[Bailey11]

Hi everybody,i'm so glad I found this site as there seems to be a lot of good info on here.
I am 53 years old and have decided to get a full upper implant overdenture(my bottom teeth are fine) I have had both sinus lifts along with bone grafting,extractions and temporary mini implants inserted.
One week later I went for a follow up and the surgeon could not be happier at how everything had healed so well.
However he did mention that my bone around the front is soft and porus,maybe a sign of osteopenia but not a problem.I had a bone density test done 3 years ago and it was fine so i suppose I should scheduel another one.I told him that from what I knew the treatment meds interfere with implant success but he replied only if you have been on those meds for a lot of years and in my case if I do have to use them it would probably only be for about 6 months.

My next concern is that I am an ex smoker,quit 3 years ago but still use the nicorette gum occasionaly.Could this interfere with my chances of implant success?

Finally,I do like my glass of wine,am a bit of a party girl and like to drink at the weekends,sometimes quiet a lot.Could this be another strike against me?

Other than my vices mentioned I am in excellent health,excercise daily and eat healthy.

I would love some answers before I commit myself as the full procedure will cost me almost 40,000.

Thank you,Bailey

[Bryanna]

Hi Bailey,

From your post it sounds like you had bone loss in your upper arch and even with the lifts and grafts there was only enough solid bone to place the mini (imteck) implants. They work fine with holding in a denture, if the existing bone is healthy and they integrate well with it. Did the dentist place implants in the front area that he said was soft and porous? If so, then those implants could be a potential problem due to the lack of solid integration between implant and bone. Did he talk to about that? Perhaps he didn't place implants in that area?

It would be wise to have another bone density test done to compare to the last one you had 3 years ago. Women in their 50's tend to start to have a decrease in bone mass due to in part hormonal imbalances and vitamin D deficiencies. It may also be a good idea to have your vitamin D levels tested with a specific serum test called 25 (OH) D. The health and balance of our hormones including cholesterol as well as many other physical issues depend on adequate levels of vitamin D contiuously circulating in our blood.

Congratulations on quitting smoking!! Hopefully one day you can wean yourself off of the nicorette too!

With regard to dental side affects of using nicorette and drinking alot of alcohol........ sorry to be a party pooper.......but you asked ........

Nicorette works by pushing the nicotine from the gum into the gum tissue.
As you probably already know, nicotine constricts blood vessels which causes a restriction in the circulation of blood. Our gum tissue and jawbone need continual blood circulation as nourishment to stay healthy. Without it, the incidence of cavities, infections and periodontal disease increase. Nicotine in any form is also a known contributor to oral cancer especially in people who tend to have any form of mouth ulcers....... herpes or other. Even in someone who has an occasional mouth ulcer..... the nicotine alters the cell structure of that ulcer and predisposes that site to malignancy.

Alcohol in any form..... liquor, mouthwash, toothpaste, etc..... acts as drying agent decreasing the salivary flow from the many oral saliva glands. The lack of saliva predisposes a person to cavities, mouth ulcers and periodontal disease. Any long standing irritation or infection in the mouth can become malignant.

Dental implants also need a healthy blood supply circulating through the gums and jawbone as well as plenty of saliva flowing to reduce the incidence of bone loss and infection around the implants. Dentures are fabricated to allow saliva to flow underneath them as much as possible.

The one thing that I didn't understand in your post was........
<<I told him that from what I knew the treatment meds interfere with implant success but he replied only if you have been on those meds for a lot of years and in my case if I do have to use them it would probably only be for about 6 months.>>

Are you referring to Bisphosphonate drugs........ like actonel, boniva, fosamax, zometa? If so, I urge you to read as much as possible on osteonecrosis of the jawbone in regard to taking bisphosphonate drugs. Especially in people who have osteopenia......... there are nutritional ways to slow down or prevent further bone loss without having to ever revert to using these toxic drugs.

Hope this information was helpful to you........ again sorry to be a party pooper :-( Perhaps it's time for modification anyways??? :-)
Hopefully your new denture will work out terrific for you!!

Bryanna

Originally Posted by Bailey11

Hi everybody,i'm so glad I found this site as there seems to be a lot of good info on here.
I am 53 years old and have decided to get a full upper implant overdenture(my bottom teeth are fine) I have had both sinus lifts along with bone grafting,extractions and temporary mini implants inserted.
One week later I went for a follow up and the surgeon could not be happier at how everything had healed so well.
However he did mention that my bone around the front is soft and porus,maybe a sign of osteopenia but not a problem.I had a bone density test done 3 years ago and it was fine so i suppose I should scheduel another one.I told him that from what I knew the treatment meds interfere with implant success but he replied only if you have been on those meds for a lot of years and in my case if I do have to use them it would probably only be for about 6 months.

My next concern is that I am an ex smoker,quit 3 years ago but still use the nicorette gum occasionaly.Could this interfere with my chances of implant success?

Finally,I do like my glass of wine,am a bit of a party girl and like to drink at the weekends,sometimes quiet a lot.Could this be another strike against me?

Other than my vices mentioned I am in excellent health,excercise daily and eat healthy.

I would love some answers before I commit myself as the full procedure will cost me almost 40,000.

Thank you,Bailey

[Bailey11]

Hi Bryanna and thank you so much for your very informative reply.
I still have the upper three front teeth which will be removed once he does the permanent implants for a full upper removable denture in about 5 months.But for now he just did 4 temporary mini implants 2 on each side kinda like where the canines used to be and they work well for the partial.I think maybe he was talking about the bone where he did the extractions was soft but I'm sure he did bone grafting there as well.2 extractions were done to allow him insert the mini implants.

I will definetly get another bone density test done and thanks for letting me know about the Vitimin D testing,will also have that done.Yes I was referring to bisphosphonates,I had remembered reading that they could be the cause of implant failure but will now research osteonecrosis of the jaw bone.I do not want to take any meds so I'll have to find a way around that if I can.

OK,so I will quit the nicorette once I finish what I have for certain but I think a few glasses of wine at the week ends should be ok.

Also do you think it is OK to use the water pik now almost 3 weeks after surgery?Would it help to massage those gums or maybe it would unsettle everything and I should only use it on the bottom teeth.

Again I would like to thank you sooo much for taken the time and giving me all the information.
bailey

[Bryanna]

Hi Bailey,

You're welcome and thanks for the kind words :-)

I'm curious, why did the dentist place temporary implants and not permanent ones?

About the bone grafting.......... your dentist may have been making reference to the sites where he placed the bone graft in that they had not intergrated with your own bone just yet. Could that be what he meant by soft bone? Bone graft material takes about 6 months to integrate with healthy jawbone thus allowing a dental implant to be placed. If the jawbone is not very healthy to begin with, then the graft may or may not integrate properly which could cause the dental implant to fail. So it is imperative for the graft material and the jawbone to become one before an implant is placed in that area.

You should ask your dentist before using a waterpik in the area of the implants. It may not be wise to do that just yet, but he could answer that better than I could because he is aware of the condition of the bone in that area and I am not.

Good luck on quitting the nicorette...... you'll be successful with it when you are ready to give it up. A few glasses of wine a week is not going to hurt your gums, teeth or implants. Drinking more than that on a routine basis will increase the risk of dental problems in the future. Sorry...... :-((

Bailey, please let us know how things are going!

Bryanna ~'.'~


QUOTE=Bailey11;521630]Hi Bryanna and thank you so much for your very informative reply.
I still have the upper three front teeth which will be removed once he does the permanent implants for a full upper removable denture in about 5 months.But for now he just did 4 temporary mini implants 2 on each side kinda like where the canines used to be and they work well for the partial.I think maybe he was talking about the bone where he did the extractions was soft but I'm sure he did bone grafting there as well.2 extractions were done to allow him insert the mini implants.

I will definetly get another bone density test done and thanks for letting me know about the Vitimin D testing,will also have that done.Yes I was referring to bisphosphonates,I had remembered reading that they could be the cause of implant failure but will now research osteonecrosis of the jaw bone.I do not want to take any meds so I'll have to find a way around that if I can.

OK,so I will quit the nicorette once I finish what I have for certain but I think a few glasses of wine at the week ends should be ok.

Also do you think it is OK to use the water pik now almost 3 weeks after surgery?Would it help to massage those gums or maybe it would unsettle everything and I should only use it on the bottom teeth.

Again I would like to thank you sooo much for taken the time and giving me all the information.
bailey[/QUOTE]