melissa
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,912 
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Post by melissa on Jan 20, 2016 15:57:27 GMT
Before I consult Dr. Google, or perhaps even while I consult Dr. Google, if you've had this done, can you tell me about it? Interested especially in recovery and how much time I will need off from work. My consult is Friday and I'm sure I will hear then and will probably read up on it before then I just got back from my cleaning and check up and I don't know whether to be sad or angry or what. I am ticked at my previous dentist for not offering this when I lost my molar maybe 8 yrs ago. I had a bridge put in instead of an implant because he said there would not be enough bone for an implant- that the area between my sinus and where the implant would go was too thin. So, now there is an abscess and a fracture in the back molar that supports the bridge. I'm going to lose that tooth now too.  It was also explained to me why they don't use the type of post that was used for the bridge in that tooth.. it's too big and runs the risk of fracture. (My dentist is also a professor, he's great at explanations.  I asked some questions but was overwhelmed. I just went in for a cleaning and did not know anything was wrong. It's crystal clear on the xray. The hygienist picked it up because I suddenly had a few deep pockets in that area and they were not like that 7 or 8 months ago. So, she did an xray of the area and it was all quite obvious even to me. ETA: changed the title in case people didn't know what a sinus lift is! I didn't until today! |
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 21:11:26 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2016 16:23:26 GMT
I wish had an answer for you, but good luck! I understand your frustration with your former dentist. I was once nicked in the nerve by a needle and had numbness on the side of my face for a few months. Apparently it's like a 1 in a 1000 chance of happening. Lucky me! It didn't completely regenerate. Now, my chin is numb on the right side.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Aug 18, 2025 21:11:26 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2016 18:20:04 GMT
My DH had 4 teeth implanted with the addition of bone grafts to supplement the bone.
expensive, but went well. he still has a splint in place holding two teeth close together.
all in all pleased with the result and no complications.
Annette
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Post by mikklynn on Jan 20, 2016 18:32:12 GMT
No advice, but wishing you good luck and a speedy recovery!
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 21:11:26 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2016 18:35:59 GMT
Additional info, it was a very long process between appt.'s
Annette
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casii
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,588
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Post by casii on Jan 20, 2016 18:46:24 GMT
My DH is in the dental industry and shoring up the nasal cavity/building up bone with a bone graft (or a type of mesh I think, I could be wrong. I'm not in the dental industry!) is very common. Recovery time is usually pretty quick. Most only need the day of the actual procedure off work if there aren't any complications. Swelling will be the major cause of pain, so ibuprofen will help keep that at bay.
The appointment to actually place the new tooth crown on will be several months later and a fairly quick appointment. No time off necessary.
I am very sorry a routine cleaning turned into a major bummer. I had a childhood dentist my grandmother took me to who really messed up a few of my teeth, so I had 2 root canals in my early 30's. I feel like I'm a ticking time bomb before those fail and I'm looking at implants. Implants should really have better coverage insurance wise than they do. Bridges and dentures always seem to bring problems.
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Post by kckckc on Jan 20, 2016 19:34:54 GMT
I had the sinus lift and an implant about 15 years ago. It was an easy recovery - I was pain free and fine by the next day. The implant is still fine 15 years later!
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melissa
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,912
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Post by melissa on Jan 20, 2016 20:01:06 GMT
It did sound like it would be a long process. They would have to extract the broken and abscessed tooth and then do the sinus lift procedure. Not sure if that is the same day. I suspect not. Then, the sinus lift has to heal while the bone forms (something like that) and then, after a few months, they can begin the implants.
Planning to speak to an uninvolved impartial dentist before I go for the consult with the periodontist and CT on Friday so that I can be more knowledgeable. I feel like I did not research my previous dental work enough and I am not going to make that mistake again. I am reading about same day procedures and various methods of building up the bone. My experience with plastic surgeons is that they will rarely present a procedure they do not perform. I suppose it must be the same in the dental industry.
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momto4kiddos
Drama Llama
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Jun 26, 2014 11:45:15 GMT
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Post by momto4kiddos on Jan 20, 2016 20:06:11 GMT
dh just had this, not much to recovery. I'm pretty sure he had it done early in the week and was working the following day.
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Post by crazyquiltlady on Jan 20, 2016 21:09:17 GMT
I'm currently in the process of getting an implant. Not sure what a sinus lift is.
On the same day, I went to regular dentist for an impression for the temporary tooth/bridge. Then I went to a specialist for the tooth to be pulled and had a bone graft. Then I went back to the dentist for them to fit and place the bridge. All same day, no pain, just stitches.
I am now in the four month period waiting for the bone graft to do its job and take. After the four months, I go back in for the placement of the post on which the new tooth will be placed.
I have had no pain and all the appointments have been very quick. The bridge is a pain because I can't eat with it in but other than that, it will be worth it in the end when I have a permanent tooth again.
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Post by Ryann on Jan 20, 2016 22:11:56 GMT
I'm in the middle of the implant process right now.
I had three teeth extracted in July and bone grafts placed in the same three areas and one other from a previous extraction done 5 years earlier. The recovery was okay. I was on pain meds off and on over a 2-3 day period after the extractions. Most of the pain I had after the first day typically occurred shortly after eating. I had no complications with surgery or the recovery.
In December I had four implants placed (into three different quadrants of my mouth). I had been told by the oral surgeon that most of his patients with this type of surgery report that their recovery is "easier" than the extraction surgery. I did not find this to be true. The recovery for the implants was very slow and very painful for me, partly because two of the quadrants were "special" cases in that they weren't typical or easy sites to have implants placed.
The first quadrant that had one implant placed took so well that I could not tell afterwards that I had any work done. No pain whatsoever! If only the other three implants were that way...
The second quadrant had two implants go in side-by-side. I lost too much bone from when the grafts were done so placing the implants were difficult. Recovery in this quadrant was the hardest/slowest to go through. A couple weeks after the surgery I ended up with an abscess on my gums high above the implant site. I had one dose of Amoxicillin left at this point. I ended up on another round of antibiotics but a different kind (Clindamycin) and having to be numbed up and the site cleaned. I was on pain meds for 1-2 days after this as I was cut open again.
The third quadrant that had one implant, the root of the tooth next to the implant site started growing sideways into the space where the implant was to go, so that minimized the space that implant should have had to be placed. Recovery in this quadrant was not easy either. I'd say it was good week before I didn't feel pain.
Luckily the two "problem" quadrants that had implants placed were both on the left side of my mouth, so I was able to eat on the right side after a few days.
My story doesn't end there! Two weekends ago DH and I were in driving and I felt something heavy rolling around in my mouth! One of the posts that are screwed into the implant sites (that will be replaced eventually with a fake tooth) had come out! I had to go back to the oral surgeon and he had to "trim" my gums and replace the post. Luckily there was no real recovery on that one. The worst part was getting numbed up on my palate. That shit hurts!!
At this point I'm 5 weeks post-op and hopefully done with all the "roadblocks" I've had since going under. I'm very much over this whole process and have my last post-op check-up in March to hopefully get the green light to continue on with my dentist in having the teeth implants placed.
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Post by meridon on Jan 20, 2016 23:11:12 GMT
Grr...I have a dental implant that did not require a lift and I only missed maybe two or so days off work to recover. I would like to have two more done, but they would require a sinus lift and I just can't afford it/don't want to spend that much money right now.
Fortunately, the molars I'm missing are my last two teeth, so it's not visible when I smile, but I am still a little self conscious about it. Unfortunately, we just have crappy teeth in my family...my dad, my sister and I have all had major dental issues, so it's not just poor oral hygiene.
OP, please post about your experience and recovery. I'd love to know more about it...I go to the dentist in March and maybe I'll suck it up and let him refer me to his friend who does them to at least let him quote me the (crazy expensive) price.
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melissa
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,912
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Post by melissa on Jan 21, 2016 1:48:59 GMT
meridon, mine will also be the last two molars. I did speak with my dh's friend's brother, who is a dentist. Apparently, we've met before but I did not remember. Oops. I told him the findings and he described the same thing that was described to me. Gave me the name of another periodontist and endodontist if I want second opinions. Said he would look at the xray if I want, but even I could clearly see what was happening. <sigh> I just keep thinking that if only the first dentist had recommended this, I would not have had a bridge. I could have had the sinus lift then and an implant. Then, if this tooth still ended up with an abscess and a fracture, I would just have needed another implant... AND this tooth may have fractured because the post is too big in the first place! Grr.
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Post by meridon on Jan 21, 2016 2:33:45 GMT
How do you do a bridge when there's only one tooth to connect it to? I thought you used a bridge when you didn't want to do an implant and the missing tooth was between two other teeth? Or am I misunderstanding? My dentist also is a huge fan of implants over dentures or bridges because he says in the elderly in particular, it impacts the ability to chew and eat properly and can lead to nutrition problems, so it's not just about cosmetics.
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melissa
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,912
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Post by melissa on Jan 21, 2016 3:08:35 GMT
My missing tooth is between the last molar in my mouth and the first non-molar in front of the molars, if that makes sense. So there is a bridge between the last molar (the one that now has to be removed) and the other healthy tooth on the other side. I could have easily had the lift/graft and an implant back then instead of the bridge. Once the newly fractured and abscessed tooth comes out, I won't have anything there until they do the implants. At least it doesn't show. I do plan on being elderly some day, more reason to want the implants and more reason he should have recommended one when I was still in my 30's! I was mistaken when i though that this was only 8-10 years old. I remember that I was interviewing for jobs when this happened the first time and had a job interview the day after the extraction! It had to be more like 2001. <just me thinking aloud> |
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Post by kachilyn on Jan 21, 2016 3:20:21 GMT
I have a dental implant - done in 2009ish. When I first looked into it years ago (I have a missing adult tooth, never had it), they did not make implants narrow enough to fit in the little bone I had left. I was able to put mine off for a few years (wore retainer to hold the space) and by the time I had mine done, the implants were narrower and I didn't need a bone graft.
I only had to have the implant and then the tooth "cap" put on after the fact, my baby tooth had been removed years before. But the implant was the easiest dental procedure I've had done. One pinch, numb for 6 hrs (implant only took 15 mins). Alternated tylenol and naproxen for pain the first day only, back to work the next day but a little off. Good to go by day 2.
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Post by worrywart on Jan 21, 2016 3:37:56 GMT
can't help on the sinus lift but I have had a successful bone graft, easy, not much recovery..and dh has had one implant which he is extremely happy with. His was time consuming (over a long period of time) and expensive but he is glad he had it done. Good luck.
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melissa
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,912
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Post by melissa on Jan 21, 2016 16:19:19 GMT
kachilyn, my dh has been refusing to have his baby teeth removed. He is missing something like 4 adult teeth. Dentists always want to pull those primary teeth and dh won't unless there is a problem. He is constantly told that they won't hold up, etc. Yet, here he is, 51 and they are still there. The last one suggest pulling them and putting in implants. Now dh won't go back there. It seems to be his litmus test for dentists. If they recommend removing those primary teeth, he doesn't go back!
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It was also explained to me why they don't use the type of post that was used for the bridge in that tooth.. it's too big and runs the risk of fracture. (My dentist is also a professor, he's great at explanations. 
