Only a single tooth!

I know marilyn_c did, hopefully she will see this post.

I had two implants to replace three teeth--best money I've ever spent!! They were done almost 12 years ago and I've never had the first problem.

Marilyn_c's teeth are gorgeous (she's also a beautiful lady, inside and out).

My husband had both top and bottoms done like that. They lasted a few years and the implants fell out over and over. If you don't have enough bone they wont stay. He had sinus graphs to add bone to try and keep them but now he is having them all removed and the bar system put in place instead of the implants. So after spending close to 20k for the implants and dentures he is now having to spend another 14k for the bar system.

I had regular dentures put in on the top and never had a problem without the implants. I am now looking at a partial on the bottom and my dentist did suggest 4 mini implants to hook the partial too because bottoms are harder to keep in.

A licensed dentist is permitted to perform any generally accepted procedure. Many now do restorations that involve implants - or send patients to oral surgeons for the surgery part but do the teeth part themselves. Why? Because there's big bucks in doing so. But just as you wouldn't ask your internist to do a hip replacement, there are better choices than to have a general dentist conduct a treatment requiring implants and artificial teeth.

Prosthodontists are dentists with years of extra training to become experts in procedures and materials for the aesthetic and functional restoration and replacement of teeth. Anyone with more than a one tooth simple need, and sometimes even those, are really best served by seeing a prosthodontist.

Last year I was supposed to have a single implant to replace #30 (lower right molar). The space is invisible and I'm still able to chew adequately on that side because I have both upper and lower right wisdom teeth -- plus the molar behind #30 (whatever number that is). My other teeth have not 'shifted', as I was cautioned would happen. I'll wait and see. I have very few 'unaltered' teeth -- a fortune in root canals and crowns, inlays, onlays, etc. from age 24 -- not counting the cost of the crazy orthodontist who pulled four teeth when I was 13, long before my jaw matured.

I have a couple of dental implants .... but I don't think that's what you're talking about, right? I'm not familiar with "denture implants" nor can I really figure out the picture. My dental implants were simple and I've had zero problem with them. I'll be interested to hear more about what you're considering.

Oh I see a denture implant not a dental implant....by the pic it looks like the dentures sit on the gums and are screwed into the tissue and bone?

Somehow I imagine all sort of oral hygiene issues with a denture implant. Food invariably gets underneath the denture and only removal and cleaning will properly remove it. Are these at all removable?

I am looking at a lower partial denture. I still have a few solid lower teeth left for the partial to be anchored to due to bone deterioration. Implants under those conditions are not advised, as per the problems Aprile's DH experienced. Not to mention that they are hugely expensive.

Bad teeth are my only physical/health issue. Mostly inherited but partially due to poor care on my part (very bad early dental experiences). Every time I visit my dentist he says "here comes the shark lady" as I once made the comment to him why humans couldn't regenerate teeth like sharks do - lose one and another pops into place. Oh, I wish!!

The entire bottom denture "snaps onto the metal implant protrusions. I have been reading and researching different types of dental replacements, my husband is going to be in need soon. He was a heavy smoker which affected his teeth and the underlying bone. The bone has to be able to be strong enough to put the implant into. There's also the type Marilyn C has which are different than the picture. I think it's called a all on 4 or something like that. Marilyn had a great doctor that specializes in the technology. Google all on 4 dental implants.

I think mine are like the picture...the arches of teeth screw into the implants. By all means have a specialist do it. My dentist does nothing but implants. There are some that snap in and out. Mine don't. It is called "all on four". You clean them with a water pick and floss around the implant posts. I use mouth wash and water, about half and half. I use a sonic toothbrush to brush the teeth. Yes, I like them. They are expensive but worth the expense if that is what you want to do. The whole procedure was completed in one day. Teeth pulled, implants placed and arches of teeth attached. Absolutely no pain involved during or after.

thank you for all the comments, we will have a consultation with the oral surgeon we have in mind and then decide.

Implants depend on the health of the bone into which they are 'planted'. (screwed). I posted in another thread about a friend who required chemo and radiation therapy. He had needed bone grafts before his implants at age 78. The implants failed, and he is trying to adjust to dentures at age 86.

That's an extreme example, but I'd want to know how long and how well implant-related dentistry lasts in older people, given that the jaw shrinks and gums recede as we age.

Have you had a bone density scan? I had an implant many years ago but it didn't last. I found out after I broke my hip in 2009 that I have severe osteoporosis. There is not enough bone in my jaw to hold onto an implant. You might want to talk to your doctor about getting a scan done.

As I understand it, the implants help reduce the jawbone shrinking. Most of the people who get them aren't very young to begin with. I have osteoporosis and I talked to my dentist before I started treatment and found out several of the treatments can be very detrimental to a person who has very extensive dental work...not just implants, but I suppose partials, etc as well. It can actually cause necrosis of the jaw bone. I know the infusion method is one that you shouldn't do. I take Forteo, which is okay.