Dental implant didn’t fit

JuicyBrat

After having gone through 7 months of this process, what should have been a final fitting yesterday, the implant (upper arch) didn't fit. The implantologist said it was 3mm out and was rocking on the left side. He took new impressions and sent them to the lab to be remade. It will take another 4 weeks for this to be done. I have a wedding to attend in April and was hoping ot have my brand new teeth by then, instead I'll have to wear the temporary denture I've been wearing for the last 7 months. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement! But I do understand and appreciate that he felt it was best to have them remade rather than trying to make them fit (I'm fully aware of the issues that could have potentially arisen down the line). Has this happened to anyone and, if you don't mind sharing, how did it make you feel?

flaneurs_lobster

My last implant-retained denture was returned to the lab twice, but my dentist (of 35 years) is an annoying perfectionist.

How did it make me feel?

a) glad that I ended up with the best outcome available

b) significantly poorer

JuicyBrat

@flaneurs_lobster LOOL, thank you for sharing. I hadn't anticipated that there would be any issues and only focused on the final fitting being 'perfect'. Thankfully, I wasn't charged extra to fix the issue. I feel reasssured reading about your experience and, despite things being slightly delayed, I do believe I will have the best outcome possible 😊

flaneurs_lobster

Just to clarify, the multiple returns to the dental lab didn't incur any additional cost over the quote obtained at the beginning of the process. TBH, the cost of the prosthesis is a minor part of the overall cost, albeit by no means cheap!

JuicyBrat

Oh, thank you for clarifying. I too have been with this dental practice for 35+ years (the owner's son took over the business and specialises in implants). This is the first huge financial investment in myself (other than taking out a student loan and getting a degree 5 years ago at age 58!). I'm excited for myself, mostly for restoring my smile and the confidence it will bring. I don't know anyone who has dental implants. Can I ask, are there any particular products I should think about purchasing or tips you can offer to help me maintain them?

flaneurs_lobster

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81922816#Comment_81922816

Your practice will have a hygienist, they're the people to ask.

Chewy toffee is out.

If you've space on a bathroom shelf then a water flosser can be useful for cleaning the fiddly bits.

JuicyBrat

🤣 I haven't been able to chew toffee long before I needed implants! I'll no doubt need to book in a hygeniest appointment at some point after the implant is fitted so I'll discuss implant maintenance with them. I've heard about water flossers so I'll also look into investing in one. Thanks so much for your kind responses and humour!

Toothsmith

Get specific advice for you and your implants from the people treating you. I'm not a huge fan of water flossers, although they can have a use in certain circumstances. Don't just invest in one from a random tip on a website. You may not have the same fiddly bits, and other things might be more helpful for you.

JuicyBrat

@Toothsmith ahh this is good advice and makes sense. I probably would’ve just invested in one for the sake of it without really considering the pros/cons so thanks for the tip. I feel like there’ll be many new things for me to learn about maintaining the implant. There seems to be lots of (bad) stories in the press and social media about dental tourism but very little is mentioned about getting it done in the UK. I’m interested in finding out about people’s experience post surgery and some of the pitfalls to be mindful of which is why I decided to try MSE. Thanks 🤩

welshdent

If it makes you feel any better, we get just as frustrated when lab work doesnt fit and it does cost us money each time, even if just in lost clincal time. We dont want it to happen but sometimes things do just not go quite right. Its FAR better to have it corrected when the error is spotted than having an upset person and an inadequate prosthesis screwed or cemented in. Sounds like you are in good hands with someone trying to get it right.

JuicyBrat

@welshdent In my frustration (and ignorance), I hadn't thought about it from the implantologist or lab technician's perspective. I understand it's not something anybody wants so thanks for highlighting that for me. The implantologist was apologetic but made it clear he would rather send the implant back to get a perfect fit rather than forcing it to fit. So, yes I feel like I'm in good hands (everything else in this process has gone relatively smooth). Thank you 😊