Dental Implants

[blazes]

My Canadian dentist has told me that I need to have a wisdom tooth extracted and then consult with an oral surgeon to determine whether I have enough bone tissue to support a titanium implant, which would then be one end of a bridge. At the end of the day, the whole operation would cost about CAN$7000 (about 210,000 bt).

So, two questions: I intend to be in Thailand for four months this winter, location as yet undetermined, but most likely Hua Hin or CM. Can anyone recommend Thai dentistry in general (or, if allowed in this forum, anyone in particular). Has anyone had experience of titanium implants in Thailand?

Costs I know are much cheaper than in the West, but how about general satisfaction with work done?

thanks for any advice you can give.

[taxout]

Four months may well not be enough, especially if you need a bone graft.

Note that supporting a bridge with a natural tooth at one end and an implant on the other isn't generally considered good practice, and some dentists may refuse to do it.

I'd strongly suggest sticking to the major clinics in Bangkok.

This post suggests the problems that can develop:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Thai-Dentist...ty-t167970.html

But note that it's in the nature of implants that there are risks, no matter how skilled the dentist.

[Sheryl]

From what I read on this board, implants are also not much cheaper in Thailand than they may be in your own country. Do a search of this forum for "dental implant"

[Tywais]

From what I read on this board, implants are also not much cheaper in Thailand than they may be in your own country. Do a search of this forum for "dental implant"

I believe that has to do with the implants themselves having to be imported. So, you have cost of the implant overseas + duties + tax. Any savings would be in the cost of the practitioner. Seems the cost is around 60k - 75k per implant here.

[simcity]

My first question, why do you want to do an implant for a wisdom tooth? But I understand you need it for a bridge.

I use to have a bridge, not on the wisdom but on the 2nd molar, the support tooth (2nd molar) went bad after 15 years, Solution I took was to get two implants, I did need some bone structure (1st molar) and it took about 14 weeks to have everything done. Price was 60000 baht and 65000 baht (2 implants / crown)

A good immune system make thing easy.

Few years later I done 2 more implants in Bangkok, time structure were 10 - 12 weeks; price around 65000 baht (1 implant)

In your solution, perhaps more of one implant will be better, not to have too much load on the support tooth?

I put some post already about my experience with implants in thaivisa / health

My dentist is quiet direct, I told him I will like to do one other 2nd molar, he told me I do not need it.

[taxout]

If the OP needs an implant, a three-unit crown and a bone graft, he'd be looking at upwards of US$3,000 in Thailand.

Further, if this is a lower wisdom tooth there's a nerve which can sometimes make placing an implant there dicey. He'll want an experienced dental surgeon.

[simcity]

Perhaps I am not getting the picture but why not looking at the solution to forgot about the wisdom and do two implants for the molars, just my idea

[taxout]

If those molars have been gone for many years there may not be enough bone without serious grafting work (i.e., a block graft not just the simple powdered stuff).

Edited July 20, 2009 by taxout

[Lopburi99]

Aside from the cost factor, just how heinous is the implant procedure? Blood, sweat and tears?

Or not too bad?

I've always hated getting dental work, even though it has rarely been painful. I just don't like somebody digging around in my mouth. And having a gaping bloody crater in my mouth makes me shudder.

When we visit Lopburi again I need to see the dentist back there again because last time he said I needed three teeth removed and implants put in. He quoted 10,500 baht. Obviously from what I've read here this is way off, clearly he didn't understand my question or I didn't understand his answer. Maybe he just meant the extractions but I don't think so. Extractions are cheap in LOS. I know dental work outside of BKK, Pattaya, Phuket, is less expensive but can't be that much less. I will say I had a filling done last year. He worked for 45 minutes. Total cost: 350 baht, I was astounded. It would be 10 times that in the States.

Now I understand why there are almost as many dental clinics in Pattaya as there are bars. They are gold mines with all the affluent ageing expats there with lousy teeth.

One question however, since implants are 50k+ baht that would make them out of reach for most Thai. But I have seen many with them. Are costs far less in the up country villages?

[Lancashirelad]

One question however, since implants are 50k+ baht that would make them out of reach for most Thai. But I have seen many with them.

How can you tell they've got implants? Whole idea is they look & act like a normal tooth.

Oddly enough, i came to this thread looking for a link to the Mahidol University dental clinic. Anybody got a link?

As Sheryl has correctly said, implants are not cheap in Thailand, costing almost the same as the UK. However, routine dentistry is relatively inexpensive.

Philippines would be cheaper. Cheapest: Costa Rica & India.

The problem with traveling specially to have them done is that a minimum of 2 visits are required, often more, and then an annual check up.

So i figure it might be more cost effective to pay a bit more to have them done somewhere where you are going to be anyway.

I've been looking into this on and off for over a year now. I need to get my ass into action or i too will need bone graft aswell. (It degenerates when there is no load on it).

[Lancashirelad]

Gotthe link thanks to a posting by Chatette.

http://www.dt.mahidol.ac.th/en/index.html

[Lopburi99]

How can you tell they've got implants? Whole idea is they look & act like a normal tooth.

Sorry, poorly phrased. I should have said I have been told many people I've met had implants. I wouldn't let my wife inquire as to the cost because I don't like people always saying "How much? How much?" and I don't want to get into that either. I knew I'd get all the facts here on TV. However, when I do get the true costs of implants in Lopburi, I'll post it on this thread just for information purposes for people living nearby.

[taxout]

Your mileage may vary, but I'd say implants are much less stressful than root canals and extractions.

As to getting them done outside Bangkok and Chiang Mai, even the most skilled dentist needs a lot of experience to do implants well, and he's not likely to get that experience in areas where there's not much demand for them. So I'd suggest heading to an experienced specialist in implants, remembering that implants are -- hopefully -- forever. Not a time to be skint.

[foxxy]

My Canadian dentist has told me that I need to have a wisdom tooth extracted and then consult with an oral surgeon to determine whether I have enough bone tissue to support a titanium implant, which would then be one end of a bridge. At the end of the day, the whole operation would cost about CAN$7000 (about 210,000 bt).

So, two questions: I intend to be in Thailand for four months this winter, location as yet undetermined, but most likely Hua Hin or CM. Can anyone recommend Thai dentistry in general (or, if allowed in this forum, anyone in particular). Has anyone had experience of titanium implants in Thailand?

Costs I know are much cheaper than in the West, but how about general satisfaction with work done?

thanks for any advice you can give.

If you are going to have wisdom tooth extracted then titanium implant, 4 months is not going to be enough.

- It will take about a month to rest and set after the wisdom tooth is removed.

- then you will take a special kind of Xray (cost ranking from THB 3000-7000) to determine whether you have enough bone issue to support the implant

- the surgeon will fix titanium root inside, then you wait another 4-6 months for the implant to set before they finish up with the crown.

This whole process should cost around THB 50K-100K. Yet it doesnt include more time+cost in case you need to fix the supporting bone around the implant area...

[KhunAussie52]

The cost of Implants in Udon Thani.......is between 10000 baht (Thai price) to 30000 baht Farang price.per tooth

[think_too_mut]

From what I read on this board, implants are also not much cheaper in Thailand than they may be in your own country. Do a search of this forum for "dental implant"

I was quoted (although a bit of a murky quote that could stretch further) 450,000B for what I need, 13,000US$. It will have to take 5-6 trips and lots of luck not to get some infection while not there.

Actually, more than I need (now) but the doctor said if I don't do it within a year or two, my sinuses will fall down making it more complicated to make upper jaw implants.

More surgery, more pain, to lift the sinuses and prevent implants protruding them.

In Japan, I was quoted 50K US$ and 10 months for it all.

With 5-6 trips for dental work to Thailand I would have lost my job (even if using my alloted holidays), as plain as that. And I am not there if I need a doctor to have a look should something goe wrong or break (temporary teeth break after 5-8 weeks, for example).

Also, in Thai, most clinics will send you to a specialized one that do surgeries as on a conveyer. If you need help after that, they will have to dig out who did you and if he is available at all.

Also, one big difference in price comes from outrageous insurances that dentists (and all doctors) have to pay for themselves and their business in the West. If something goes wrong, they may have to pay 100s K or even millions in damages. Even if there is no medical error, about 20% of cases in the US end up in plantiff winning some or lot of money.

Thais do not have that that high.

Edited September 1, 2009 by think_too_mut