluck

 

[Jabberwocky]

God this scares me. I have terrible dental hygiene and always have. Somehow my teeth remain white and decent. I'm almost 30.

ffs look after your teeth!!! brush at least once a day and use interdental brushes.

you have smoked a fair bit of crack right? that is super bad for your teeth. i can't really explain how fucking awful it is to feel your teeth shattering as the dentist is attempting to remove them. its gross.

so start with the dental hygiene and make sure you get plenty of calcium etc.

 

[Fiori di Bella]

I’m going to keep you all updated. I wish I didn’t have to wait weeks to get them. I’m going to have to get a few dentures for my missing/broken molars.

The doctor said immediate replacement of my teeth is unwise in my case because we’re probably looking at some bone grafts, lots of swelling, a few weeks of antibiotics and immediate replacement would likely require several adjustments as my mouth heals.

I wish I could get new teeth right away, but I believe the treatment plan described to be the appropriate management of my situation.

 

[Fiori di Bella]

I’m at the oral surgeon’s office at this moment and I’m getting ready to have 3 teeth extracted.

Plus, Nitrous!

 

[Jabberwocky]

I'm thinking of getting my entire mouth done while I have the 70 grand laying around. But it would cost me almost all my money so I'm holding off doing it. My dentist gave me this advise, don't pay top dollar unless you can afford it and don't care but even then paying mid price might get you better teeth and better work and better everything. So don't get the best, don't get the worst get the middle. I've been quoted anywhere from 55 thousands to 75 thousand. I would do it for 40k. For sure. Now I'm sad I'll never get teeth again. But I'm just letting you know it's worth it, america it's very common, my aunts has like 30k in implants. Just don't get the cheapest. Or over pay for someone to do the work that doesn't work often because they charge to much.

You could fly to Thailand and have it all done plus have an awesome holiday for less than a 1/4 of the cost you’re talking about in the US. My brother had his done there and thought it all professional and top notch. It’s quite common for Australians to take medical vacations to Asia to get work done. Especially cosmetic stuff.

 

[Fiori di Bella]

I’m done with the 3 extractions and I’m planning on making potato soup for dinner.

BTW, we got the estimate for all the work I’m having done. It’s going to be between $37K and $41K, depending upon how difficult it is to remove the teeth that have broken at or below the gum level, any bone grafts needed, plus I’m also going to need at least 2 areas requiring a reshaping of my jaw, which is called an Alveoloplasty.

I’m getting the rest of the work done on Monday and thank goodness it’s under general anesthesia. Then I have to wait about 4 weeks for everything to heal before I get my new teeth.

 

[Flynnal]

I've been quoted $12k just for my 2 top front teeth. Dentistry is so expensive! Not sure what the bone graft will end up costing but I'll need a proper X-ray to find out if the bone is good enough to place the implant/abutment. Then the crown goes on top later on - sometimes as long as 3-6 months later. Bone grafts also take a long time to be effective - around the same time, a few months at least.

So slow...painful...and expensive!

 

[Gary White]

I had one done that had been missing for 50 years. The dentist said was the perfect patient since there was plenty of well rested bone to deal with and no infection. My wife went the extraction and implant route and developed a nasty infection. They ended up removing the implant. She is not going back.

 

[Nurse Ratched]

I had one done that had been missing for 50 years. The dentist said was the perfect patient since there was plenty of well rested bone to deal with and no infection. My wife went the extraction and implant route and developed a nasty infection. They ended up removing the implant. She is not going back.

Glad yours went well and sorry about your wife. Bet you were both upset by it.

I wanted implants but they are out of my reach financially. Hard to believe the DDS industry charging that much.

Just country folk here that has to be happy with ill fitting dentures that feel like you are a horse with the reign in its mouth ! :giggle: :giggle:

 

[Fiori di Bella]

Well, today was a big surprise to me and I wonder if it was a side effect of opiate tolerance. Tuesday I got 3 teeth pulled under local anesthesia and while it wasn’t pleasant, it was successful.

Today I was to get the remaining teeth extracted in preparation for bone grafts, smoothing out my jaw, followed by implants and dentures in my back molars, over the coming weeks. I had 3 teeth extracted under local anesthesia earlier this week and it all went well.

The plan was to do this under anesthesia, but every time he attempted to put me under, I just stayed awake. He tried twice on the right and once on the left, and nothing put me under. He tried Valium, Versed, Propofol, dilaudid and morphine to no avail. Do you think this happened because I was too opiate tolerant?

 

[Fiori di Bella]

I gotta love my well intentioned but ditzy friend that insisted on spending the day with me today. She’s a sweetheart.

She just phoned me, from a deli, asking what kind of sandwich I’d like. I was floored.

Zero teeth = liquids + moosh.

She said she thought she’d bring me Bailey’s in light of my dentisnonhavis. I’m very happy with that decision.

 

[Nurse Ratched]

Well, today was a big surprise to me and I wonder if it was a side effect of opiate tolerance. Tuesday I got 3 teeth pulled under local anesthesia and while it wasn’t pleasant, it was successful.

Today I was to get the remaining teeth extracted in preparation for bone grafts, smoothing out my jaw, followed by implants and dentures in my back molars, over the coming weeks. I had 3 teeth extracted under local anesthesia earlier this week and it all went well.

The plan was to do this under anesthesia, but every time he attempted to put me under, I just stayed awake. He tried twice on the right and once on the left, and nothing put me under. He tried Valium, Versed, Propofol, dilaudid and morphine to no avail. Do you think this happened because I was too opiate tolerant?

All those lovely pharms and no night night? Wow. Guess you really do have some kind of tolerance. Or they just weren't administering enough for fear of giving too much. Surprised the propofol didn't phase you though.

 

[somnilicious]

I hope you made that trip to Medellin worthwhile. Good cocaine makes your teeth go numb to the extent that if feels like a dental extraction would be painless.

Question is though, why not mexico (as opposed to Colombia)?

I've never had implants fortunately, my teeth are like the rest of my appendages; strong survivors despite poor care. Back when i was an addict amongst addicts i rarely blushed my teeth. Yet they remain straight and intact (though i never smoked cigarettes much nor drank coffee -- but plenty of meth, freebase cocaine and chasing the dragon). Then again im still not past 3 decades in life so who knows

Sorry about the delay on the answer I just saw this.

My dad was doing work for a guy who had been and had work done in Colombia so he set us up with the dentist and gave us guidance on where to stay and how to get around the city.

Its kinda funny because I was actually living at a halfway house at the time and my dad just called me up out of the blue and asked if I would like to go to Colombia. Good times. I never did make it back to that halfway house....lol

 

[Jabberwocky]

The plan was to do this under anesthesia, but every time he attempted to put me under, I just stayed awake. He tried twice on the right and once on the left, and nothing put me under. He tried Valium, Versed, Propofol, dilaudid and morphine to no avail. Do you think this happened because I was too opiate tolerant?

that is extremely odd. but also, i'm not sure why they would use opiates for general anaesthesia? i've only been under anaesthetic once and tbh i have no idea what they used to put me to sleep, i know they gave me IV lorazepam and i'd already been on morphine for quite a while by that point and given they were giving me enough to knock me out every time they topped it up it would probably have been dangerous to use more. but the non-opiates he tried shouldn't have been affected- do you use a lot of benzos too? still i don't think that would effect propofol but i'm not a doctor so who knows.

anyway i'm really sorry you had that experience. it is so nerve wracking going in for these procedures, so then it not going ahead is even worse! especially when things are going wrong and you know it. i hope you get it resolved.

 

[Fiori di Bella]

that is extremely odd. but also, i'm not sure why they would use opiates for general anaesthesia? i've only been under anaesthetic once and tbh i have no idea what they used to put me to sleep, i know they gave me IV lorazepam and i'd already been on morphine for quite a while by that point and given they were giving me enough to knock me out every time they topped it up it would probably have been dangerous to use more. but the non-opiates he tried shouldn't have been affected- do you use a lot of benzos too? still i don't think that would effect propofol but i'm not a doctor so who knows.

anyway i'm really sorry you had that experience. it is so nerve wracking going in for these procedures, so then it not going ahead is even worse! especially when things are going wrong and you know it. i hope you get it resolved.

I had 3 teeth extracted 8 days ago under local anesthesia and when he handed me a script for Percocet, I gave it back to him, explaining I had a contract with my pain management doctor that means I can only get prescribed pain meds from him.

Monday morning when I showed up I reminded him of my opioid tolerance and I expected he’d give me some dazzle (medazolam) and Versed or Propofol. After nearly an hour without any sleepiness, I began requesting drugs that had worked in the past, the majority of which he didn’t have on hand. He asked me how I felt about a high dose of Valium + local anesthesia and we went that route.

The pain I’m experiencing now is quite unpleasant. My friend is headed over with some edibles and hopefully that will get my mind off the pain.

 

[Jabberwocky]

ah well i'm glad you still actually got the work done!!

and well done for handing the script back. stuff like that is hard but it was the right thing to do, though if your pain persists it may be worth getting in touch with your pain doctor to explain the situation and see if they can help.

when i had my teeth removed a few weeks back i was fine the first day, i think the local anaesthetic took ages to wear off properly, about 1am i was in a lot of pain. next day i looked like a hamster i was so swollen and pain was awful, but by that evening swelling was going down and it resolved pretty swiftly afterwards. i hope yours follow a similar trajectory.