EastHumboldt
WKR
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2020
- Messages
- 1,785
Sorry about how long this is. For me it feels like a complicated decision. For clarification, I’m only talking about my upper jaw. I’m 67 years old.
I lost several of my upper front teeth in an accident about 45 years ago. I had various veneers, crowns, and about 16 years ago, a six tooth bridge which was anchored on what was left of 3 front teeth. Recently those 3 teeth gave up the ghost and had to be extracted along with the two adjacent teeth which were showing bone loss in the jaw. So now I’m missing my 8 front upper teeth. Four bone grafts were done at the time of extraction in early November, preparatory to installing four future titanium implants and a future 8 tooth bridge. The titanium implants were scheduled for March, 2026 and the bridge install four months after that. I still have two 3 tooth bridges (molars)on either side of my upper arch. One bridge is 2 years old, one is 15 years old. I have a temporary partial denture to get me by in the meantime.
My old dentist who was gonna finish this project no longer takes my insurance, so I went looking for a new one. First one I went to see said it’s not smart to keep the two 3 tooth bridges, and if they fail, I’ll have to redo them or do a full arch anyway, so why not just do a full arch on six implants now for $22k? They also said one of the bridges was showing bone loss on one tooth, so that’s worrisome. I don’t trust this particular outfit because they seemed a little like “What can we do to put you in a new set of teeth today?” That doesn’t mean that the idea of a full arch prosthesis is a bad one.
I’ve had various old school bridges set on natural teeth for years and I understand how to keep the roots somewhat clean, and I also understand that they seem to fail eventually anyway. The two bridges I have left have a gap between the gums and the bridge which is pretty easy to floss, but is definitely a food trap and I get stuff out of there every single night. I was told the full arch would fit so tight to the gums that food and bacteria can’t get in there. Sounds like BS to me.
SUMMARY:
Existing condition upper arch… 8 front teeth gone, 4 bone grafts emplaced early November 2025 and paid for, 3 tooth molar bridge remains on each side.
Plan A was 4 titanium implants, new 8 tooth bridge, keep the two existing 3 tooth bridges. I already paid for the 4 bone grafts. About $16k left to do plan A. Plan A was slow and old school. One visit - Pull teeth, do bone grafts. Let heal 4 months. Next visit install titanium implants, Let heal 4 more months. Next visit install partial arch prosthesis. Seems about right.
Plan B is a 14 tooth full upper arch with six titanium implants, about $22k. Plan B full arch is made of milled zirconia which is sposed to be nearly as hard as diamonds. Plan B is more money but sounds like maybe a better long term solution. Plan B is a new approach. First visit pull remaining teeth ( molar bridges) install implants same day, install temporary prosthesis. Go on a soft food diet for eight weeks while things heal. Install full arch permanent prosthesis at 3 months or so. Seems a bit rushed? Their big theme is “you get new teeth the same day!”
Questions:
Are there any advantages to keeping the three-tooth bridges which are set on natural teeth? ( molars) one on each side. I was told X-rays show bone loss in one of those teeth ( by the lady who was trying to sell me the full arch prosthesis) One bridge is 2 years old, the other is 15 years old.
Are the titanium implants/ full arch prosthesis easy to keep clean?
Life expectancy of this vs existing bridges?
Anybody have one of these full arch set-ups installed? Good or bad stories?
Should I be scared of the “New teeth the same day” approach? Or the purveyors thereof?
I lost several of my upper front teeth in an accident about 45 years ago. I had various veneers, crowns, and about 16 years ago, a six tooth bridge which was anchored on what was left of 3 front teeth. Recently those 3 teeth gave up the ghost and had to be extracted along with the two adjacent teeth which were showing bone loss in the jaw. So now I’m missing my 8 front upper teeth. Four bone grafts were done at the time of extraction in early November, preparatory to installing four future titanium implants and a future 8 tooth bridge. The titanium implants were scheduled for March, 2026 and the bridge install four months after that. I still have two 3 tooth bridges (molars)on either side of my upper arch. One bridge is 2 years old, one is 15 years old. I have a temporary partial denture to get me by in the meantime.
My old dentist who was gonna finish this project no longer takes my insurance, so I went looking for a new one. First one I went to see said it’s not smart to keep the two 3 tooth bridges, and if they fail, I’ll have to redo them or do a full arch anyway, so why not just do a full arch on six implants now for $22k? They also said one of the bridges was showing bone loss on one tooth, so that’s worrisome. I don’t trust this particular outfit because they seemed a little like “What can we do to put you in a new set of teeth today?” That doesn’t mean that the idea of a full arch prosthesis is a bad one.
I’ve had various old school bridges set on natural teeth for years and I understand how to keep the roots somewhat clean, and I also understand that they seem to fail eventually anyway. The two bridges I have left have a gap between the gums and the bridge which is pretty easy to floss, but is definitely a food trap and I get stuff out of there every single night. I was told the full arch would fit so tight to the gums that food and bacteria can’t get in there. Sounds like BS to me.
SUMMARY:
Existing condition upper arch… 8 front teeth gone, 4 bone grafts emplaced early November 2025 and paid for, 3 tooth molar bridge remains on each side.
Plan A was 4 titanium implants, new 8 tooth bridge, keep the two existing 3 tooth bridges. I already paid for the 4 bone grafts. About $16k left to do plan A. Plan A was slow and old school. One visit - Pull teeth, do bone grafts. Let heal 4 months. Next visit install titanium implants, Let heal 4 more months. Next visit install partial arch prosthesis. Seems about right.
Plan B is a 14 tooth full upper arch with six titanium implants, about $22k. Plan B full arch is made of milled zirconia which is sposed to be nearly as hard as diamonds. Plan B is more money but sounds like maybe a better long term solution. Plan B is a new approach. First visit pull remaining teeth ( molar bridges) install implants same day, install temporary prosthesis. Go on a soft food diet for eight weeks while things heal. Install full arch permanent prosthesis at 3 months or so. Seems a bit rushed? Their big theme is “you get new teeth the same day!”
Questions:
Are there any advantages to keeping the three-tooth bridges which are set on natural teeth? ( molars) one on each side. I was told X-rays show bone loss in one of those teeth ( by the lady who was trying to sell me the full arch prosthesis) One bridge is 2 years old, the other is 15 years old.
Are the titanium implants/ full arch prosthesis easy to keep clean?
Life expectancy of this vs existing bridges?
Anybody have one of these full arch set-ups installed? Good or bad stories?
Should I be scared of the “New teeth the same day” approach? Or the purveyors thereof?
