When is it worth it to go for dental implant surgery?

Hello Ashley,

Implants help to replace lost teeth.

Teeth are replaced for three primary reasons:

a) for function - to allow you to eat and speak well

b) for appearance - lost teeth can leave embarrassing gaps in your smile and make you look older

c) to prevent drifting of adjacent teeth and prevent overloading of remaining teeth. When a tooth is lost, it can lead to neighbouring teeth tilting and moving out of alignment. This can affect the health of remaining teeth.

There are different ways of replacing lost teeth. You can make dentures (removable artificial teeth) or bridges (artificial teeth fixed to adjacent teeth). Implants are artificial teeth held by bone.

Whether it is "worth it" to have dental implants depend on many factors such as your general health, the amount of bone you have in the extraction sites, the condition of your remaining teeth, the way you bite and of course your personal values.

The decision to have dental implants or not, is a personal one made after consultation with your dentist who understands your dental condition and who can discuss the pros and cons of all the alternatives.

Thank you for your enquiry! I get asked this question alot in my practice and i will do my best to answer with my honest opinion. Bearing in mind that no two patients are ever alike and more accurate answers can only be obtained after a proper thorough consultation with your trusted dentist.

The first thing that strikes me is that you have lost 3 teeth at a relatively young age of 29.

It is not common and it quite unusual for a young adult like you to have lost 3 teeth at your age. Unless the tooth loss was a result of an accident or trauma.

If you were my patient, i would dig deep to find out why this is so, before even considering replacing your missing teeth with dental implants.

For example. if you lost teeth due to rampant decay, severe gum disease, or fractured your teeth due to severe bruxism, i would make an effort to make sure that these potential underlying causes of tooth loss are addressed thoroughly first.

Otherwise, you might be in a cycle of uncontrolled dental disease or occlusal trauma that would cause more of your teeth to be lost in the future, thereby needing even more implants when that happens.

To me these are the most important factors to consider.

Moving forward, when your dental health is stable and well controlled, we have all the digital technology and know how and science to predictably replace your missing teeth with dental implants: to restore balance to your bite and the aesthetics of your smile.

Local factors like bone density, quality and thickness will be assessed and the surgery planned for easily.

You just have to find a dental surgeon that you trust that has plenty of experience in dental implant surgery, and who has your best interests at heart.

Do read the articles that i wrote about dental implants for more information:

https://www.human.com.sg/dental-implant-singapore

https://www.human.com.sg/5-reasons-dental-implants-fail

https://www.human.com.sg/dental-implant-costs-singapore-dentist-tells-all

I hope my answer helps you and i wish you all the best in getting your dental heath back in tip top shape!

Kind Regards,

Dr Gerald Tan

There are options apart from dental implants: typically a denture or a bridge. These methods of replacing missing teeth are efficient. However a dental implant is typically known as the best alternative to a missing tooth. There are of course medical conditions which might dissuade a dentist from doing implant surgery on patients. These conditions include poor oral hygiene, low calcium or osteoporosis.

One of the greatest misconceptions include getting replacement teeth whenever the patient believes he is she is ready. The thing is, teeth move all the time. Which also means that if a replacement tooth is not planned for soon, you will find that your remaining teeth will reshuffle over a period of time and particularly some teeth will grow longer and start tilting into the missing space.

If you are missing a front tooth and this has been recent, then it is possible for a dental implant to be placed with a replacement temporary crown on the same day (Same Day Teeth). There will be the need for an xray to be seen by the dentist reviewing you. So please get a copy of your own xray if you want to bring it in for another opinion.

Remember dental implant treatment is not typically short - the average duration of dental implant treatment is anywhere from 3-6 month duration. Sometimes we may have to use bone grafts if there is little bone remaining.

When you are ready to consider having dental implants, it is absolutely crucial that you are aware of the quality of dental implant (which company has made the implant ie: a premium dental implant, standard dental implant or even ceramic dental implant) and the type of the crown that you will be getting (full ceramic, porcelain fused to metal or even gold). I like my patients to have screw retained dental implant crowns because I believe it's most retrievable if there is any future problems.

Hence when you decide on whether your quote has been reasonable, it is imperative that you participate in the decision as to what type of quality of implant or dental crown you are getting. You pay for quality - and you have a right to know why the prices are that much. Remember that experienced dentists also may naturally charge more for their skill - this is a very intimate surgical procedure which should last you for a very long time so you should research well before choosing your implant surgeon.

As a general guide, dental implant systems from Europe or America are typically more expensive that Korean dental implant systems. Ceramic Dental Implants are more expensive and I do these for discerning patients. A ceramic dental crown is also more expensive than a porcelain fused to metal implant crown. However a gold dental implant crown is usually the most expensive of the lot.

Finally, it is very important that you trust and enjoy the rapport of the dentist you choose for a dental implant. Experience in dental implantology is crucial if you wish to have an excellent outcome - the experience of the dentist is shown to be directly related to the long term survival of a dental implant. Also some patients prefer the dentist to be both placing the implant and doing the crown - as I do for my patients. I might sing whilst I am doing the procedures but don't hold this against me as it relaxes both you and me:)

yours,

Dr Samintharaj KUMAR