Is it worth getting teeth implants at 81?

[giddyup]

Like someone said, if I knew I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of my teeth. I have now lost almost all my molars so chewing food has become quite difficult, so I have two choices, dentures or implants. Implants can involve bone grafts and obviously greater expense, but the idea of dentures doesn't thrill me either, like how long does it take to adapt to them? Anyone else had to make this choice?

[couchpotato]

3 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Like someone said, if I knew I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of my teeth. I have now lost almost all my molars so chewing food has become quite difficult, so I have two choices, dentures or implants. Implants can involve bone grafts and obviously greater expense, but the idea of dentures doesn't thrill me either, like how long does it take to adapt to them? Anyone else had to make this choice?

Implants are costly (40-70k dependant on brand). Once the screw base is inserted, it can take over 6 mths for the graft to heal.

So time consuming and costly.

 

At 81 you may find dentures a better choice.

[Crossy]

My lady (mid 70s) had (very expensive) implants.

 

When she had chemo, bone loss made them all fall out ???? 

 

She now has (slightly less expensive) dentures.

 

BTW she's all-clear on the Big-C, down to one CT-scan every 12 months ???? 

[CharlieKo]

If you go for implants. You would need at least 3 months to heal after the 1st operation. 

[4MyEgo]

I thought about it at age 63, then the cost outweighed the thought.

 

Dentures would be the way to go, i.e. unless your looking to impress the ladies ????

[retarius]

I just got told that I don't have enough bone left where a couple of my molars were....how would I like dentures? Honestly, I'm a gagger, anything in the back of my mouth and I retch. I'm not sure I could stand top have dentures in my mouth. Funny my mother and father both died with all their teeth, born in the 20's and 30's. When I was a kid I never saw anyone over the age of 30 without dentures, apart from my parents. Probably an exaggeration but almost all the teachers in high school had dentures.

[3NUMBAS]

i have bone loss thru taking amlodipine so have to change meds to get my gums in good order for implants 

[giddyup]

OK, so seems like dentures might be my best choice, so the question is for those that have them, how quickly did you adapt to them?

[steven100]

i wouldn't think so ....   if you can get by without new implants why bother at an elderly age. 

[giddyup]

12 minutes ago, retarius said:

I just got told that I don't have enough bone left where a couple of my molars were....how would I like dentures? Honestly, I'm a gagger, anything in the back of my mouth and I retch. I'm not sure I could stand top have dentures in my mouth. Funny my mother and father both died with all their teeth, born in the 20's and 30's. When I was a kid I never saw anyone over the age of 30 without dentures, apart from my parents. Probably an exaggeration but almost all the teachers in high school had dentures.

Back in the 1960's I knew people in their 20's  who actually decided to have all their teeth pulled to avoid all the expense and discomfort associated with fillings.

[Shop mak]

Dentist make dentures as deep inside your mouth as you feel comfortable with.

My older brother got dentures almost 10 years ago.

He wanted only 1/2 deep inside his mouth.

He still chew beef and other food. Feel a little pressure but thats it.

He removes dentures before sleep, in a box with cleaning liquid.

 

When he smiles big, I can sometime see the hook that connect denture with his corner teeth.

 

He said, luckily im married. If I was single and still dating and look for relationship, I might choosen implants. Rather than full disclosure to a possible new partner.

 

Cost is another thing.

Dentures comes in many prices but cheap, while implants are still very expensive.

 

Pain would be a big point for me personally, I'm not to found of any dentists.

At 81, I would go for dentures, unless one still chasing the ladies.

 

 

[lopburi3]

On this topic there is also the question of removal/fixed/partial/full dentures and suspect all have a place and different learning curves.

[giddyup]

2 minutes ago, Shop mak said:

Dentist make dentures as deep inside your mouth as you feel comfortable with.

My older brother got dentures almost 10 years ago.

He wanted only 1/2 deep inside his mouth.

He still chew beef and other food. Feel a little pressure but thats it.

He removes dentures before sleep, in a box with cleaning liquid.

 

When he smiles big, I can sometime see the hook that connect denture with his corner teeth.

 

He said, luckily im married. If I was single and still dating and look for relationship, I might choosen implants. Rather than full disclosure to a possible new partner.

 

Cost is another thing.

Dentures comes in many prices but cheap, while implants are still very expensive.

 

Pain would be a big point for me personally, I'm not to found of any dentists.

At 81, I would go for dentures, unless one still chasing the ladies.

 

 

I have spent a lot of time (and money) in the dentist chair over the years in an effort to preserve my teeth, but in the end they got filled so many times that they had to come out. Still have around 7 teeth left at the top and bottom, total 14.

[Jeff the Chef]

I'm 70, have a full top set and a 90% of bottom set, had them changed every 10 years or so, top set is easy to get used too if they are made and fitted well, bottom set can be a bit iffy if you dont have any teeth left to help locate them. For me it takes about a fortnight to get used to a new set. but I've had them for 50 years.

[giddyup]

6 minutes ago, Shop mak said:

Dentist make dentures as deep inside your mouth as you feel comfortable with.

My older brother got dentures almost 10 years ago.

He wanted only 1/2 deep inside his mouth.

He still chew beef and other food. Feel a little pressure but thats it.

He removes dentures before sleep, in a box with cleaning liquid.

 

When he smiles big, I can sometime see the hook that connect denture with his corner teeth.

 

He said, luckily im married. If I was single and still dating and look for relationship, I might choosen implants. Rather than full disclosure to a possible new partner.

 

Cost is another thing.

Dentures comes in many prices but cheap, while implants are still very expensive.

 

Pain would be a big point for me personally, I'm not to found of any dentists.

At 81, I would go for dentures, unless one still chasing the ladies.

 

 

Not sure what you mean by "half deep". Is that how far the dentures go back in your mouth?

[giddyup]

2 minutes ago, Jeff the Chef said:

I'm 70, have a full top set and a 90% of bottom set, had them changed every 10 years or so, top set is easy to get used too if they are made and fitted well, bottom set can be a bit iffy if you dont have any teeth left to help locate them. For me it takes about a fortnight to get used to a new set. but I've had them for 50 years.

Have 14 left at the front, 7 top and 7 bottom. Would that help with location?

[Jeff the Chef]

4 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Have 14 left at the front, 7 top and 7 bottom. Would that help with location?

Definitely, even better if they are at the sides as well, there is a possibility that with 7 good teeth top and bottom you will get a partial denture which will be far easier to get used too.

[Lacessit]

16 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Back in the 1960's I knew people in their 20's  who actually decided to have all their teeth pulled to avoid all the expense and discomfort associated with fillings.

They probably regretted it later in life, when their gums shrunk and the dentures no longer fitted properly.

I have three implants and a partial denture, as I don't know how long I have I'll just keep renewing fillings.

[Baht Simpson]

20 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Back in the 1960's I knew people in their 20's  who actually decided to have all their teeth pulled to avoid all the expense and discomfort associated with fillings.

Yes, my mother's cousin  had all her teeth removed as a 21st birthday present. It was also customary to have your teeth pulled if one was rotten in the British army in WW2. Last thing they could afford was soldiers with toothache.

[connda]

It's rather invasive.  How well do you heal at your age?  That's the question you'll need to ask yourself as the last thing you want to happen is not healing well, getting an infection, and......that's not a good position to be in at 81.  But if you're super healthy, young as spry as a 61 year old, then maybe yes.  Ask yourself that question and go with your intuition.

[Shop mak]

18 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Not sure what you mean by "half deep". Is that how far the dentures go back in your mouth?

His partly denture only have 3-4 teeth behind the long corner K9 teeth. Not as far in as wisdom teeth  Less chewing area, but no gag vomit reflex.

 

If you still have your long corner teeth, that serve as a good anchor connection point for partial denture.

Never asked my brother how long it took him to get used to it, but after 1 year he never said anything about his dentures.

[ripstanley]

My dad would only clean his teeth once a day as soon as he got out of bed. He died at 93 in 2015 with only 1 extraction and 2 fillings. I did not take after him. Sorry for being off topic.

Edited September 11, 2023 by ripstanley

[connda]

24 minutes ago, giddyup said:

I have spent a lot of time (and money) in the dentist chair over the years in an effort to preserve my teeth, but in the end they got filled so many times that they had to come out. Still have around 7 teeth left at the top and bottom, total 14.

Dentures methinks. 

[Celsius]

Congratulations on being 81 the same age as Indiana Jones

[10years]

My teeth were disintegrating down to their roots. I still had some good teeth left, but the problem is that in order to chew food, you need 2 teeth above and below the other. I was reduced to only 1 such pair.

 

The national universities have dental schools. They need patients for their undergraduate students to practice on. I agreed for them to remove all my teeth - good or bad - and install full dentures. All the work cost me nothing. Even the medication was free. I had to pay for X-rays as that was a different department. One coed student with a sharp eye noticed something on an X-ray. Turned out it was a cyst and a teacher extracted it.

 

The ceramic dentures were molded by a grad student. It took many sittings. I was getting impatient cause he didn't explain what he was doing. Turned out the upper denture stays in place with suction. It fits that closely. I know other people who constantly need to adjust their dentures when eating a meal, or need to glue their denture on every day. It's amazing. I forget that I'm wearing them.

 

I had to pay for the dentures and the surgery, but Social Security reimbursed me in full. Partial or full dentures are a benefit for SSO members. You're allowed to get new dentures every X years.

 

If your original molars didn't bother you, neither will dentures.

 

There is one major downside to dentures. Because they sit on your gums, they don't directly stimulate your jawbones like implants do, and you will suffer bone loss. My chin is deformed as a result. If I had known this would happen, I would never have chosen dentures.

 

 

[Jelli]

My mother has great dental coverage and got implants by tooth at near 90. I wouldn't have recommended that at all and I think the dentist took advantage of her. She didn't like the idea of dentures and losing all her teeth. As her mouth further deteriorated having full dentures would have been the best option and she readily admits now.

 

Do you see yourself living to 95? Got a shot at it?

[Jelli]

I need an implant if anyone can recommend a solid clinic that is not the typical farang clinics which I've already visited and dislike I would appreciate it.

 

I have root canal that's gone bad. The nerve gives me problems and the tooth really good if you need to come out.

[GammaGlobulin]

2 hours ago, Crossy said:

My lady (mid 70s) had (very expensive) implants.

 

When she had chemo, bone loss made them all fall out ???? 

 

She now has (slightly less expensive) dentures.

 

BTW she's all-clear on the Big-C, down to one CT-scan every 12 months ???? 

Good news about beating the Big-C, absolutely.

 

However, I am puzzled that someone told me you were in your early forties.

 

I will DEFINITELY go for three implants later this year.

My dentist recommends it.

 

If I get hit by a bus, upon completion of the endosteal implant work, at least I will know that I had followed my dentist's advice.

 

The only thing I am worried about might be the pain involved (if any), and time in the chair.

My dentist has a chair imported from Japan, I think, and it's not big enough for me.

 

Concerning implants at 81?

I would first discuss this with more than one dental expert.

However, I would still be inclined to go with implants rather than dentures of any kind.

My bone strength is still adequate, and this factor needs to be checked.

 

I would contact this site to get the unvarnished truth about dental implants for my age group. The dental school here is not bad, and they will sometimes provide basic advice, as well as informative links, even if you go elsewhere to have the work done:   https://penndentalmedicine.org/our-services/prosthodontics/implants/

 

 

 

 

[nglodnig]

I got fed up with having (expensive) crowns fitted so the last time one disintegrated (they seem to have a lifespan of ten years) I said just whip the whole tooth out.

 

I 'm on my third sent of dentures now, get a new set as the teeth came out. CM Ram charged me quite a lot (can't remember) but the last set I got round the corner in Hang Dong and cost something like 1500 baht! Fit perfectly, work well.

 

I'm getting another tooth removed soon will get another set ordered when I get back to Thailand.

 

I'm not even THINKING about implants. 

[FruitPudding]

Thanks for reminding me to floss, guys.