Bone graft before dental implant?

[Tailgate]

Anyone have success with a bone graft prior to an implant? I've got great choppers but the loss of bone in my jaw is to the point of putting several teeth in jeopardy. Periodontist recommends a bone graft, use of a flipper for several months prior to an implant (tooth #7, canine) as the first of several procedures.

I'm not sure about the flipper for the interim... I'm checking into a 'snap on smile' as an option.

Any experiences would be of interest to me..thanks in advance.

Also- it's pricey at $5,500 for extraction, graft and implant... flipper would probably be another $500 from the DDS. Ouch!

 

[REWahoo]

DW had a bone graft prior to an implant in 2014. The first graft attempt failed and she had to do it again, but the implant has worked great. The total bill was $3K.

(Not familiar with a flipper...)

 

[Dawg52]

Small world. In a little over 3 hours I will be less one tooth. Cracked one down to the nerve so gotta go with an implant. Just 2 years ago I had the same thing happen on the exact tooth on the other side of my mouth. No graft was necessary on the last one and doc says won't need it on this one either. There will be a graft when the implant(socket) is installed. Just no pre-implant graft. Total cost a little over $3k.

 

[W2R]

Yeah, my oral surgeon likes to do a bone graft before each implant. It's not a big deal. The material comes from cadavers, but it is thoroughly irradiated so I am not concerned about that source. In 2013 it cost $450, total bill including $1800 implant and $1200 crown came to $3450. Price varies widely depending on where you live, apparently. I'd rather have a bone graft done than not, so that there is no doubt the implant will be sturdy.

I didn't get a flipper for either of my implants, because both were pretty far back in my mouth and not easily visible.

 

[Tailgate]

OP here... I've grabbed the estimate the doc gave me.

In the written estimate the Periodontist gave me, it lists $130 for the Analgesia and $315 for Non IV conscious sedation...x2 (once for the extraction/graft visit and once for the implant visit) equals:

-$260 for the prescription for pills to put me out (which I have to buy at Walgreens... .25 mg, 3 pills)
-$630 for 'monitoring' my sedation
--total of $890 for the sedation part

The graft is $2,420 and the implant is $2,163-- grand total after a 10% 'professional courtesy' discount... $5,895

From previous posts, it sounds like I need to get a second estimate.

 

[Bestwifeever]

I don't blame you for getting a second opinion but if the periodontist is highly recommended with a lot of experience and the potential cost is more of an annoyance that you think you are being overcharged (vs not being able to afford it), I would just go with him and do whatever his suggested procedure is. Canines can be difficult teeth to work with and the implant is forever.

I had a run of the mill implant (two behind the canine) maybe seven years ago, nothing but novocaine, and cost was around $2400 (periodontist had to honor insurance limit, he said, although insurance we had at the time didn't pay for anything). No bone graft, no flipper. The regular dentist did everything else (extraction, post, crown) and I am sure his cost was about the same.

 

[Daniel J]

I had a bone graft when a tooth was pulled to better prepare for an implant. Surgeon said it was the recommended procedure, bovine material was used. Worked great getting the implant put in shortly.


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[athena53]

I have 4 implants, all done with a bone graft from a cadaver donor done at the same time the implant was placed. No complaints at all. They were about $5,000 each. To the extent that I can judge professionals from outside of their field, the oral surgeon is really impressive (MD and DDS) and I had full trust in him and in the dentist who placed the prosthetic teeth after the implant sites were fully healed.


In my case, two implants were to replace a tooth supporting a bridge that had gone bad, plus a tooth to fill the gap. The other procedure, about 7 years ago, was to replace two teeth underneath crowns with irreparable decay that happened to go bad at the same time.

 

[easysurfer]

I'm not familiar with the term "flipper". I had a bone graft prior when a tooth was pulled and after later had a tooth implant. Total cost for the implant was about $4000. The worse part, for me was the waiting with a retainer until finally the implant got finished. Total time about a year.

 

[Dawg52]

Just had my tooth pulled. Took no time. He had a couple of students there watching and he told them that my bone would fill in nicely and a graft won't be needed. How he can tell this I have no idea. But he is the most well thought of periodontist in my area so I'm satisfied. My last one worked out fine with him. Will let it heal for 3 months and if everything looks fine, will do the implant shortly there after.

 

[Tailgate]

I'm not familiar with the term "flipper". I had a bone graft prior when a tooth was pulled and after later had a tooth implant. Total cost for the implant was about $4000. The worse part, for me was the waiting with a retainer until finally the implant got finished. Total time about a year.

a flipper is what they call the temporary tooth... it's removable. there are other options, but everything has advantages and disadvantages..

 

[jcretire77]

Maybe I am making a mistake, but have a cracked molar #15 and the endodontist felt the root canal / crown may only last 3-4 years and suggested extraction. The crack is below the crown. My regular dentist agrees. I'm either being lazy and/or cheap and not doing an implant. I would hate to spend a bunch to have it yanked later. I had an employee try twice with the cadaver bone for an implant and it did not work out for him.

I have to say as the root died that was quite the 36 hours of no sleep sipping on ice water. I needed something better then ibuprofen and hydrocodone.

 

[Retch The Grate]

I had bone harvested from elsewhere in my jaw and grafted in 6 months ahead of time in preparation for a mounting post for a tooth. Went really well, the bone took and integrated, 6 months later they screwed the mounting post socket into it, and now I have a nice functional tooth where once there was just a gap. All told it cost a bit over $10k (harvest and graft under general anesthetic, then 6 months later pulling the screws from the graft and putting in the mounting socket, also under general anesthetic) and was totally worth it. My mouth recovered quickly, I have zero memory of the experience, pain throughout was minimal and easily controlled (I literally only used one of the hydrocodone pills they gave me, then switched to ibuprofen).

I'm really happy with the outcome, the service and the process. Totally worth the expense, for me.

 

[athena53]

I had bone harvested from elsewhere in my jaw and grafted in 6 months ahead of time in preparation for a mounting post for a tooth. All told it cost a bit over $10k (harvest and graft under general anesthetic, then 6 months later pulling the screws from the graft and putting in the mounting socket, also under general anesthetic) and was totally worth it. My mouth recovered quickly, I have zero memory of the experience, pain throughout was minimal and easily controlled (I literally only used one of the hydrocodone pills they gave me, then switched to ibuprofen).

I'm really happy with the outcome, the service and the process. Totally worth the expense, for me.

Wow-that's the most expensive one I've heard of. Do you live in a HCOL area or do you think it was because of the bone graft step? I hated the 6-month deferral from blood donations with the cadaver grafts. Presumably that wouldn't happen with autologous.

My last time he gave me a prescription for 25 Hydrocodones-refillable! I never got them. Darn, they would have brought a lot on the street.

 

[W2R]

I don't blame you for getting a second opinion but if the periodontist is highly recommended with a lot of experience and the potential cost is more of an annoyance that you think you are being overcharged (vs not being able to afford it), I would just go with him and do whatever his suggested procedure is. Canines can be difficult teeth to work with and the implant is forever.

Great advice. I wouldn't want to go with a bargain basement implant. These things are solid and it's like having a new tooth.

 

[easysurfer]

a flipper is what they call the temporary tooth... it's removable. there are other options, but everything has advantages and disadvantages..

Is the flipper a temporary crown? If so, then I've had plenty of those.

As I mentioned before, the worse part I thought was needing the retainer to hold my teeth in place to the graft heal up. But now that the implant is all done I love it and would definitely do again. Now I have no issues biting down on the implant to chew an apple, for example whereas before I'd avoid to not loosen the crown or biting was just weak there.

 

[Retch The Grate]

Wow-that's the most expensive one I've heard of. Do you live in a HCOL area or do you think it was because of the bone graft step? I hated the 6-month deferral from blood donations with the cadaver grafts. Presumably that wouldn't happen with autologous.

My last time he gave me a prescription for 25 Hydrocodones-refillable! I never got them. Darn, they would have brought a lot on the street.

Silicon Valley, I went with the oral surgeon my dentist recommended as being the best in the area, and said yes to general anesthetic for both surgical steps (I wanted to have zero memory of the trauma, totally worked, that was about $800 each time), and harvesting of my blood and re-injection of concentrated healing factor (handwaving the exact details since I don't remember anymore, but that was again around $800 each time as well), which he said would greatly improve the recovery. Net result was no infection (when I was in college and they removed the tooth that was responsible for the gap that needed the bone graft, the surgical site got infected and that SUCKED), a solidly anchored tooth (I can bite through steak and baguettes with it!) and a very happy me.

Half the cost was the bone graft surgery, and half was the implant surgery (basically around $5500 each time of which about 4k was the surgery cost, and 1500 were the optional general anesthetic and blood harvesting/concentration/re-injection).

 

[6miths]

I'm just about done my first implant. Tooth had had a root canal 15 years ago. Had the post placed 3 weeks ago. Extraction in April was quite straight forward. Good amount of swelling afterward. Advil for a few days. Bone graft at the time of extraction. Appointment for crown in a month. Should be 4k all in. DW had two done a couple of years ago and my recollection was perhaps 5k per. In my opinion, they do a great job but but seems quite well paid for what is involved.

 

[target2019]

I'm doing implant over 2 year period. An old tooth with large fillings, root canal maybe, came off at gum line. Either bridge or implant to be done. Had tooth extracted last summer. In the fall did the graft and implant early this year. Everything worked with practically no pain. Waiting to initiate restoration with dentist.

I declined going to a clinic where anesthesia drove the cost up by more than 2k.

 

[athena53]

Silicon Valley, I went with the oral surgeon my dentist recommended as being the best in the area, and said yes to general anesthetic for both surgical steps (I wanted to have zero memory of the trauma, totally worked, that was about $800 each time), and harvesting of my blood and re-injection of concentrated healing factor (handwaving the exact details since I don't remember anymore, but that was again around $800 each time as well), which he said would greatly improve the recovery.

Umm, yeah, I can't imagine the implant surgery without anaesthetic! My oral surgeon mentioned the concentrated healing factor when I had implants in 2014 and I remember he said their cost was $800. He didn't use it because he could see that the earlier implants had integrated so well.

 

[Sittingduck]

Had an implant on 31 (rear molar) about 5 years ago. Ran about $7K but I had a high end final zirconia restoration placed because I am a bruxer. An issue involved in the tooth failing to begin with. It was a difficult extraction due to fractures.

I preferred the conservative approach; extraction, bone graft, 4-5 months of healing, placement of the abutment, more healing with a healing abutment, and then final restoration at about 9 months. The thing is rock solid now, good integration, good esthetics and no problems.

By the way - a "flipper" is a just a removable partial denture made of acrylic that usually wraps around other teeth for stability.

 

[Bir48die]

I had bone graft surgery prior to having two molar implants. Everything went extremely well. The total bill went extreme as well. Ran about $11k for all in. Have to say though I am very happy with the results

 

[fh2000]

The bone that supported my #2 tooth cracked and was infected. The only way to get support for an implant is do bone graft. Three months after the implant was put in, the supporting bone cracked again. Maybe the bone graft did not cure? My dentist took the implant out, re-did the bone graft and redid the whole implant and crown.

My dentist did not charge me for the second implant effort. I did not ask his after-sale support period. What happens if the implant failed after 3 years, do I get a cost-free fix for that?

 

[ZMAN]

5 molar implants for me. At least 2 with bone graphs. All work with Novocain only. Cost 3000-3500 each with the crown, about 7 years ago. Lost the teeth to root cavities. Graph was no big deal. Make sure to keep implants clean thereafter as the gum line is susceptible to pockets and there is a condition called implantitis. Implants are a great and to me fairly painless solution if you can swing the cost.

 

[6miths]

Umm, yeah, I can't imagine the implant surgery without anaesthetic!

I wonder what you mean by 'anaesthetic'? I can't imagine doing it with a traditional anaesthetic as all of the dentists I have encountered in the last 20 years are so slick that I have felt virtually nothing while they worked. I have always been very impressed. In fact, thinking about it I would say that it goes back more like 40 years as my wisdom teeth extractions were completely painless as well. I tell the guys now that if it weren't for the memories of early childhood experiences in the 60's I wouldn't even give going to the dentist a second thought. Our children have no reservations about seeing the dentist.

Anaesthesia for me would add expense and risk for little/no benefit though I know that others don't feel the same way.