I need a dental implant: do you have one, or anyone you know?

[Anonymous]

So, I need a dental implant on the tooth just beside my front top tooth. I had needed a root canal in the tooth after falling at the pool as a teen, and now the root canal has failed, resulting in infection and damage the dentist says she cannot repair to save the tooth.

Do you or anybody else have a front dental implant? I would love to hear about how it looks, how it stood up over time, pain involved in getting it placed, and any other issues.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

I have an implant but not a front tooth. It really works pretty well. I’ve had it for at least 10 years now. No issues.

[Anonymous]

It’s just a very long process

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s just a very long process

How long? Will they be able to give me some kind of temporary solution to hide the missing front tooth during the process?

[Anonymous]

Mine was a molar, but yeah it was a long process. They extracted everything and then had to wait 3 months or so. Then they installed a screw, waited another 3 months for bone to grow around the screw. And then I was ready for a crown. Mine went relatively quick because I'm young. I've heard that the older you get, the slower it will take. There also can be issues with the bone. I was in a lot of pain after the extraction and you only get ibuprofen.

In your case, they will likely give you a flipper since you won't want to walk around toothless for a year. You couldn't see that my molar was missing, so that part wasn't a big deal for me.

I love my implant. So much better than a crown on a tooth stump like it was before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s just a very long process

How long? Will they be able to give me some kind of temporary solution to hide the missing front tooth during the process?

Yes you get a flipper, but of course it's an extra cost.

[Anonymous]

Oh and you asked about whether it looks good- yes! Mine looks perfect and matches everything. They use a pretty advanced program that scans your teeth and creates a crown that fits perfectly.

[Anonymous]

I'm "in process" of just that right now (broke that tooth in my teens and had a crown for 35 years until the root finally degraded enough that they had to take it out).

It's been a long, but generally painless, process -- first attempt at implant failed, so they started again from scratch.

Timeline:
3 months for initial bone graft,
4 months for implant placement.
Implant hadn't fully set (still wiggled a little bit), so they restarted again from scratch.

They gave me a temporary partial/ aka a "flipper", which is purely cosmetic (to fill the gap). It's annoying, but serves its purpose.

[Anonymous]

I'm in the "in the middle of the process" club. Yeah, I was floored when my dentist said the whole process would take like 8-9 months. Broke the tooth back in October, I think. Was not salvageable according to root-canal specialist. Had tooth pulled. I had the implant post and healing topper thing put in back in February. I'll see the dentist again in a few months to evaluate healing and readiness for final tooth/crown/topper thing.

I bought the appliance that looks like a Invisalign tray with tooth not the "flipper." I think I've only worn it about 5 times.

[Anonymous]

^PP.

Not a front tooth. One behind the incisor.

Aside: Having the implant post put in was completely painless. A couple people IRL had told me theirs were uncomfortable, but I had no pain/discomfort at all.

[Anonymous]

I have 5. No biggie.

[Anonymous]

I don't have a front one, but I have a molar implant. Like a PP pointed out, it is a long process. You usually don't just have the tooth that is there removed and then they put the implant right in. You will likely be without a tooth there for months.

[Anonymous]

I have one in the tooth next to my front tooth. No issues. Feels like a reguar tooth. I think I've had it maybe 25 years. Dr Zupnik in Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

I used Arlington Dentistry by Design and they did a great job.

[Anonymous]

Several of my top front teeth are implants due to a childhood accident. I think they look fine-I think most people don’t notice and some think I have veneers. Totally functional, can bite apples, etc. good luck!