Depressed

[iamjo]

I am 35 years old and for the last 15 years i have had a bridge for 5 front teeth that i had beaten out of me so to speak but lately i am getting very depressed about this, i have no sef esteem, i dont like smiling, i wont socialise anymore. I asked my dentist is there anything they can do and all they can do is make another bridge, i dont want another on, i just wish i had my old teeth again, please help me.

[Dr Sepehrara]

Hi

sorry to hear your smile is making you feel like this.

If you have missing teeth the options to feel the gaps are:
- denture (removable plate with fake teeth)
- bridge
- implant (titanium screw placed into the jaw bone, which holds a crown).

All of the above can look very natural if done by a highly skilled dentist who uses a good lab.

It is obviously difficult for me to comment what treatment would be the best for you without seeing your mouth. If you don't want a bridge, you can consider the other two options above.

Hope this helps

Kind Regards

Raha

[iamjo]

I have a bridge already and hate it.

I like this idea though, implant (titanium screw placed into the jaw bone, which holds a crown). But isnt that expensive? as on benefits would they do it? I dont want false teeth or a bridge, i want something that will look natural that i dont have to take out to clean all the time. The implant option about you have to have bone there, i think i dont now so can that still work and do you have to remove crowns to clean?

[Dr Sepehrara]

Hi

unfortunately implants are not provided on the NHS. They are provided only in certain circumstances i.e cancer , etc

The price of an implant ranges from £1700 to £2500.00 on average per implant. The price depends on complexity of case, type of implant being used, experience of surgeon, quality of materials being used , etc. You could consider finance to spread the cost of the treatment if you were interested in having an implant.

If you decide to have the implant with a crown on top, this will be fixed and your dentist and hygienist will show you how to look after it to increase its longevity.

I hope this helps

Best of Luck

Raha

[iamjo]

Thankyou for your reply. I like the idea of implants, so i would need 4 for the front teeth as no teeth there but im not sure on the bone part of it as its been 15 years since i got the bridge and the bone would be gone wouldnt it? The bridge dont fit right, i have to use fixative cream to keep it in, my dentist said i wouldnt!!!! I am a nervous patient and have had bad experience with dentists in the past. I just want to feel human again and have more confidence and smile.

[Dr Sepehrara]

hi

its difficult to answer exactly what you may require. But if you have 5 teeth missing, it may be possible to place to 3 implants which carry 5 teeth(bridges). If you do not have enough available bone, depending on the clinical and radiographic examination, then you may require a bone graft.

Good Luck!

Raha

[iamjo]

I do have a tooth missing at the side now so i do have 5 missing but the 4 at front are on a bridge. I dont want another bridge. Implants are not a bridge are they? Sorry for the questions. The bone graft, where would that take place if i needed it, not in the dentist surgery? Where would they take bone from and exactly what is the procedure?

[Dr Sepehrara]

Hi

the bone graft can be done by the implant surgeon (please bear in mind not everyone carries out this procedure and you may have to be referred elsewhere to have this done).

Please have a look at the cosmetic guide website where there is an implant article written by our implant dentist, Dr Bohara, and this covers most aspects of implant treatment.

the link is Dental Implants | Cosmetic dentistry guide

I hope this helps

Kind Regards

Raha