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Medical Forum / General / Dentistry / January 2005The high cost of Implants. WOW
I am 75 years old and am running out of teeth. My dentist recommend 7 implants (3 right top, 3 left top and 1 left lower). He will then put snap-on bridges on the upper implants. He says that the oral surgeon charges $ 1,700 per implant (total 12,000), and he (the dentist) charges $ 1,200 per implant, for the two bridges (3 implants each) and the crown (total 9,000) A total of 2,900 per implant, or $ 20,000 for 7. Is this the going rate for implants or is there a less expensive way of dealing with these high costs? I live in San Diego, maybe prices here are higher than elsewhere, just like houses? Time to move to Mexico? Needless to say, I have no dental insurance. Thanks for any input  SignatureJames - > I am 75 years old and am running out of teeth. My dentist recommend 7 > implants (3 right top, 3 left top and 1 left lower). He will then put [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Thanks for any input This is not an unusual fee. Generally, dental insurance wouldn't help you with implant-retained prostheses anyway. If you are willing to wear removable appliances, excellent partials or overdentures can be made for a fraction of what it costs for all fixed bridges retained by implants. Steve >I am 75 years old and am running out of teeth. My dentist recommend 7 >implants (3 right top, 3 left top and 1 left lower). He will then put [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >I live in San Diego, maybe prices here are higher than elsewhere, just like >houses? Time to move to Mexico? YUP, but do not drink the water! Joel >Needless to say, I have no dental insurance. > >Thanks for any input Hi Joel What does "Yup" mean? Get the work done in beautiful Tijuana, Mexico? Mexican dentists advertise for implants in our S.D. papers. Is it worth exploring? Any drawbacks, aside from the water? SignatureJames - > >>I am 75 years old and am running out of teeth. My dentist recommend 7 [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] >> >>Thanks for any input >Hi Joel > >What does "Yup" mean? Get the work done in beautiful Tijuana, Mexico? Slang for "yes." Another variation is "yuppers." Joel >Mexican dentists advertise for implants in our S.D. papers. Is it worth >exploring? Any drawbacks, aside from the water? Gee from what I hear, there are some good dentists down there. The only problem is when there are problems ..... they you have to lie to your Los Angeles dentist ..... ummmm, I just moved here from Arizona ....... Joel Why do you need implants on the top anyway? Why not a conventional denture? SignatureGregory P. Cole, B.S., D.D.S. (Flap) www.smilesforalifetime.com Flaps Dental Blog http://flapsblog.blogspot.com/ Liberae sunt nostrae cogitationes >I am 75 years old and am running out of teeth. My dentist recommend 7 >implants (3 right top, 3 left top and 1 left lower). He will then put [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Thanks for any input Good point. Since my # 11 & 12 teeth just broke off at the gum line (they had previously been cantilevered) they have to be extracted. That leaves me only with 5 good upper front teeth (not so good for chewing). Is it possible to anchor an upper partial to 5 teeth (6,7,8,9,10)? What is the best kind of partial denture that you might suggest? My dentist likes "Flexite" dentures. They look rather flimsy to me and are just as expensive as regular, solid dentures. I sincerely appreciate your interest. SignatureJames - "Gregory P. Cole, B.S., D.D.S. (Flap)" <drgregorycole.dds@verizon.net> wrote > Why do you need implants on the top anyway? Why not a conventional > denture? [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >> >> Thanks for any input > Good point. > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > I sincerely appreciate your interest. Doing a partial upper denture with these remaining teeth is far from ideal, but there are a few strategies depending on the prognosis for these teeth. Flexite is one way, but if the teeth are not in good shape something like a Cu-sil will give better retention with reasonably low stress on the remaining teeth. If the teeth are in decent to good shape I might recommend splinting them together, and maybe place one implant fixture in the area of the left canine, and put an attachment such as an ERA or an "O" ring in the denture. This would give a balance of esthetics, retention and would replace all your missing teeth. The expense for the Cu-sil would probably be about $1500. Splinting all the teeth, an implant and semiprecision partial upper would probably be $7K-$9K--not cheap, but certainly less than the $20K even after the lower implant. Steve >> Good point. >> [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > >Steve You could make a partial work in these cases if you are very careful with metal design and occlusion. .. Stephen Mancuso, D.D.S. Troy, Michigan, USA I am writing on a Tablet-PC,so forgive me if the PC misreads my handwriting. >>>Good point. >>> [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > You could make a partial work in these cases if you are very careful > with metal design and occlusion. I've been forced to make do with worse situations than this, though usually only on a temporary basis, and with lots of Fixodent. Steve > .. > Stephen Mancuso, D.D.S. > Troy, Michigan, USA > > I am writing on a Tablet-PC,so forgive me if the PC misreads my handwriting. Get the implants it will be worth every penny in the end. Finance if you have to >Get the implants it will be worth every penny in the end. Finance if >you have to This is a problem when 1.5 million households file for bankruptcy. How can one finance anything without a future income stream to pay it off? The guy is 75 right? Joel >> You could make a partial work in these cases if you are very careful >> with metal design and occlusion. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >Steve Where do you find "very careful" labs these days? Joel >>>You could make a partial work in these cases if you are very careful >>>with metal design and occlusion. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Joel Well, Mancuso said that. Watch out--he'll be by in a coupla minutes to ask, "What's a lab?" Steve An RPD can work when the patient is cuspid to lateral. I have made a few of these. Your metal design should support each remaining tooth. I place a cingulum rest on all 5 teeth which wraps interproximally as far as I can possibly get the metal. The rests should almost for guiding plates mesial and distal. You want distal guiding plates on the 2 terminal teeth. Clasps should be positioned so as not to tip the lateral when the tissues compress under the saddle. Occlusal plane has to be flat. No excursive interferences. Horger Synchronized occlusion is a must. Finally, NO parafunction. Oh, it helps if it opposes a lower RPD. Signature~+--~+--~+--~+--~+-- Stephen Mancuso, D.D.S. Troy, Michigan, USA .................................................... This posting is intended for informational or conversational purposes only. Always seek the opinion of a licensed dental professional before acting on the advice or opinion expressed here. Only a dentist who has examined you in person can diagnose your problems and make decisions which will affect your health. ...................... > >>>>You could make a partial work in these cases if you are very careful [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Steve > An RPD can work when the patient is cuspid to lateral. I have made a few of > these. Your metal design should support each remaining tooth. I place a [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > interferences. Horger Synchronized occlusion is a must. Finally, NO > parafunction. Oh, it helps if it opposes a lower RPD. Nice ideas. Of course, the occlusion won't always allow this. Steve SignatureMark & Steven Bornfeld DDS http://www.dentaltwins.com Brooklyn, NY 718-258-5001 Then you give the patient a choice. 1) change the occlusion 2) make the RPD and acknowledge that it will fail in the next few years taking teeth with it 3) give up and try something different Signature~+--~+--~+--~+--~+-- Stephen Mancuso, D.D.S. Troy, Michigan, USA .................................................... This posting is intended for informational or conversational purposes only. Always seek the opinion of a licensed dental professional before acting on the advice or opinion expressed here. Only a dentist who has examined you in person can diagnose your problems and make decisions which will affect your health. ...................... > >> An RPD can work when the patient is cuspid to lateral. I have made a few [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Steve Long saddle though, and a lateral incisor has a bad contour for clasp design! Joel >An RPD can work when the patient is cuspid to lateral. I have made a few of >these. Your metal design should support each remaining tooth. I place a [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >interferences. Horger Synchronized occlusion is a must. Finally, NO >parafunction. Oh, it helps if it opposes a lower RPD. It has to be on the right patient. Signature~+--~+--~+--~+--~+-- Stephen Mancuso, D.D.S. Troy, Michigan, USA .................................................... This posting is intended for informational or conversational purposes only. Always seek the opinion of a licensed dental professional before acting on the advice or opinion expressed here. Only a dentist who has examined you in person can diagnose your problems and make decisions which will affect your health. ...................... > Long saddle though, and a lateral incisor > has a bad contour for clasp design! [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >>interferences. Horger Synchronized occlusion is a must. Finally, NO >>parafunction. Oh, it helps if it opposes a lower RPD. >> Where do you find "very careful" labs these days? >> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >Steve True. He does denture relines on slow days with his CEREC. Don't laugh. We will be sitting here talking about scanning an edentulous ridge with a camera (similar to the overlapping images made with the CEREC camera), design on the monitor, then mill the denture out of a block of acrylic. Signature~+--~+--~+--~+--~+-- Stephen Mancuso, D.D.S. Troy, Michigan, USA .................................................... This posting is intended for informational or conversational purposes only. Always seek the opinion of a licensed dental professional before acting on the advice or opinion expressed here. Only a dentist who has examined you in person can diagnose your problems and make decisions which will affect your health. ...................... > >>> Where do you find "very careful" labs these days? [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > True. He does denture relines on slow days with his CEREC. >> Good point. >> [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > >Steve A good plan but if that is over budget a standard partial denture could be constructed. Open palate with posterior palatal strap to decrease weight. Currently have an 80 yo male with 8, 9, 10 plus 6 and 11 as OD abutments, no attachments. Patient functions very well with this config. -- W_B Take out the G'RBAGE wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com >>>Good point. >>> [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > Take out the G'RBAGE > wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com Sure, but I hate using lateral incisors as terminal abutments, and that's what you'd have to do with this patient--not that I haven't done it. Steve SignatureMark & Steven Bornfeld DDS http://www.dentaltwins.com Brooklyn, NY 718-258-5001 > Sure, but I hate using lateral incisors as terminal abutments, and that's > what you'd have to do with this patient--not that I haven't done it. You have to design the metal so that the axis of rotation (on the side of the missing cuspid), pivots on two teeth rather than just the lateral. You cannot always do it. >Currently have an >> 80 yo male with 8, 9, 10 plus 6 and 11 as OD abutments, [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >> >> W_B > Sure, but I hate using lateral incisors as terminal abutments, and >that's what you'd have to do with this patient--not that I haven't done it. > >Steve Sometimes you have to work with what is present. BTW this was not a new construction but the result after some 'modifications'. -- W_B Take out the G'RBAGE wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com THIS IS SPAM! Did anyone notice W_B's use of the word, "Budget?" He has sold short his shares with Hertz and Avis. (He also included a subtle advertisement for the optometrist industry ...... (OD). Joel >>> Good point. >>> [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] >80 yo male with 8, 9, 10 plus 6 and 11 as OD abutments, >no attachments. Patient functions very well with this config. You might like to check out removable partial dentures with attachments that help retain it in place. I like the Equipoise C and L attachments for cases similar to yours. The dentist would make a special crown with a slot in it for two or three of you remaining teeth, and the partial denture would have a "male" type attachment that goes into those slots. In addition, it would have a spring loaded "L" that enters an undercut in the crowns in teeth 6 and 10. This is just one of many alternatives. There are many different attachments available to dentists. The retention is excellent if well made and the price is much lower than going with implants. Dr. Bonilla >You might like to check out removable partial dentures with attachments >that help retain it in place. I like the Equipoise C and L attachments [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >going with implants. >Dr. Bonilla To be successful, you need to crown almost virgin teeth, have fantastic occlusion and eliminate all parafunction. Otherwise the crowns snap off .. Stephen Mancuso, D.D.S. Troy, Michigan, USA I am writing on a Tablet-PC,so forgive me if the PC misreads my handwriting. > To be successful, you need to crown almost virgin teeth, have > fantastic occlusion and eliminate all parafunction. Otherwise the [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > I am writing on a Tablet-PC,so forgive me if the PC misreads my handwriting. That's why I like the Equipoise system. It avoids the Class 1 lever that every other attachment produces (which causes crowns to snap off just like in this patients cantilevered bridge). When the partial moves towards the gum in the distal extension during mastication, the L attachment disengages (like in a Class 2 lever). The slots can be made on splinted crowns (which as you say would have to be made on virgin teeth). Dr. Bonilla I am NOT thinking about external attachments. I am thinking of the kinds of lateral stresses placed on the crowned tooth stump by the stronger fit of the internal attachment. Lateral stress are not able to dislodge the RPD, and the force is transmitted to the area between the crown margin and the crest of alveolar bone. Eventually, S-NO-A-UP ! ! ! ! ! Signature~+--~+--~+--~+--~+-- Stephen Mancuso, D.D.S. Troy, Michigan, USA .................................................... This posting is intended for informational or conversational purposes only. Always seek the opinion of a licensed dental professional before acting on the advice or opinion expressed here. Only a dentist who has examined you in person can diagnose your problems and make decisions which will affect your health. ...................... > >> To be successful, you need to crown almost virgin teeth, have [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > teeth). > Dr. Bonilla >Good point. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >Is it possible to anchor an upper partial to 5 teeth (6,7,8,9,10)? Yes but it is tricky due to the flat contour of the distal aspect of $10. Joel >What is the best kind of partial denture that you might suggest? My dentist >likes "Flexite" dentures. They look rather flimsy to me and are just as >expensive as regular, solid dentures. I prefer in that circumstance, a cast metal plate with Valplast clasps to avoid an ugly chromy looking clasp near the front. Joel >I sincerely appreciate your interest. >Why do you need implants on the top anyway? Why not a conventional denture? I agree. This sounds like a salespitch for the Mercedes, when I can only afford the Chevy. Joel Another good suggestion I could probably afford the 20 thou if I sell the dog, the wife and the house. My major concern is that, after I spend all this money (that I haven't got), the implants will corrupt after a few years. I had that happen to me when I was a guinea pig in implantology in 1971. The implants had to be removed after 3 years, probably because they were not using titanium at that time. In 2004, how often do people with implants run into trouble, necessitating removal? SignatureJames - > >>Why do you need implants on the top anyway? Why not a conventional [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Joel > Another good suggestion > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > In 2004, how often do people with implants run into trouble, necessitating > removal? Blade implant? Things have changed. carabelli >> Another good suggestion >> [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > >Blade implant? Things have changed. Len Linkow? >carabelli >>>Another good suggestion >>> [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Len Linkow? There's a blast from the past. A classmate of mine married Lennie Linkow's daughter. He got himself set up as an implant expert in the early days, then divorced her. Lennie was a real character, that's for sure. Steve >>carabelli >>>>Another good suggestion >>>> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > >Steve Still practicing, last time I checked! Joel >>>carabelli >Another good suggestion > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >implants had to be removed after 3 years, probably because they were not >using titanium at that time. There are a nbumber of implant failures. They are excellent but not perfect. How much do you want for the dog? >In 2004, how often do people with implants run into trouble, necessitating >removal? |
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