Anyone out there a Dentist?

Keyzer

This is probably the wrong place for this but here goes anyway..

I need advice from someone who is a Dentist or someone who can get a Dentist to come on to Boards and give me a second opinion.

I am seriously annoyed at the moment.
I fractured a cap I had put in about 4 years ago (which I was told should last 10 years) while eating a bowl of cereal (not a big lump of toffee or horsing into a massive steak) the other day. Went to see the Dentist and was told that the whole procedure has to be done again, root canal etc. which is going to cost an absolute fortune. Apparently, I also have an infection in the root.

How can I get an infection in a root which was sealed 4 years ago and did not re-open when the tooth was fractured?

Obviously, over the internet is not the best way to ask for a 2nd opinion for something like this but I can think of no other way.

monkeyfudge

I seem to remember 'lomb' saying he worked in the dentisty field.

lomb

hi
1 a root treatment may not have been done at all originally as caps can b put onto alive teeth, however they can then die off needing root canal treatment

2 a root treatment was done originally but wasnt 'successful' meaning it needs doing again.

they are the only possibilities, to be honest what u get done again on the tooth if u get it done probably wont last more than 5 years anyway. my advice is to get an implant done, assuming u are suitable, the cost in ireland would be 3000 euros, but it would work almost for sure for many many years. u may b able to get it for 2000 all in for one tooth.

an extraction is always a option also.

most restorative dentistry that is done is a downward spiral in my humble opinion, and one that is backed up by dentists with many many years experiance. implants are one of the few things that actually work, apart from hygiene, small fillings etc, and orthodontics.

Keyzer

Thanks for the advice....
Spoke to another Dentist today, a young lad who actually sounded like he gave a toss. I basically have four options.

1. A False tooth (EUR 300)
2. A Crown (EUR 1100)
3. A Bridge (2 unit Maryland) (EUR 1100)
4. An Implant (EUR 2600)

I'm planning a year in Australia beginning in Janruary of next year.
Is it possible for me to get a False tooth until I get back from Aus and then get the Implant?

tirl

Hi Keyzer

Same thing happened to me, all my top front teeth have nbeen crowned since I was a child after antibiotic damage. I am on my 3rd lot now and recently broke one and as it wasn't considered an emergency rather it was cosmetic........wonder if they had to walk around with no front tooth!!
Anyway couldn't afford to have root treatment and replace etc so opted for the false tooth cheap version and it's fine although can be a bit yukky at times, but once you follow good hygiene you shouldn't have a problem, i don't even know it's there now

good luck

Kernel32

I assume that an implant means the option whereby they surgically implant a metal post and attach a fake tooth? I looked into that option once for a molar that was extracted. My dentist sent me to a dental surgeon for a consulation and it turned out I wasn't a good candidate. The bone on my jaw would have to be worked on first, it was too low or something. Basically doubling the cost and making the whole procedure lengthy and more painful. I was told a bridge would work, which is essentially three crowns, one on each adjacent tooth and one over the extracted tooth. Again very expensive, the cost of threen crowns.

I'm not sure how a dentist can present an implant as an option without a dental surgeon, or maybe I am not understanding the implant.

Dellgirl

Put a green smiley here.

I feel my stomach churning just reading this thread. You all sound so matter of fact....."yes, but my jaw would have to be jacked before they could drill my head".

StaggerLee

How about a set of these fellas?

http://www.csrconsultancy.com/db2/00156/csrconsultancy.com/_uimages/false_teeth.jpg

lomb

Kernel32 wrote:

I'm not sure how a dentist can present an implant as an option without a dental surgeon, or maybe I am not understanding the implant.

all dentists are surgeons, any dentist can place an implant and restore it, most choose not to though. a warranty is very important when that sort of money is being spent in my opinion.
and to the original poster, yes u can get a cheap plastic tooth and have an implant but the bone level drops after removing the tooth(not a good thing as aesthetically u need bone height to match the adjacent teeth)
u can remove the tooth and place an implant immediately thats submerged under the gum/bone, and wear a plastic tooth on top while u go on holiday, after 6 months or a year u can then load it as it will have integrated.
if u want i could do it for u in a few months but it would be in mid wales... also i could do it for a bit less ,i have to say though that ur existing tooth may be fixable with a good chance, its hard to say without seeing it.

Dellgirl

Lomb, qiuck question if its ok? If not fine, no probs. How much would a double bridge cost. 1 bridge on either side of the mouth on the top. Thank you.

Keyzer

lomb wrote:

all dentists are surgeons, any dentist can place an implant and restore it, most choose not to though. a warranty is very important when that sort of money is being spent in my opinion.
and to the original poster, yes u can get a cheap plastic tooth and have an implant but the bone level drops after removing the tooth(not a good thing as aesthetically u need bone height to match the adjacent teeth)
u can remove the tooth and place an implant immediately thats submerged under the gum/bone, and wear a plastic tooth on top while u go on holiday, after 6 months or a year u can then load it as it will have integrated.
if u want i could do it for u in a few months but it would be in mid wales... also i could do it for a bit less ,i have to say though that ur existing tooth may be fixable with a good chance, its hard to say without seeing it.

Cheers mate...
If australia wasnt on the cards for me I would opt for the implant straight away. The problem with the tooth is that there is very very little left to work with. If I opt for a bridge, it will have to be replaced in 7-10 years. I want a permanent solution to this problem understandbly. Having said that, EUR 2600 is a lot of dough to fork out. But I think I'll go for the falsey until I get back from my travels....

Keyzer

tirl wrote:

Hi Keyzer

Same thing happened to me, all my top front teeth have nbeen crowned since I was a child after antibiotic damage. I am on my 3rd lot now and recently broke one and as it wasn't considered an emergency rather it was cosmetic........wonder if they had to walk around with no front tooth!!
Anyway couldn't afford to have root treatment and replace etc so opted for the false tooth cheap version and it's fine although can be a bit yukky at times, but once you follow good hygiene you shouldn't have a problem, i don't even know it's there now

good luck

Whats the crack with your false tooth?
Do you sleep with it in?
How does it stay in?
Do you have to use denture cream etc?

Trojan

How do people find a *good* dentist? I'm always hearing horror stories.

lomb

Blingarella wrote:

Lomb, qiuck question if its ok? If not fine, no probs. How much would a double bridge cost. 1 bridge on either side of the mouth on the top. Thank you.

well in ireland i think the going rate is 500 per unit, so basically one crown is 500, for a bridge to replace 1 tooth , u essentially need two crowns and 1 false tooth, meaning 3 crowns so thats 1500 i guess.
bridges arent a good solution to replacing teeth unless the teeth either side of the missing tooth have a lot of superficial external damage and are filled, BUT the core of the tooth which includes the nerve needs to be solid to support a bridge. damaging good teeth either side to make room for crowns is a very bad idea but preparing them for crowns is fine if all u are removing is bits of old filling ie superfical old damage.
maryland bridges are a false tooth glued either side to good teeth, and tend to fall off at awkward moments and eventually u need a permanent solution anyway, personally i think an implant is the most economical option particulary if its done around 2000 fully restored.

an implant is a metal post made of titanium that integrates with bone and attaches to it so this has to be inserted into bone, with a metal stud thats tapped or screwed later on(6 months ish) into this integrated hollow cylinder and then finally a crown is placed on the stud.

lomb

Keyzer wrote:

Whats the crack with your false tooth?
Do you sleep with it in?
How does it stay in?
Do you have to use denture cream etc?

he shouldnt,
friction held between the other tooth, and cohesion and adhesion of saliva to it and the palate, ie it sticks to the palate by the natural stickyness of saliva,
shouldnt for one tooth anyway.

its a white plastic tooth attached to a piece of plastic thats molded to the shape of the roof of your mouth and covers part of the mouth roof, so u will feel bigish lump there.
they are only designed as a temporary solution but many people use them as a long term solution for different reasons like cost, and the fact that u can get used to almost anything so it feels normal to u, also hassle and people are scared to go to dentists anyway.

tirl

Keyzer wrote:

Whats the crack with your false tooth?
Do you sleep with it in?
How does it stay in?
Do you have to use denture cream etc?

I used to take it out at night, but because it's right at the front it was rotten looking while out, not the most sexy thing:)) anyway after running out of bed to answer the door one morning and frightening the life out of the postman! I now leave it in all the time.

I just use normal tootpaste as usual

tirl

I have two little kind of half teeth like things at the side with the main one being bang in the front and the ones on either side are crowns too

Dellgirl

well in ireland i think the going rate is 500 per unit, so basically one crown is 500, for a bridge to replace 1 tooth , u essentially need two crowns and 1 false tooth, meaning 3 crowns so thats 1500 i guess.
bridges arent a good solution to replacing teeth unless the teeth either side of the missing tooth have a lot of superficial external damage and are filled, BUT the core of the tooth which includes the nerve needs to be solid to support a bridge. damaging good teeth either side to make room for crowns is a very bad idea but preparing them for crowns is fine if all u are removing is bits of old filling ie superfical old damage.
maryland bridges are a false tooth glued either side to good teeth, and tend to fall off at awkward moments and eventually u need a permanent solution anyway, personally i think an implant is the most economical option particulary if its done around 2000 fully restored.
__________________

Thanks! Thats well expensive. I was told they last 10 years so im due a renewal soon.
Trojans question is one I was wondering as well. NOw thta youve opened the can of worms youll be swamped!

Keyzer

What happens if I get an implant and the crown on the end of breaks?
I assume I need a face implant then....

Another thing... Would I be knocked out for the procedures?
Drilling my teeth is one thing, drilling the bones of my mouth is another...

tirl

no you are not knocked out and yes it's painful sorry

lomb

Blingarella wrote:

I was told they last 10 years so im due a renewal soon.

they can last 30 years, or 3 minutes, it depends on 1. how solid the core is to begin with, 2 whether the nerve is alive initially (as this is the core the most important thing),3. whether the nerve subsequently dies off (can happen if the margins of the crowns are open ie not fitting well on the core , or overheated when the crown preperation was done, or decay, or just died because it was on the edge anyway before it was done, or the pulp aging, or a bang) 4. whether the crown preperation is long enough, ie whether the core was long enough and there was enough to work with.(otherwise crowns have a nasty habit of falling off
5 whether the gums recede around the crowns leaving ugly lines and whether this troubles u visually.

if none of the above applies i would leave them alone, as if u try and get them off, u usually wreak everything anyway.

tirl

Lomb,

I think all of us needing dental treatment should hire a bus and make our way to Wales to you, treatment seems to be cheaper outside Ireland. and you would certainly be kept busy:)

lomb

Keyzer wrote:

What happens if I get an implant and the crown on the end of breaks?
I assume I need a face implant then....

Another thing... Would I be knocked out for the procedures?
Drilling my teeth is one thing, drilling the bones of my mouth is another...

sedation is a good idea with laughing gas, if the crown snaps then theres no problem, as the stud will be alright and a new crown is fabricated to sit on the old stud.
if the stud snaps u have a slight problem or a hugh problem it depends on the system how hard it is to get out whats left of the stud from the hollow cylindered implant. i have used the bicon implant and getting the stud out is fairly easy if it snaps. i think the chance of it snapping is zero if the larger size is selected or 1 in 200 after years if its the smaller size (ie a fair chance if u get a bang to the tooth) the size thats selected depends on which tooth is being replaced and how much room there is for the wider implant which is obviously the better choice.

Dellgirl

5

whether the gums recede around the crowns leaving ugly lines and whether this troubles u visually

I thought this was the case with one side but the specialist i was refferred to said they were just settelling - this was after 6 years!! Im not sure i trust his opinion even if he is a specialsit. havingf said that, they havent receeded any further since then.
Thanks for all your help and advice. Im really hoping you are a dentist and not some maddo who is really into dentistry!

lomb

tirl wrote:

Lomb,

I think all of us needing dental treatment should hire a bus and make our way to Wales to you, treatment seems to be cheaper outside Ireland. and you would certainly be kept busy:)

i think i will be very busy there tbh, a combination of poor quality dentistry, old dentists who dont want to do anything/no dentists, and poor patient self care/ bad diet and no flouride mean that inundation is an understatement. in a place called carmarthen 400 people qued over night to register with a new dentist, thats just unheard of in this country. :eek:

lomb

Blingarella wrote:

Thanks for all your help and advice. Im really hoping you are a dentist and not some maddo who is really into dentistry!

lol,i might be a maddo but im definately a dentist and no problem

tirl

Thanks for all the advice

lomb

no problem, ur welcome

Keyzer

Yeah, cheers man, its nice for a change for someone to actually explain these things to us lesser mortals instead of "hop up there on that seat" crash bang wallop, "A 1000 Euro please"......