dental implants
Does anyone know anything about getting dental implants while taking Arimidex? I'm trying to decide between having a root canal and crown or getting an implant. A call to my MO has been unsuccessful and my dentist doesn't have a clue. My concern is whether I will have sufficient bone grow for the implant to seat properly. Thanks.
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Is your DDS an oral surgeon? I think it's up to this DDS to understand whether a medication could reduce the success rate of his procedure. If he doesn't know it seems like he should find out or refer you to someone who does know. (like a clinical faculty member at a dental school).
Have you had a DEXA scan? I suspect there may be some debate about placing implants in patients with osteoporosis.0 -
I am in the midst of getting my second dental implant. I highly recommend going to an implant specialist if possible. Mine is now using bone grafts to help with bone growth (did not do that when I had my first implant about 15 years ago). I am not on arimidex. I had the tooth pulled about a month after my lumpectomy, and the bone graft at the same appointment (if I'm remembering right); had the implant (post) placed 4+ months later (about a month and a half after finishing chemo), and am seeing my regular dentist to get the crown this week. The whole process has taken about 10 months, which is normal for my specialist. I would suggest checking with your dentist about getting a bone graft.
I will say that if I had the opportunity to get a root canal and crown instead of an implant, I would have done that. Unfortunately for me, it was a tooth that already had had a root canal and crown, and a couple years later I got a cracked root so the tooth was toast.0 -
No, my dentist is not an oral surgeon. I had a dexa scan scan just after I was diagnosed in 2011. I've been on Arimidex for 2 years now. I'm leaning toward the root canal/crown treatment right now. Partly due to cost and partly just because I don't want to spend several months dealing with the implant treatment. I'm also dental phobic so that doesn't help matters much. To add insult to injury my PCP just changed my anti-depressant/anxiety med. No real reason for that as I was doing fine on what I was taking. But that's another story......
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Hi mamadog. Over 5 years ago I had full teeth replacement implants - 5 implants upper & lower with bridges. I purposely did not go on Arimidex because of the risk of bone loss, but I really don't know whether or not it affects the jaw area, just not willing to take the chance. I've been on Tamoxifen for 2 months (no side effects so far) as my med. onc. told me there is little difference between the two. Also I have low bone density and I've read discouraging posts on the effects of Arimidex. I'm in my 70s, BTW.
If you have most of your teeth, I wouldn't think you'd be lacking bone.
I'd see a prosthodontist and maxillofacial surgeon for a professional opinion.
Good luck with it.
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Looks like I will be doing the implant. Dentist says the the root canal/crown idea just won't work due to the amount of tooth that remains. I still have most of my natural teeth except for wisdom teeth and the teeth that were removed prior to getting braces on when I was a kid. Can't get an appointment with the oral surgeon until late August. His calendar is full until then with kids getting their wisdom teeth removed before school starts. Meanwhile I'm trying to be careful with chewing on that side and praying it doesn't abcess in the meantime.
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mamadog53 - good luck, and start saving your money.
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Mama...have implants....never had a problem.....they did bone graft, but had nothing to do with BC......the drugs that affect the jawbone are the ones for Osteoporosis, Prolia, Reclast, Boniva etc.....just make sure you o to someone who specializes in implants....today everyone says they can do them.........they can't......
Also for the root canal question.....did you go to an Endodonist..........they are the only ones who can tell you what is the right thing to do.......learned that the hard way....goo luck0 -
Good luck with the implant - you won't regret it!
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mama, is it a general dentist who can't do a crown based on the amount of tooth that remains? It's possible that a specialist (prosthodontist) could do the crown, perhaps by placing a post in the remaining root. I agree with the other person who recommends seeing an endodontist for the root canal. So, you may want to consider a second opinion, since you have to wait to see the oral surgeon anyway. (FWIW, I had that same delay trying to see an oral surgeon around Christmas one year. All the college kids were home getting their wisdom teeth removed).
That said, I've had two implants and am very happy with them. I had them done (on separate occasions) by two different oral surgeons who were implant specialists. They wanted to wait 4 months after the extraction before placing the implant. I think that's the more reliable way to go. I sometimes see ads in the newspaper advertising same-day implants (they extract the tooth and immediately place the implant). Neither of the specialists I saw recommended that. Good luck! And while you're recovering from your oral surgery be sure to treat yourself to lots of ice cream and milkshakes!
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Peggy, I've been thinking of looking into implants, but have very severe osteoporosis. That probably means I can't do it. I have very few teeth left - no molars on the bottom at all and only one corner tooth. How expensive are implants?
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dogsandjogs, If you have very few teeth left, I doubt that a prosthodontist would recommend single implants. I had only front teeth and very poor gums - the remaining teeth were un-salvagable. I have full implant-supported bridges - 5 implants upper and lower supporting the bridges. You'd need to see a specialist to advise of the possibility in your case.
Expense - HUGE! 7 years ago I paid around AU$80,000.00 - yeh! $80,000.00. (I was fortunate to receive an inheritance around that time)
An alternative could be 4 implants which support dentures - the dentures clip on to the posts - which would be better than normal dentures and much cheaper alternative.
I decided on the implants when I was about to lose one of my front teeth and thought the same as you but to have only one implant would have been a complete waste of time and money - and I doubt that they would have done it.
This was 7 or 8 years ago - much will have changed
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Thanks so much for all the information. Wow, that is really expensive--
I will ask my dentist about 2 implants with dentures. I do have molars on top, so would only need two bridges on the bottom as the bridge could hook onto the front teeth.. Hope my bones can accommodate the implants.
Thanks again for telling me the options available-
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dogs, I may have been wrong about osteoporosis and implants. This week I talked to my bone doctor (endocrinologist) and he said osteoporosis (or being post-menopausal or having both ovaries removed) does not impact the bone's ability to heal from a fracture or from a dental extraction or to heal from a bone graft. He said it should heal just as well and take the same amount of time. I don't know if "severe" osteoporosis is different--you should get a professional opinion.I read somewhere that some dentists prefer to place implants if a patient has osteoporosis (vs. giving them regular dentures) because the implant can keep the jaw bone from resorbing.
Placing a single implant costs $2000 or more (to the oral surgeon). Then you need to "restore" it, with a crown (or bridge or denture). Most insurance companies won't pay for the cost of implants. But, most insurance plans have a relatively low limit (like $1000 or $1500 per year) so with most dental treatments you may exceed that pretty quickly.
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Re. the cost - I had 11 teeth ( 6 front upper and 5 front lower) removed before the 11implants were placed - hospital surgery - and both my prosthodontist's surgeon and anaesthetist sure knew how to charge!!
The total cost also included ceramic - not plastic - full replacement teeth.
As peggy said, implants are supposed to prevent more bone loss.
I've heard that a single implant in this country costs (all up) around AU$7000.
But as I said, things change drastically over 7 or 8 years.
The best of luck, whatever you decide.
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You should definitely do the root canal surgery and then go for dental crown as your teeth is threatened by the large cavity. Getting an implant would be very painful to you and taking Arimidex drug after implantation would be nearly impossible.
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Well, it turns out the dentist could not do a root canal. The tooth had deteriorated so much in the last year that it couldn't be saved. So it was pulled. Due to my being on a blood thinner, the area got "purple" so I went back in and he prescribed an antibiotic due to a "possible" infection.
The antibiotic was terrible; I got afibs every night, had trouble swallowing and got heartburn. Called the pharmacy. Those are all SEs she said.. The area was also painful for about 10 days.
I need some fillings too, but won't go back until the area heals completely. Even my lip got some weird white spots on it and swelled up. (SE of the antibiotic)
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Well the tooth has been pulled and seems to be healing okay but now I'm having pain on the opposite side of the mouth. That side has had hot/cold sensitivity since I had gum surgery over three years ago. My way of dealing with it was to chew on the other side and avoid really cold stuff. Since I can't chew on the side where the tooth was pulled I'm putting a lot more stress on the other side. This is pain that won't go away without meds. The dentist gave me 800 mg. ibuprofen and 50 mg. Tramadol. I can't take the Tramadol because it interacts with another drug I'm taking. The ibuprofen works okay but I'm taking 4 per day and feel that's excessive. I feel like I'm in dental hell. Next appointment isn't until Sept. 10th. One thing I've noticed is that the normal pain from taking Arimidex has been helped by the ibuprofen. At least something good happened. LOL Does anyone take pain meds regularly for the pain from Arimidex?
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Sorry to hear about your dental hell. I hate that. Regarding the hot/cold sensitivity, have you tried the sensitive toothpaste? Maybe that would help.
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You can go ahead for getting dental implants. And also use tooth sensitive toothpaste.
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You can go with dental implants process without any fear. If you have any doubt about dental implants, then check out this article http://lonestarperio.com/periodontal-treatments/dental-implants.
Best Of Luck!
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