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Ok, reaching 50 was a land mark I was quite looking forward to in a strange way, being infinitely fitter and optimistic compared to my ageing peers. However one thing which has been my Achilles heel is teeth loss. Issues as a younger man which caused premature tooth degradation has left me with a legacy of ever depleting molars.
I'm now in the position of no molars on my upper left palette and
Now looking for solutions. I know there are implants, bridges and dentures available but some seem ridiculously expensive, others impractical and not too effective.
I'd love to hear what positive or negative experiences the collective older contingents have had and any recommendations?
Happy chewing !
Got a couple of implants in 50s. Pricey but I really like them now. Were in upper jaw so involved a bit of faffing around to strengthen the area first. Not fun if you don't like dentists but ok otherwise. Would do again
I had an implant 7 years ago, lateral incisor, the tooth had been giving me gyp for years and I eventually got it pulled. The dentist went through all the options and the implant, while expensive, seemed like the best option. It's been trouble free ever since, feels like the strongest tooth in my mouth. I also had a bit of remedial bone repair because my jaw had become infected and lost some mass. That added a bit to the cost and time but again it was totally worth it. Not sure what the going rate is now but mine was a bit over 4k in total expense.
Colleague of mine had two implants done in Bucharest at https://getyoursmileback.co.uk
Said the surgery was more professional than any dentist he's been to in the UK, and when he went back to his local dentist for a check-up they were (grudgingly) impressed with the standard of the work.
He had two implants done for less than £2K, even including the travel. Properly high quality German implants too, better than you'd get in the UK for twice the price.
My teeth are screwed too, so as soon as I can afford it I'm going there.
Sister and wife both had implants, both happy with them. They really seem to work. A bit younger than 50 when they had them done though, not sure if that is an issue or not.
Had most of my uppers on a plate since age of 18 as consequence of a motorcycle/ car interface. Had a traditional plastic one for a few years but kept losing them on drunken nights out, so replaced with stainless one that clips round my incisors and at the back. Second nature to me now and not sure I could be bothered with the faff and expense of implants. Plus if I have a problem I just send em off!!😂
Implants are apparently the answer in your case, with no molars at all.
As with lots of things, you get what you pay for, so it's worth researching specialists and ensuring you get good one done well.
Patient reviews and a waiting list are good signs.
Other half has been a hygienist for 25 years, so has seen lots...
I wouldn't hesitate to go to Bucharest or Budapest, both are inhabited by very clever people.
Front two top incisors are both rebuilds/root canals/2nd root canals after the first ones failed after 20 years, after teenage accidents involving a pair of pliers and a Tamiya Fox and an industrial hoover.
My dentist has advised that I don’t go for implants yet because of my riding “technique”
Have you got enough bone left for implants to work? I’m marginal apparently!
Having enough residual healthy bone is a good point - you can have the bone built up (time consuming) and/or the sinuses moved (in some cases only - this latter one can be problematic in itself) but these additional treatment tend to affect the efficacy of the implant.
Any decent implantologist will go through all this with you and, if they don't, quickly find another specialist!