Permanent Denture

[Teacher Terry]

I was just wondering if anyone has experience with what they call a permanent denture? It is also called on a 4 on 4. It is where they pull all your teeth and anchor a denture with metal posts in your gums. It is like a implant only cheaper because each one is not done individually. Did they feel like your own teeth, etc?

[modhatter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teacher Terry I was just wondering if anyone has experience with what they call a permanent denture? It is also called on a 4 on 4. It is where they pull all your teeth and anchor a denture with metal posts in your gums. It is like a implant only cheaper because each one is not done individually. Did they feel like your own teeth, etc?

Wish you had gotten some responses. I am in that situation where this has been recommended, but I am resisting. Would love to hear from anyone who has them. I was quoted $25,000 just for uppers.

[Boss2014]

I have what would be called 5 on 5. 5 implant posts upper and lower with a full upper and lower bridge. I am pretty happy with them and can eat anything I want now but it does feel different from your natural teeth.

Remember each of your natural teeth had a nerve inside (unless u had a root canal done) I don't think they will ever feel like my natural teeth because of this. The best analogy i can think of is touching something with your hand then touching it again with gloves on?

They do look great and people are suprised when they comment on my teeth and I tell them they are implants.

Oh, and yes they are as expensine as mentioned but I was lucky to get a professional courtesy from my dentist and oral surgeon.

[folivier]

If you decide to do this you might be interested in my post on dental care in Los Algodones, Mexico. You could save a LOT of money.
http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...ico-80489.html

[athena53]

I have implants here and there; not the same thing, of course, but I love them. The dentist who did mine said he did a full set for one patient. Yes, they were expensive (he said the guy had to sell one of his sports cars to pay for them) but before he couldn't even eat a hot dog on a bun when they went to a baseball game because he had so many problems with his teeth. It was a long process (dentist made him a set of temporary dentures that were for cosmetic purposes but not really functional) but in the end, the guy was thrilled and said that the new permanent ones changed his life.

[Teacher Terry]

I had to have all my teeth pulled in Nov because my CPAP machine caused such dry mouth even with the humidifier that all my teeth decayed and came loose. I really hate the dentures and have to cut things int o tiny pieces to eat-even a sandwich. I have decided to go ahead with the bottom in a month because that is the one that won't stay in right. This whole thing is 30k. If I had the top done I would need a sinus lift so it would be 37k. The specialist said most people just do the bottom and adjust to the top. I also have a lisp now that I never had-ugh!

[Sarah in SC]

Wow, that sucks, Terry.
If I was facing that kind of bill, I might be tempted by the Mexican dentistry suggestions.
Yikes!

[Dreamer]

When I was debating whether to have this done or not, I received some very good advice here. Mine would have been $33,000.00 for both at the dental school where I was going. Several people said that they would want someone inexperienced in performing it. I decided not to have it done. I did not like the idea of having all of my teeth pulled. I ended up subscribing to dental insurance with United Concordia, when it was open season last year. I am now going to a dentist's office, that 2 of my retired federal employee friends have been going to. I have had my teeth cleaned, 2 cavities filled, an old permanent bridge taken off, a root canal performed on one of the teeth and a temporary bridge put on. I will be getting a new permanent bridge put on. This dentist wants me to keep my own teeth, as long as possible.

I did have a person on this site PM me regarding the All on 4 that they had had done. This person had a very good experience with it. This person had complete confidence in the surgeon, lab and dentist. Hopefully they will PM you.

Good luck and please let us know how your experience goes, if you do decide to get it done. I am trying to buy myself some time, but would not be surprised if this is something that I will have to think about again someday. Hopefully not. I do not have longevity in my family either. If I thought I was going to live to be 90 yrs old, I might have went that route.

[Teacher Terry]

Dreamer I am getting it done 4/12. For years I had fillings, crowns, root canals, etc and would have kept my teeth if I could have. Every year I spent thousands in an effort to keep my teeth. I would not have lost them if not for the CPAP machine. I had no choice as they all became loose & decayed. There are people here that will do it for 20k per top or bottom but I have seen some horror stories and pics on the internet about some of them. So I decided to go with someone that is excellent. Also they can fail and my specialist has a very low failure rate. Also the top is more likely to fail then the bottom. I agree that you should keep your teeth if at all possible.

[Dreamer]

I had no idea that CPAP machines could cause these problems. I am afraid that I would not be satisfied having dentures either.

I am glad that you found a specialist with a very low failure rate. I will be thinking of you having this done and hope that this procedure is a success.

[athena53]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teacher Terry There are people here that will do it for 20k per top or bottom but I have seen some horror stories and pics on the internet about some of them. So I decided to go with someone that is excellent. Also they can fail and my specialist has a very low failure rate.

Good decision. Someone mentioned Mexico earlier, and I've always pointed out that having medical or dental work done in another country means that if something goes wrong, you have no legal recourse. I had a tooth pulled in Budapest once while on vacation, and they did a great job, but that was an emergency and far simpler than implants! I worked in insurance for 38 years and the first time dental implants were proposed to either of us (it was DH who actually had one first) I initially pictured the results of one if it went bad. Our oral surgeon isn't the cheapest on the block but his work has never failed us.

I also wanted to mention that some of the bad outcomes may be patient non-compliance. Find out what you need to do to keep the tissue under the implants healthy, and then do it religiously. I've been told I need professional cleanings 4 times a year and I use a Sonicare (as I noted, I have 4 implants and the rest are natural teeth). Every time my dentist does an X-ray he marvels at how well the implants have integrated into the jawbones. Whatever they tell you to do maintain your implants, do it. It's worth it.

[Sittingduck]

I believe the original post was not referring to traditional implants which are surgically implanted in the bone and then a permanent restoration is created and cemented to the implant post.

I believe T Terry is asking about mini dental implants which are small screws that are screwed into the bone (usually 4 in the mandible or 4 in the maxilla) and help retain a denture by the way of friction fitting o-rings. They have the advantage of being able to be "loaded" right away, can be place by a trained general dentist, and are significantly cheaper than traditional restorations/implants and don't require long healing (bone integration) times. They can make a full denture bearable by being able to be removed by the patient occasionally to clean, and you avoid having to deal continually with retention pastes and can eat solid food.

[Teacher Terry]

Actually originally the first permanent dentures were in fact removable but the new ones are permanent. They keep changing all the time. My sister got them 24 years ago and hers were permanent bridges and she had none of her own teeth. Her teeth wear out every 5-8 years and then they all have to be replaced. She has to have regular cleanings, etc. I will have to eat soft foods for a month and then anything I want except for very hard nuts or corn on the cob. Since I can only afford to get the bottoms my eating may be a little more limited. I have a list of do's and dont's from the surgeon so I will definitely be in full complaisance so as not to lose them. The surgeon said most people only do the bottoms due to the expense and the fact that the top denture stays in much better then the bottom. Not all CPAP users lose their teeth but a majority that didn't have great teeth to start with do. It will be 5 months since getting my teeth pulled and then the surgery. Then I will have another 4 month wait until I get the permanent denture on top and bottom but will have temps in the meantime. If you do the top you can't get it done until a year after having your teeth pulled. The commercials that offer to do it in 1 day have a lot of failures. I have been told few people are good candidates to have it done that way.

[Teacher Terry]

So I actually got it done today. It took 3 hours and the procedure was not very painful and you are all drugged up. I actually feel asleep twice. they feel like teeth instead of dentures. However, even with pain pills I am in way more pain now then I was when I had my teeth pulled. After I got my teeth pulled I mostly slept all day where as today i slept 2 hours and am awake in pain. Just took another pill so hopefully will be asleep soon. Hopefully today is the worst. I will keep giving updates for those of you that may be considering this. I am sure in the end I will be glad I did it though.

[Teacher Terry]

I just wanted to update this thread. One year later I love my bottom teeth. I still have a denture on top and hate it. I flew to KS because dental work is so much cheaper and I am not a candidate for mini dental implants for the tops. I do not have enough bone. Instead I will have 5 posts inserted and then 3 months later after healing they will convert my denture to snap in. It will cost 11k. Here it is 33k. I could have them do the permanent one like I have on the bottom but it would require twice monthly trips for many months because they have to keep adjusting and sending the teeth to the lab, etc. All those air flights would really start to add up. As it is I went last week and will have to go in May and Aug.

[W2R]

Teacher Terry, thanks for the update. So glad you love your bottom teeth after a year! Honestly I think that getting necessary dental work done, is one of the best possible uses for one's money.

My dental work sounds pretty minor compared with yours, but it feels like a lot! I had two back molars extracted and two implants installed in their place, in the past couple of weeks. One is on the left and one on the right, so I am currently trying to figure out how to eat without chewing too much on either surgical site.

[aja8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R Teacher Terry, thanks for the update. So glad you love your bottom teeth after a year! Honestly I think that getting necessary dental work done, is one of the best possible uses for one's money. My dental work sounds pretty minor compared with yours, but it feels like a lot! I had two back molars extracted and two implants installed in their place, in the past couple of weeks. One is on the left and one on the right, so I am currently trying to figure out how to eat without chewing too much on either surgical site.

Glad to hear it is working out Teacher Terry!

On my front, all my military service-related fillings are falling out (one at a time) and a post I have in one front tooth got exposed due to the cap breaking recently. This all happened over the last 6 months. Also, one tooth split in half!

SO...

Decided to get all this fixed over time (this year). So far, two root canals, two new posts, nine crowns on the uppers, a bunch of crowns on the lower front ones (hey, all this needs to match!). There will be some work on the molars as one may need a crown and I will need a bridge.

I'm not going to mention what this all will cost, but being on Medicare with no dental insurance coverage, I have decided not to buy the 2017 GMC pickup truck I planned on for a few more years.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aja8888 Glad to hear it is working out Teacher Terry! On my front, all my military service-related fillings are falling out (one at a time) and a post I have in one front tooth got exposed due to the cap breaking recently. This all happened over the last 6 months. Also, one tooth split in half! SO... Decided to get all this fixed over time (this year). So far, two root canals, two new posts, nine crowns on the uppers, a bunch of crowns on the lower front ones (hey, all this needs to match!). There will be some work on the molars as one may need a crown and I will need a bridge. I'm not going to mention what this all will cost, but being on Medicare with no dental insurance coverage, I have decided not to buy the 2017 GMC pickup truck I planned on for a few more years.

Wow!!! That really DOES sound expensive, and I was thinking that before you even mentioned it. Whew. But you know, it's a great investment in YOU... in your body, your future, your dental health and lack of pain in the future.

So far I have spent $4,800 on these two teeth alone, and that doesn't include the crowns that I will be getting for them in July (after the implants have become anchored down by bone growing around them). It is worth it to me, but I hope I don't need any more right away.

One wonderful thing is that pain from my cracked tooth (that was under a gold crown) is not interfering with my sleep any more as it was doing occasionally. It wasn't intense pain, in my case, but I couldn't sleep on my right side (my favorite side), couldn't eat without triggering pain, and so on. All that pain is gone, gone, gone. I have been sleeping like Rip Van Winkle, making up for all that lost sleep. And I have Vycodin for the tooth extraction pain if I need it, but I don't.

I think that was worth $4,800.

[Dawg52]

I'm about to have a crown installed on my 2nd implant. Another $3,500(implant & crown) but you do what you have to do. I would cry if I had to spend $30-40K as mentioned above. No more nuts for me.......

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teacher Terry I just wanted to update this thread. One year later I love my bottom teeth. I still have a denture on top and hate it. I flew to KS because dental work is so much cheaper and I am not a candidate for mini dental implants for the tops. I do not have enough bone. Instead I will have 5 posts inserted and then 3 months later after healing they will convert my denture to snap in. It will cost 11k. Here it is 33k. I could have them do the permanent one like I have on the bottom but it would require twice monthly trips for many months because they have to keep adjusting and sending the teeth to the lab, etc. All those air flights would really start to add up. As it is I went last week and will have to go in May and Aug.

Thank you for sharing your experience.
One question. Why is KS more affordable? Dental college?