What can you tell me about dental bridges? Out of favor? Noisy? Uncomfortable? Great?

I would go for the implants. Another jelly asked about implants two days ago and I spoke extensively about them then.

Implants. They are permanent and look like real teeth.

Thanks but aren’t bridges permanent and look like real teeth? My daughter has a bridge and her teeth are gorgeous!

I believe bridges can wear on the healthy teeth they connect to

Bridges have a whole bunch of disadvantages. They have wires and they can get loose.

I’m going to find my info to the other jelly and link it.

http://www.fluther.com/192216/any-advice-on-dental-implants-from-personal-experience/

@Aster I have 3 implants which are great. I now have a cuspid (upper right) which is infected. I am older now and implants would likely need “bone grafts” as I have some bone loss. The tooth which must come out has had both a root canal and an apicoectomy after the root canal failed.

This tooth is part of a bridge which involves 4 teeth. The anchor on either end and 2 false ones in the middle. I need to choose between a bridge and implants. I believe I will choose the bridge because as I said I would need bone grafts. If I were younger and did not need bone grafts I’d probably opt for the implants. Good luck whatever you decide.

@si3tech: I got bone grafts. It’s just ground up cadaver or pig bone they stuff into the hole, (basically). Then your body forms bone with it, and it solidifies. It takes a few months but that’s the time it takes for the implant to fuse, also.

If you can afford it, I’d have the implants. However, my understanding is that whether that’s an option for you depends on your own mouth. There are some situations where implants aren’t the best option. I can’t remember what the dentist said now. I’ll send this to our resident dentist, although I haven’t seen her for a while.

Here, they are hugely expensive and so I chose to have a bridge (I’d prefer implants). Nobody can see it though. However, you need to pay attention to cleaning so you don’t get infections around it.

Yes, some people (smokers for example) don’t do as well with implants.

My family from Manhattan (aka NYC) was over last night and we were discussing the difference in prices between out of Manhattan vs Manhattan. 4k per implant in this area, 7k per implant in Manhattan.

< is a dentist. It totally depends on: which teeth, condition of the bone, and the health of the patient. Many practices will place a thing called ‘mini implants’ or ‘one day implants’ which have a higher failure rate. If you are considering implants, see a prosthodontist. A general dentist should not be placing implants. A bridge is a great option cost wise if your abutment teeth are healthy. Good luck to you !

Implants are far superior to bridges. Don’t cut corners with your oral health. You deserve the best.

I have one molar implant in my right upper quadrant. I’ve had it for 4 years now and it feels like my natural tooth. Love it! There is no worry about a bridge that could fail do to wear or bone eroding.

@trailsillustrated I use a specialist; a person who does nothing but implants. He is an oral surgeon now that I remember.
I’ll have implants and spend a fortune!

@Aster As my referring dentist said to me, with an implant “you get your tooth back”.

My friend’s husband, 82, has to have three implants replaced! They’re going to use bone grafts too. If he doesn’t do it they’ll get decay the dentist said. Decayed what? Or maybe he said , ‘infected.’

Perhaps the dentist was trying to emphasize the importance of having adequate bone to anchor the implant. The bone graft will ensure that the implant will have enough bone matrix the hang on to. If there isn’t enough bone for the implant and the dentist does not add a bone graft then the structural integrity of the implant will breakdown (decay) and the implant will fail.

My dentist did a bone graft on my mouth for an implant. I had to wait 3 months for the bone graft material to become incorporated into my bone before the implant could be put in.

I can’t imagine doing new implants on an 82 year old person.

@jca If I was a healthy 82 year old, I’d definitely get an implant if I needed one. I like having teeth.

@gondwanalon: I do too, but any surgery for someone that old is more risky than it is for a young person (anesthesia, etc.), and many people that age have excessive bone loss that might make implants fail. Not an argument, because of course everyone’s different. Just my opinion and probably the opinion of many dentists. Probably there are dentists out there that will do surgery on any subject as long as they have good insurance or are otherwise willing to pay.

@jca In just 17 years I’ll be 82 and I realize I’ll be lucky to live that long. But with good luck I should make it to 82 in very good shape. My current physical fitness and overall health is excellent as I exercise regularly and vigorously, eat a healthy diet and get adequate sleep and take no prescription drugs, Also I’ve never use alcohol, tobacco or other recreational drugs.

Maintaining good health is far more important than money. At age 82 I likely won’t mind at all spending a big pile of money on dental implants. But I can see that the typical person makes it to age 82 in a world of hurt. Decades of neglect and abuse (poor lifestyle choices) can cause obesity, cancer, diabetes, perhaps autoimmune diseases, etc, etc. In those many cases I concur with you that dental implants may not be possible or even desirable.

@gondwanalon: Like I said up above, “of course, everyone’s different.”

@jca well, I just read your post and the 80 something man had three implants fail . He had to get them replaced or, as the dentist said, “they could get infected.“I don’t know about that but maybe his head shrunk so they’re getting loose? Not only that, but I have already posted this so I’ll go check out some local nursing homes.

@Aster: I’d think after the first or maybe the second one failed, they’d stop trying (unless it was different teeth).