What would several (6-8) implants and bone replacement entail?

by Georgia G.
(Hayward, California, USA)

I am a 65 year old woman in fairly good health.
I had all my upper teeth removed about 12 years ago. I wore a denture for about two years but found it very unsatisfactory.

So about 10 years ago I had dental implants done. At the time they could not put in more than 4 implants because of bone loss and sinuses which were in the way. So for ten years I wore a denture which was held in place by the implants.

I did break the denture several times so it had to be replaced.

About 9 months ago I somehow broke off one of the implants. Then about 2-3 months after the first one broke a second one broke. (the left over pieces of both of these are still in my jaw) Soon after this I developed an infection in the bone of another of the implants and it had to be removed.

So now I have 1 implant and a pretty much regular denture which does not attach to the remaining implant.

I would like to get enough implants (6-8) that I could have "permanent" teeth instead of the clip on denture.

I have consulted with an implant dentist recommended by my regular dentist and he said it would cost $2300 per implant and that did not include bone replacement or extraction of the old implants (if necessary). I am not sure if that included the actual new teeth or if it was simply for the implants.

I would like to know what procedures would probably need to be performed, how long and how many visits I would need to make to the clinic, a ball-park figure as to the cost, as well as the credentials of the implant dentists who work at the clinic.

Thank you.

PS I do have access to my recent full mouth x-rays which I could possibly send. Also, I am on a fixed income and can not afford major bills, although I could make reasonable monthly payments for any work performed. Are payment plans available?

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Feb 17, 2011
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by: Nick Konev, owner of Mexican Dental Vacation

Hi Georgia,

Implants do break, particularly if you have a strong bite or for other reasons. When one breaks, of course the load is then transferred to the other implants, which break one by one.

Since you said that you originally didn't have enough bone for more than 4 implants, you would most likely need a bone graft or sinus lift, or a combination of the two.

Bone grafts and sinus lifts are done reasonably quickly, we could do this in about a week, followed by a healing time of 6 months before the implants could be put in.

I am sure that the quote the dentist gave you of $2300 would not include the abutments or the teeth, $2300 for the implant alone sounds about right for the going rate in the US.

Your denture may be breaking because it is made of acrylic, and a permanent prosthetic would be made of stronger material, like ceramic or zirconium and would not break under normal circumstances.

Dental implants with a permanent prosthesis is the "gold standard" of replacing missing teeth, and you would probably be very happy with them.
They are quite costly though, and an accurate price would be determined if you called or emailed our office with more details, but a ballpark figure would be in the range of $11,000 for the upper, and a little less for the lower.
Sinus lifts are $1400 per side, so if you need them on both the left and right side, the cost would be $2800. We would do the bone grafts for about $300 per site if we are doing several.

We normally don't offer payment plans, but in some cases we do work with patients as far as discounts and payment plans.

Please call our office toll-free at 1-800-959-2061 if you have any more questions or would like to proceed further. We are here to help.

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