# Advice about dental procedure options needed, please! Losing my teeth



## PA_grandma (Apr 16, 2015)

*I'm old (80) ....and my top teeth that had been (expensively) capped are falling out.  Aesthetically, the gaps don't show...but I am having difficulty eating.

WHAT should I do?   Dentures, fixed bridge, implant?  The 'flipper' I had for awhile was unpleasant.  The cost of implants for just five teeth up top would be about $7,000.  It seems unreasonable to spend that amount with my limited life span.*

*I would appreciated learning what you have done, and if you're pleased with the results.

Joyce*


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## QuickSilver (Apr 16, 2015)

I just got full dentures last month and I couldn't be happier..  They are beautiful... and look natural.. and I can eat..  and I wouldn't take my old natural teeth back for a million bucks..    It's a process though.  It took about 6 months to accomplish..  Impressions,   extractions,  immediate dentures, then the final finished product.  I am very pleased.

My advise is to go to a board certified Prosthodontist..  they specialize in dentures and other forms of tooth restoration.


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## SeaBreeze (Apr 16, 2015)

I only have one fixed bridge, that I'm happy with, but those will cost a couple of thousand dollars these days.  All these procedures are expensive, but if you have the money to pay for the dental work, you should either go with a bridge or the implants.  In my opinion it's not unreasonable at all for you to spend that money on yourself regardless of your age, you are worth it!


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## PA_grandma (Apr 16, 2015)

*SeaBreeze and QuickSilver

Thanks for sharing your experiences.  I'll mull over these options (during my meal of applesauce).*


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## SeaBreeze (Apr 16, 2015)

Some information worth a read about implants and bridges, full article here.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/05/03/root-canal-alternative.aspx


*The Dark Side of Implants*Perhaps you have decided you must extract your root canal treated teeth to maintain or regain health—against the clear position stated by the American Association of Endodontists above. You chose a biological dentist who can help you avoid cavitations, and boosted your immune system. How should you replace the space? Interestingly, the more complex and biologically incompatible the option, the more costly it is. Costs vary widely, as do longevity estimates.













Implants are essentially an artificial root screwed into your jawbone, topped with an artificial tooth or used as an anchor for a bridge or partial denture. Implants are displacing root canals because they look, feel, and function very much like a natural tooth, and do not interfere with normal oral activities. 

They help maintain bone that normally dissolves over time after a tooth is extracted. They can last a long time, and do not require grinding down adjacent teeth, as a fixed bridge would require. But you have to remember success is not measured only by tooth function, but function within your body as a whole.

Here are a few important aspects of dental implants you must seriously consider before making the decision to go forward with this major investment. Dead tissues do not conduct energy, implants therefore, whether titanium or zirconium, slow energy flow along meridians. Your body must constantly compensate for this. As with root canals, your associated organs, glands, or anatomical structures may functionally decline.

Most people with a dental implant have other metallic dental repairs present, which only exacerbates energetic chaos. In fact, the implant screw and replacement tooth are usually different metals. These two dissimilar metals within an electrolyte (saliva) effectively turn your mouth into a battery. Additionally, if you still have gold, mercury, copper, tin, silver filings, or nickel-based crowns in your mouth, these will also contribute to the galvanic currents being generated.

​*What You Need to Know About Titanium Implants*Most implants used today are made of titanium. So when your mouth is functioning as a battery due to the dissimilar metals present, there are resulting chaotic galvanic currents that continuously drive ions from the titanium or its alloys, which include small amounts of vanadium or aluminum. These metallic ions are then transported around your body, around the clock, where they bind to proteins and can wreak havoc with your health. Some people are more susceptible to the resulting inflammatory, allergy, and autoimmune problems than others. There is a blood test7 to help determine this sensitivity.

Though you're exposed to fluoride through many avenues, tap drinking water and dental products remain your most significant sources. If you drink tap water or use fluoridated toothpaste, it is important to know that fluoride accelerates titanium corrosion in the extreme (up to 500 microg/(cm2 x d)). Low pH values (acidity in the mouth or a dry mouth) accelerate this effect profoundly.8 Of course, corrosion of the other metals also accelerates ion release.

Previous research9 has documented that:"_The amounts of tin released by the enhanced corrosion of amalgam [in the presence of titanium] might contribute measurably to the daily intake of this element; the corrosion current generated reached values known to cause taste sensations. If the buffer systems of adjacent tissues… are not able to cope with the high pH generated around the titanium, local tissue damage may ensue; this relationship is liable to be overlooked, as it leaves no evidence in the form of corrosion products."

_​While most people do not notice galvanic currents, others experience unexplained nerve shocks, ulcerations, a salty or metallic taste or a burning sensation in their mouth. Noticeable or not, oral galvanic currents are commonly as high as 100 micro-amps, yet your brain operates on 7 to 9 nano-amps—a current more than 1,000 times weaker. Given your brain's proximity to your mouth, biological dentists are concerned the constant high and chaotic electrical activity may misdirect brain impulses. These currents can contribute to insomnia, brain fog, ear-ringing, epilepsy, and dizziness.

The possibility that titanium implants may act as antennas that direct microwaves from your cell phone and cellular transmission towers into your body also deserves study. As Dr. Douglas Swartzendruber, a professor at the University of Colorado has said: _"Anything implanted in bone will create an autoimmune response. The only difference is the length of time it takes."_
Titanium implants are certainly known to suppress important immune cells such as your T-cells, white blood cells critical to immune system function, and create oxidative stress as measured by rH2 values (a measurement of oxidation-reduction potential under a specific pH). Diseases associated with implants are not all that different from those associated with root canals, and include a number of different autoimmune and neurological disorders, such as:

Other complications of implanted titanium include occasional facial eczema as your skin tries to detoxify the titanium ions. Dental implants also have no fibrous "seal" to prevent microbial invasion. If you make the decision to get a dental implant, it's wise to use floss impregnated with ozonated oil around the neck of each implant daily.
​*Alternatives to Titanium Implants
*Zirconium implants are a newer innovation in dentistry and many biological dentists now use them. These implants bypass some of the problems of titanium mentioned above. They still block energy flow, but at least they are electrically neutral, eliminating the potential to interfere with your brain impulses. The implant itself also does not contribute to electrical galvanic currents being generated in your mouth. But you still need to be careful as the artificial tooth that is ultimately screwed onto the zirconium implant may have a metal base. Zirconium implants also release ions, but at a much slower rate than titanium implants.

These implants seem to last quite a long time. One systematic review showed that over the 10-30 year period studied, there was only a 1.3 percent to five percent loss of implanted teeth in clinically well-maintained mouths. For those with less optimal maintenance, it was more like a 14-20 percent loss of implanted teeth over that time. Don't even think about smoking though! Endodontic literature has a very different slant on the benefits of implants, of course.

​*Traditional Bridges Can Be Costly and Relatively Impermanent*




First off, bridges don't last all that long. The average bridge lasts eight years, with a range of five to 15 years. For this reason, "permanent bridges" are no longer considered "permanent." A traditional bridge is comprised of several units – the artificial teeth and the abutments. Abutments are the crowns (caps) made to cover the anchor teeth. The bridge is permanently bonded in place to span a gap that replaces at least one missing tooth. Broken down or completely intact, the abutment teeth to each side of the gap are aggressively cut away to accept the covering crown.

Or should I say smothering crown? In my video above, I used an analogy of a healthy tooth being like a fountain. A crown stifles the natural nutritive, cleansing, hydrating flow of lymph. It can no longer "breathe." Why do this to two good teeth that need no dental work for the sake of one (or two) missing teeth? Some biological doctors think these should be removed periodically so the underlying teeth can be cleaned up.

If one of the supporting crowned teeth breaks or develops decay or nerve damage, the bridge and its three or more crowns must be removed and replaced. As a hygienist, I can tell you that most people are terrible about cleaning around the abutment teeth and under the artificial tooth. Margins are very susceptible to decay. Again, I advise my clients to use ozonated oil around all crown margins as an extra degree of caution. Good personal care is one key to longevity. And once again, avoid smoking!

I am no fan of crowns as I explained in a previous interview with Dr. Mercola. The more a tooth is destroyed during restoration, the less able it is to withstand chewing forces. Also, forces which once could transfer through the organic, flexible bulk of the tooth to the root now must travel along the outside of a stiff crown to concentrate at the gum margin – hardly a recipe for longevity of either the underlying tooth or the crown itself.​


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## applecruncher (Apr 16, 2015)

If there is a university dental school near you, you might just go in for a consultation and see what they say. I'm fortunate to have all my teeth at 64, but had root canal, fillings, and several crowns done at the dental school for about half the price of a private dentist. _Extremely_ pleased. They also do dentures and implants.


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## QuickSilver (Apr 16, 2015)

Implants are so expensive.   I was offered a system called  "All on Four"    This means 4 implants on top... 4 on the bottom... for a total of 8 implants.. and then permanent full set of tops an bottoms permanently affixed to those implants..  By the way.. they don't put in 28 implants... this is how it's done..  ANYWAY.. the full cost?    Wait for it..............$43,000    Yep...  that's THOUSAND..    and 43 of them..    I felt that at MY age of 66 that was ridiculous..  perhaps if I were in my 40's it would have made more sense..

Then I got to thinking of the fact that being able to remove the dentures, and clean them.. NO more tooth or jaw pain...  Also.. the fact that I only had 8 natural teeth left, dentures were the right choice for me.   But.. everyone's situation is different..


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## applecruncher (Apr 16, 2015)

A friend traveled to Mexico to get implants aa few years ago. $11,000 and as far as I know she hasn't had problems.


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## PA_grandma (Apr 16, 2015)

*Thank you all for the VERY valuable information.  I have a lot of mulling over (and reading) to do tonight.
Your assistance in this decision has been so helpful and much appreciated. 
~ Joyce
*


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## SeaBreeze (Apr 16, 2015)

Good luck making your decision Joyce, it is a serious one that should take some research and thought.  I guess a lot depends also on the health of your gums and the teeth that you do have.  A partial bridge, for example, supported by two neighboring teeth, is only as strong as its support. Many things need to be considered for sure.


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## Ralphy1 (Apr 17, 2015)

Trying to be a patient rather than a customer is the problem with modern dentistry and I wish you well as you decide what to do...


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## Ken N Tx (Apr 17, 2015)

I had tops and bottoms done 2 years ago..$8400. 2 dentists one for extractions and one for dentures.

18 teeth extracted, 4 done with sedation surgery the rest local antistatic. Took about 6 months..

Go for it!!


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## QuickSilver (Apr 17, 2015)

Ken N Tx said:


> I had tops and bottoms done 2 years ago..$8400. 2 dentists one for extractions and one for dentures.
> 
> 18 teeth extracted, 4 done with sedation surgery the rest local antistatic. Took about 6 months..
> 
> Go for it!!



That was my experience...  I had my bottom teeth extracted 9 years ago and wore a lower denture since then.  On top I had a total of 8 natural teeth all held in place by assorted bridges and caps.  But they were ugly IMO.. and I kept getting pain.   So I finally had the final 8 extractions done last November and new complete dentures made.  My total out of pocket cost was about $5,000 and my dental insurance picked up $2,000.   I love my new teeth.. and I love the fact that never again will I have to put up with mouth pain, or any of the other problems teeth bring.    It was a long overdue decision.


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## Lon (Apr 17, 2015)

It was 65 years ago that I had most of my teeth knocked out and those that remained I had removed. I have worn a full set of dentures ever since and have never had any trouble eating corn on the cob, apples, steak etc. My dentures look quite natural and fit well. 

Given your age I would definitely go with dentures.


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