To me, it was not that painful, not even as bad as a root canal, and although we don't have much money, my implants are worth every cent. I got two implants way in back, lower jaw, over 8 years ago. The crowns on them were connected at the top for strength. Finally, just recently, the crown began to "show mobility," and--to make a long story short--our dentist ended up having to remove the crowns this week so a periodontist could check what was going on. Fortunately, the furthest back implant turned out still to be solid as a rock, while the one in front of it is only a bit wiggly, due to an infection and some bone loss. The dentist thinks it can probably be saved with a bone graft, but I'm looking at around 6 months or more of having temporary caps on those implant posts. Fine with me! I loved having these implants, which felt exactly like my own teeth once I got used to them. Even if it had turned out that the present implants had to be completely removed and the whole procedure repeated all over again (spoken of as a possibility before the dentist found them in fairly good condition), I would gladly have done it. Mwoods: It's your jaw, of course, but for me, at least, having a hole drilled into the bone was completely painless (after the needle with anesthetic), and even the day of the implant, with some good painkiller (hydrocodone), I was able to go out with a friend and pick out and buy a new car. Not a bad experience at all! The implants have never given me any pain in use. I agree with others who say it is important to find a dentist with plenty of experience and a good technique for doing the implants. As for the money, you may be looking at several hundred (at a guess) for building up the bone, then more for the implant itself. Once it has healed well, a post is attached on top and a crown made to be glued onto it. The crown will also cost several hundred, probably. I can't recall exactly how much my total was.

Thanks for the input all. Believe me, I have not come to these conclusions all by myself. This has been an ongoing situation. I have consulted with both my dentist and the oral surgeon/implant, periodontist. At this time last year, they were considering extracting 4 teeth and doing implants. (easy for them to suggest!!!) I decided to put it on hold (maybe hoping I would just let one fall out at a time - lol) Now, this month, it is found that a 5th tooth is 'in line' and possibly a 6th! That's one heck of a lot of extractions at one time, to say nothing of the bone grafts (and healing). I might be flippant and think of it as my own personal weight-loss plan, but when I add up the $$$$ (especially at my 'Sr. Saver' age, I have to wonder if it's all worth it, when a partial for both top and bottom would amount to that of ONE implant. DH says I'm worth it; I tend to be more frugal and would not look forward to the discomfort and constant re-appointments waiting to finally be done. Not to mention that with all that being done....it just may not 'take'. During all of this, my only 'comfort' would be smoking and drinking (Pepsi) and then to completely change not only my mouth, but my lifestyle!!!! Partials - or complete dentures - might be the eventual answer.

Joann: Do you have the full story? Bone grafting is sometimes done when a post is to be installed. If the jaw bone has thinned and there isn't enough bone to support an implant, a bone graft is done to build up bone material. Its best to have this procedure done by a dentist who has been certified for this type of oral surgery. I have never had a bone graft recommended to me after a simple tooth extraction. However, when it came time for an implant, a bone graph was done ( following the extraction). My dentist determined that I did not have a thick enough jaw to accommodate a post and would not do the post unless the jaw bone was thickened. I was under the impression that an empty tooth socket would fill in, but according to my dentist, it does not fill in with true bone. A bone graft encourages the tooth socket to become solid bone and fused with the jaw. As we age, the jaw does loose some material. The loss of a tooth can encourage bone loss. The jaw bone is stimulated by loads imparted to it by the teeth. Bone tends to strengthen at high stress stress zones. You asked about pain. The procedure is more uncomfortable than painful. On the day of the surgery, you will be given a shot of anesthetic in the jaw, the same as for a tooth extraction. The gum will be opened, the tooth socket cleaned out and ground up bone put in place with medication to encourage new bone to form. (You won't feel any pain for this. You'll have the discomfort of having your mouth propped open for the duration of the procedure.) The bone particles act as an armature for the new bone growth. At the end of the surgery, the gum is sown shut and you'll be given instructions about aftercare. You will need to use care not to injure the site over the next few hours because it will be numb and you may not know it is being damaged. The Dentist may prescribe pain medicine in case there is pain after the shot wear off. I did not need any pain pills afterward. Yes, there was soreness, the same as for any surgery, but that went away. There will be several followup visits. In a week or two, the stitches will be pulled and then you wait, you wait for new bone to grow. This will take from 3 to 6 months. Mine was ready after 3 months. Bone progress will be checked by x-ray when the dentist suspects it may be complete. This procedure can be abandoned up to the point where the dentist orders the implant and the tooth cap. After that, it does not make economic sense to stop, so make your decision before this. However, to my way of thinking, it does not make sense to stop the procedure after it has begun, therefore, one should make the go, no-go decision before the bone graft.

This is wayyyyy more than I'd planned to share here or online-- as honestly, I am still dealing with the emotions around it all... but i am part way through getting bone implants and full upper all-on-4 implants. My situation is different -- my teeth were fine. I never had a root canal, caps or tooth breakage. I have severe bone deterioration -- likely due to a number of causes but genetics didn't do me any favors (mom got dentures in her late 30s). I am about 1/2 way through the process. I had tooth extraction and a large number of bone grafts in Oct. I will be getting the implants in a few weeks. They need to bond with the bone grafts and heal-- i should have the snap in all-on-4 denture in June/July timeframe (in the in between here I have a temporary denture-- which I HATE but my sisters tell me it looks great (and at least one of them would not LIE to me). I don't know that individual implants are even done for a whole upper but it wasn't an option for me. There was an option for a permanent (vs removable) prosthetic but it was MUCH more expensive (approaching 80K) and there were some downsides (including some hygeine-related challenges) that concerned me. I opted for the all-on-4 approach which is going to end up being more in the 18K range -- only about 1/4 of which is covered by insurance. I could have opted to do a partial or limited implants to start-- but honestly, my bone loss didn't improve with preventative efforts and it was escalating so I sucked it up and pressed forward with the whole upper. It would have been much more expensive to chase the bone loss-- and would have been years of major dental work. Eventually, I will need to do the same on the lower jaw also. I would have much preferred to have had a beautiful, healthy mouth but since I do not, I am so far pretty ok with where I am going. The process wasn't fun but it wasn't the worst surgery Ive had. The pain wasn't horrible-- in fact, my eye surgeries were much worse. Eating was an issue-- but it wasn't horrible and I made it through. I have a severe lactose intolerance so much of what they recommend you eat was off the table for me. Thank god for Rita's Italian Ice-- as I lived on that and scrambled eggs for the first 2-3 weeks. I had my surgery at the end of October and by Thanksgiving I could eat very finely cut turkey and many of the sides. I only just graduated to apples (sliced-- not biting into it whole) and yesterday I had steak! Probably shared more than you need just yet-- but I am hoping my experience helps you to make a decision. Now that I have openly shared this online-- feel free to ask any questions. Again, i am only part way through the process but the first part is the scariest and the most emotional (at least it was for me). I skipped over some of the challenges-- all with the temporary denture-- but would be happy to address them if you go this route.