Implants & bone loss?

[ann0rz]

Hi everyone,

I'm getting a scan soon to see if I have enough bone in my jaw for an implant. I am congenitally missing a cuspid (adult one decided not to grow in). However, due to the missing tooth, my teeth have shifted a lot. I am just about done my stint in braces, where the teeth are moved back to where they're supposed to be.

I read that bone loss occurs where there is no root of the tooth to stimulate the jaw bone. I have been missing the cuspid for many years (I am 25 years old now), but due to my teeth shifting around years ago, the site that the implant is now supposed to go in has been occupied by my premolar for years until recently, when braces moved it back to its rightful place . So I am wondering -- does that mean I should be OK for bone, as the now empty site for implant had roots occupying it until the last month or so? I don't know how much bone graft surgery costs, but something tells me I won't be able to afford that (on top of the implant)...

Thanks for reading!

[tacoma braced]

If you don't have enough bone to support the implant, then you will need a bone graft.
my surgery for bone grafting, gum grafting and implant was about 1500.00 US dollars.
I ended up having 2 of the surgeries, had the conscious sedation( IV meeds) for the first one- that was an additional 600.00 that was't covered by my insurance.
the 2nd one, I didn't want to spend the money and just had local injections and it was fine. I never felt pain, just pressure. the weird noises and smells bothered me more.
That might be a way to save some $$ depending on your comfort and anxiety levels.

[ann0rz]

Hi Tacoma,

Thanks for sharing! I am also a bit worried about gum loss as well - the area where the missing tooth has a lower gumline than the surrounding teeth. How much gum loss did you have to warrant the gum graft?

Thanks!

[Minerva]

I read that bone loss occurs where there is no root of the tooth to stimulate the jaw bone.

I was told by the dentist that implants act as the root of a tooth when

it comes to maintaining bone. If so, hopefully your misplaced tooth has been

doing that during all those years. By the way, five years went by from the

time I had two molar extractions to the time I got the implants, and I didn't

lack bone, so.....good luck!

[bracesat29]

I am in a similar situation with needing an implant. The bone graft has been described as a pretty easy procedure, but I'm still a little worried. Cosmetically you can't see the missing tooth unless you are looking from the right place. However, eating on that side has been a challenge!

[ann0rz]

I had good bone but I ended up needing a bone graft around my lower front teeth (lost some bone due to braces moving them I guess). It's not super painful but you do have to be careful to leave the grafted area alone, especially the first 3 days or so, because it bleeds a lot! (Then again it could have been my implant site bleeding too, I dunno haha). For me, the swelling was a bit bad the first day but quickly subsided, and the jaw/chin area was a bit sore, but around the 5th day it pretty much completed subsided. So yeah, apart from having to be super careful eating and brushing teeth, it's not too big of a deal. So don't worry!