Dental Implants - Quick questions.?

Firstly I should say that I am only twenty-three years old and due to an accident I am now missing three teeth including my two front teeth. I haven't been to a dentist since my early teens for the simple reason that as a child I had a lot of bad experiences with them and the less said about the injection into the gum the better! Basically now that as left me completely petrified of dentists, it is actually my biggest fear.





Now I have finally taken what I consider a big step for myself and made an appointment with a private dentist as I have finally had enough of feeling so low due to the way my teeth appear.





On to the questions:





For the procedure do they just numb your gums or do they actually "put you out" with the gas so to speak? If not can you have the gas as an alternative?





Once the implants are in place, can you feel them in there or don't you notice at all and once it is all complete do the replacement teeth actually feel like your "own"?





Feel free to share your stories!

Dental Implants - Quick questions.?
Wow, I have completely been in your shoes! I was in a car accident two years ago and I didn't have an airbag, so one of my front teeth hit the steering wheel. A week or two after the accident I started to see one of my front teeth becoming more and more grey each day, so I went to the dentist, had my tooth pulled, went to a oral maxillofacial surgeon to have a bone graft, which is where they put cadaver bone in your gums, and had a titanium implant put in and all that jazz. While all of this was going on I was wearing what they call a "flipper" which looks like a retainer with a tooth on it. Anyway, on to answer your question...I was given an option to be put under or to be awake. I chose to be awake b/c it saved money. It didn't hurt, I could just feel the vibrations of the drill...but I was fine. It did hurt a little when they gave me shots in my mouth to numb me, but it's over with before ya know it. You may feel some pain after the numbness wears off, although I didn't experience much pain at all. I may have taken Tylenol once after the procedure and then I was fine. As far as feeling the implant, you can't feel it at all and after I had my crown in for a while, I didn't even think about it being there. It feels just like your other teeth. Good as new :) Good luck with your procedure! I know you'll feel a whole lot more self-confident after this whole saga is done, I know I did!
Reply:every strange object in your body makes you feel uncomfortable, i can tell you that your first days with the implants, you will not feel them as yours untill you get used to them, like my braces, the first week, i felt so uncomfortable, but the second week i didnt event notice that i had braces
Reply:Okay... first thing... You need to go to an oral %26amp; maxillofacial surgeon for your implants... not to a general dentist... A general dentist and dental surgeon is the same thing... Implants are painless, and are placed painlessly, and no you won't feel them... You can have them put in under LA, IV sedation, or GA... but only have a proper surgeon put them in... Go to http://www.oceansurgical.com.au/ to find out more
Reply:An oral surgeon will be the one that does the implant. He can give you an IV, laughing gas, or just get you numb. Whatever you would like to make you more comfortable. A general dentist will place the crown over top of the implant. So the oral surgeon does everything below the gum and the general dentist does everything above the gum. All of my patients that we have done implants on say that they were not in very much pain at all and yes they will feel normal after everything is done. Implants are a great way to replace missing teeth. You really should have them done. You will do fine with the procedure. Make sure you tell the dentist and the oral surgeon how uncomfortable you are about being there and they will do all they can you help you relax. Good luck! You are going to be so happy when the implants are done.
Reply:I too was scared of dentists but when I started visiting the dentist for my implant surgery, I become more and more comfortable. Still, the day before the surgery I was scared out of my mind. The dentist gave me local anesthesia and offered me a sedative (which I didn't take). The process took a few hours and at first I was really tense but that wore away. I didn't even feel how long it took and there was a point during the surgery where I almost fell asleep, I became so relaxed. Still, after a few hours the anesthesia wore off but as soon as I told them, they gave me more. After the surgery I felt the stitches and that was a little uncomfortable. Once they were taken out, I did feel the implants but in a good way. I had lost my teeth a few months before the surgery and in that time, the gum had shrunk. With the implants, the gum felt fuller-more normal. Because I never got used to the thinner feel of the gum, it felt much better with the implants in. I had my surgery a month ago and I feel great. Except for the first few days of discomfort (swelling/some pain), I feel great. Good luck!