OT:Fractured tooth

[Jethro_uk]

With depressing, but predictable inconvenience, I had a tooth fracture on Saturday. (I haven't done the exact maths, but I suspect it happened at a point in time when the wait to see a dentist was Tmax ;) )

Anyway, this tooth has felt "wrong" ever since a root canal a few years back. Luckily (having had a root canal ****ed up, and eventually losing the tooth) I decided to wait for a crown. And wait. And wait.

Moved to a new dentist, and explained the "not right feeling" (it was like there was sensation - even though the nerve is dead). He had a good gander (X-Rays etc) and finally suggested that because the filling from the root canal was so big, it might be acting like a wedge, and driving the tooth apart.

Come Saturday - that's *exactly* what happened.

Annoyingly (or blessedly) the fractured part of the tooth is hanging onto to the gum (peridontal ligament ?). Which makes eating tricky.

So, the DIY element, is what - if anything - could I have used to temporarily glue the offcut back to the main tooth. And (more crucially) will it be possible for the dentist to do some adhesive magic.

Or is it time for a crown ?

The adjoining tooth is crowned, and I notice with interest that dental implants can support 2 teeth. Maybe I should treat myself.

The bad teeth are a legacy of a bad lifestyle. Haven't had a filling in

15 years, apart from the root canal (which was probably a legacy).

(back OT) What's the cheapest people have paid for implants ?

[Bert Coules]

There is a commercial product called "Dentemp One Step" intended for "loose caps and lost fillings - You Can Eat On It!"

It's available from chemists: I bought it from a local Boots when a loose crown threatened to come adrift while I was on holiday. In the event it stayed put so the product remains unused, but it might be what you're looking for.

or

Bert

[Jethro_uk]

Cheers - although I have an appointment later today, so let the experts take over :)

I did use a temporary filling kit a while ago when a filling fell out (from Lloyds) seemed to do the trick.

TBH, my question was a tad tongue in cheek (unlike my tooth :)) - because the tooth is split down the middle, and it's a pre-molar, any adhesive would need to be able to hold against the force of a bite transferred sideways. Which I suspect is *enormous* ...

[David]

I wanted to go down the implant route but I couldn't get any dentists (private, because it is not available on the NHS) to give me anything close to a written quote.

Most wanted to charge me about £120 for a private dental check-up, then sign up long term as a private patient.

This is before giving me any pricing guidance.

My impression so far is that private dentistry is regarded as a licence to print money.

This was for the two front upper teeth.

Cheers

Dave R

[no_spam]

I have no personal experience but an implant might be in my future so I'm also interested in other people's experiences. This has caught my eye before:

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Absolute rubbish. Don't waste your money.

[David]

Looking at PerfectProfiles web site, the headline price may not be the whole story.

Initial Consultation - free

2nd/+ consultation - £120 Small x-ray - £15 Dental Implant Review Appointment £50 Implant with titanium abutment £680

It isn't immediately clear what the normal route is; how many of the costed items will you need?

For example is the expected route to have a free initial consultation, followed by an X-ray and a dental implant review and then (hopefully) the implant. Already the price has gone up by £65 - unless of course you need a 2nd consultation at £120 to finalise what needs doing. I am assuming that you will need at least one more consultation after the implant work to confirm that all is well. Real cost could be £995 or more.

Additionally if you don't have enough bone to take the implant, you may need Guided bone regeneration £600 Additional 0.5g bone £250 After care Medication £20

This kind of open ended pricing arrangement makes me uncomfortable, compared to the NHS tiered arrangement where you pay a fixed fee which covers all the work at that tier.

I note that the link for having treatment abroad comes in at £653 for what seems to be a very similar implant. The other costs seem in line.

So PerfectProfiles at the moment looks a better option than flying 3 times to Bratislava over 2-3 months.

To quote directly from the DentalHoliday site:

*"As for a cost comparison, you?d save approx 50% by having the work done with us (and a better treatment experience ? see our 280+ handwritten review section on this website). UR5 Extraction: £47 Dental implant & abutment: £594 (Neodent by Straumann ? the worlds no.1 dental implant brand ? lifetime guarantee) Bone graft: £300 Implant crown: £297

That?s £1238 in comparison to the £2500 you have been quoted, a saving of

50%

Payment is split across 2 visits needed 60% on visit 1, the remaining 40% on your last visit. The healing time is 4-5 months. We place approx 200 dental implants per month on UK patient for the past 6 years, so you can be sure you?re in the best hands. If you?d like to make a booking, please use our contact form on this website to write to me directly."*

The reason that I posted that is an additional item "Implant crown" has appeared.

Nothing is straightforward, is it?

Cheers

Dave R

[Jethro_uk]

Just got back from dentists ... he yanked the broken bit out (ow) and said as far as he's concerned it's a try-and-repair-it (never gonna work) or cap.

I asked about implants, and he just said "implants are for when the tooth is gone. You still have a tooth". Which is vaguely reassuring. So cap it is ... thank god the nerve is dead.

[Roger Mills]

Do you have first-hand experience of it? I have a hole in the back of one of my front teeth where a filling has come out, and was toying with giving it a try.

Do you *know* beyond doubt that it's rubbish - or is that just speculation?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Yes. A front tooth crown came off. It was going to over be a week before I could get to the dentist to have it fixed back on.

(Even a dentist has to take care when using the proper cement. It has to be allowed to dry just so much before removing any excess. Otherwise it will fail.)

Not the same need for a temporary filling - unless it's months before you can get to a dentist. It may be ok for that, though.

[Fredxxx]

I wasn't aware that the NHS did implants?

[The Natural Philosopher]

for a nearly full set of either denture-on-implant, or full on implant for the entire upper jaw the total was quoited at between £7500 and £27500, including bone transplant...and no guarantee either..

[Roger Mills]

Thanks. My next routine appointment isn't until May. I could probably get an emergency appointment within a week but I've been confined to barracks for about 3 weeks with a nasty virus which causes coughing fits

- and it's showing no sign of abatement yet. So I'm not sure what effect having a tooth drilled and filled would have on my condition. It would be so much easier if it were something I could do at home - but only if it works. If it lasts a long time, it might even save me 60-odd quid for a pukka filling!

[David]

They don't.

Thus the private dentistry and the interesting list of "optional" extras.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

A common reason for a filling coming out - if it was properly done in the first place - is more rot round it. So just stuffing something in may not do much good.

[Davidm]

When my wife's crown came off whilst on holiday in France a few years ago I stuck it back on with Superglue (making sure to keep her tongue out of the way until it had dried). Three months later at her regular checkup the dentist noticed the join, she explained what we'd done, and he was quite ok about it. Didn't even want to take it off and re fit it.

[Michael Chare]

I used these people:

No claim about price. I had to make several visits. They stuck to the price (quote), whatever that was, and now a few years ago.

[ss]

This was mid 2014:

Quote..... Well all my dental work is finished, absolutely delighted with the result, well worth the money and the wait. Had 7 implants, 13 caps plus bone grafts. 5 grand well spent.........20 odd grand in the u.k.....unquote.

This was in Turkey I have used the dentist but not for the above, the downside (or maybe not) is you would need a couple of visits for the implants maybe three depending on the state of gums/bone structure.

Good excuse for a weeks holiday. :-)

I use NHS in the uk but for crowns/root canal etc I wait until I visit Turkey as they are only £60 a tooth.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

How do you find them? Only really know one person who's had them (or will admit to it) and he complains about the 'dead' feeling of them, and that they're still a bit uncomfortable after a couple of years.

[Nick]

I had an front tooth implant done 20 years ago. It cost 2.5 to 3k. In hindsight I'm happy with the value for money compared to a bridge. Obviously now I'm glad to see costs have come down.

Having said that it didn't seem to be a tremendous amount of work. The main bit of it very much reminded me of the school metal work lesson where we tapped a thread into steel. Instead of steel they tapped a thread into my jaw.

Obviously, as the dentist says ,implants are only for when there isn't enough root left to put a post in.