The Lemon Fool

I have lost a tooth and a dental bridge has been suggested. The dentist said it would cost about £2K. When I look on the web, prices are quoted at a third of that or less, but some say "per tooth". I expect that I will have to pay for replacing the crowns on the two teeth that will support the bridge and for the bridge itself. Does that explain the apparent tripling of the cost? Does anyone have any experience here?

I had one done, privately, for about £1k.
It was glued to one adjacent tooth.
Very good dentist, but after it came unstuck twice, I decided not to bother with it again. Not everything works out, and I'd rather have a gap than a falsie I have to worry about.

V8

Perhaps consider an implant tooth?

monabri wrote:Perhaps consider an implant tooth?

"About £2,600" and takes longer. The dentist has computer controlled milling machine and can make crowns and fit them in one session. I expect that applies to bridges too.

GeoffF100 wrote:

monabri wrote:Perhaps consider an implant tooth?

"About £2,600" and takes longer. The dentist has computer controlled milling machine and can make crowns and fit them in one session. I expect that applies to bridges too.

£2,600 is only £600 more than the £2,000 you were quoted for a bridge, which is an inferior long-term solution. A friend of mine lost a tooth in a motor-bike accident when he was 16. He had the bridge solution for many years but it was a source of ongoing problems and harder to keep clean. So in the end he got an implant which is a real tooth for all practical purposes.

So another vote here for an implant unless you really see this as purely a financial decision which, given your choice of board, you may. Although an implant could prove cheaper in the long run, depending on your age I suppose.

I lost an upper front tooth holding a torch in my mouth a few years ago.

I was presented with a range of options from the cheapest to the (2k +) dearest...I went for a denture, because I thought it would be easy enough to upgrade if need be (it was also the quickest). I still have the invoice. In 2017 it cost a total £71, including the extraction of the remaining bit of the old tooth.

I still have it today. The false tooth has broken off twice (I panicked the first time because when I spat it out, I thought it was a real tooth. Both times it was sent away for a week and repaired FOC.

NHS Dentist.

I'm told that an implant procedure is even more unpleasant than dental procedures usually are. YPMV*.

*Your Pain May Vary

Dental tourism is a thing these days, a city break in Budapest and coming home with a new bridge might work out cheaper.

None of my Hungarian friends would contemplate using UK dentists on both quality and cost grounds.

John

Actually, I have not told the full story. I lost a tooth from the upper jaw second from the back some years ago, and have not really missed it.

I have more recently had problems with the back tooth below it. It had a root canal filling but it got infected. If has been cleaned out twice, but keeps getting reinfected. The likely cause is a hairline crack, but there is nothing big enough to show up on an X-ray. They have taken plenty. I have been advised that there is now no chance of the tooth pulling through. It is not causing me a lot of trouble, but it could cause issues if I left it.

The dentist thinks that I will have problems with both teeth missing. (That could be his sales pitch, of course.) He thinks that I would be fine with a bridge for the upper tooth. Replacing the lower tooth would need an implant. That is a long process, and is not guaranteed to be a success, whereas the bridge is quick and certain. I expect that he would like to sell me an implant and a bridge.

I want a top quality job, and do not mind paying for it, but I do not want to be taken for a fool. His price looked way over the top, but since he has to redo two crowns and fit the bridge it may not be.

GeoffF100 wrote:The dentist thinks that I will have problems with both teeth missing. (That could be his sales pitch, of course.) He thinks that I would be fine with a bridge for the upper tooth. Replacing the lower tooth would need an implant. That is a long process, and is not guaranteed to be a success, whereas the bridge is quick and certain. I expect that he would like to sell me an implant and a bridge.

Yes, I turned down the offer (hard sell) of an implant, not because of the cost but because it was going to be at least three appointments, each three months apart, with a risk it could take longer or fail.

Scott.

Over a few years I have had three implants, a root fill and a crown. The total cost was similar to that for a small car.

The initial work is not pleasant and painful for a day or two. So much that one wonders if it is all worth it! A few months later one can actually enjoy the dentist painlessly checking the titanium implant is fixed to the bone with a miniature torque wrench .

The finished result is very comfortable despite having to pay a fortune through (perfect) gritted "teeth". I feel lucky to have a good set when remembering my parents, uncles and aunts who lost quite a few at my age or much younger and could no longer enjoy a good steak. The dental work also supports surrounding teeth, so helps to protect the rest.

I assessed it as an expensive health investment, having carefully checked that the dentist would do a good job. A friend who'd had similar treatment enthusiastically encouraged me to shrug off the expense and go ahead. Good advice, but I noted he owned a helicopter .

regards

Howard

GeoffF100 wrote:The dentist thinks that I will have problems with both teeth missing.

If two opposing teeth are missing, then you will lose that part of your bite, which might lead to you (unconsciously) eating more on the other side of the mouth. Whether that causes a problem....

Assuming you lose the lower tooth, in time the gum will shrink and the bone. Eventually it will be impossible to have an implant without a bone graft which is yet another painful step. I have a long-standing two-tooth gap in the lower left where that situation pertains, I have decided to do nothing but it does leave one more reliant on the right-hand teeth.

The downside of an implant - other than the cost - is the need for meticulous cleaning, as any gum shrinkage due to tartar will lead to the implant root being exposed, not a good look!

V8

redsturgeon wrote:Dental tourism is a thing these days, a city break in Budapest and coming home with a new bridge might work out cheaper.

None of my Hungarian friends would contemplate using UK dentists on both quality and cost grounds.

John

Advice in the past has been against dental tourism as being too risky and yet now the government is considering plans to allow dentists from abroad to work without taking an exam to check their education and skills.
So rather than go abroad and get good treatment at half the price, stay home and pay astronomical UK dental prices from a foreign dentist who's skill levels are uncertain

Well, I have had seven implants over during the last 20 years including 4 in Saudi Arabia. Never had a problem or a hint of pain, easy to clean too, using a water flosser and tape. If youcan afford it, go for it.

john

A bit of work with Google answers my question.

"If you're replacing one tooth you'll need a three-unit bridge – unless you are eligible for a cantilever bridge requiring just two – and replacing two teeth will require four units.

Type of bridge: Traditional fixed crown and bridge

Average cost (private treatment): £250 - £800 per unit"

https://www.dentaly.org/en/dental-bridge-information/

My dentist seems to be at the pricier end of the spectrum, but is very capable and well equipped. The most important consideration is first class treatment, and better the devil I know. There may be some room for negotiation.