Questions about dental implant - terrified!

[Fatfreefatball]

I've two missing upper front teeth due to a bridge which failed 2 years ago. It was a Maryland bridge and the dentist tried to stick it back but it did not work.
I managed by sticking it back in using Fixodent just for cosmetic purposes while I waited for my dentist to refer me for an implant. He's NHS and doesn't do implants.

I finally saw a private dentist in July last year and in November had a tooth root extracted in preparation. I would have a bridge but I am reluctant to damage 2 healthy teeth. I've had the scans and can have the implant any time, just need to book the appointment.

I am honestly terrified because I have a bit of a medical phobia and the thought of drilling into bone freaks me out! Makes me think of the film Marathon Man! I have to lie down to have blood tests or I feel faint. I don't have a dental phobia as such and can have fillings etc no problem.. I'm worried there will be lots of bleeding afterwards as I really don't like seeing lots of blood. I definitely don't want IV sedation as I would find the thought of a needle in the vein worse than an implant! Can I get Valium off the dentist? I must sound like a right wuss and my partner says I am a baby but I can't help it as I've always been this way.
Any positive stories?

Hi, I had an implant a couple of years ago. I had inhalation sedation, it's like gas and air. You just inhale and immediately feel like floating on air. You're aware of what's around you but it doesn't bother you at all. It's also really cheap (about £60) and wears off as soon as you stop inhaling it (so you can even drive straight after).
The implant procedure was a breeze, very little bleeding, in fact i'm not sure there was any at all!
The only downside was the eye watering cost of the implant!
Good luck!

I had an implant 7 years ago. Honestly never felt a thing. I could feel the drilling but there was no pain or bleeding. I had a root canal once which I found a worse experience. I love my implant and I'm so pleased I had it done.

I have an implant and would describe myself a terrible dental patient. (It's not a phobia! It's a perfectly logical dislike of pain, discomfort. people putting noisy pointy things in your mouth, drilling, strong gag reflex, etc.)

I don't remember any scary bleeding, and I'm glad I had it done. I'd recommend conscious sedation for the whole initial session, but that does involve a tiny, hardly perceptible needle.

Maybe try what I do for less stressful sessions. Get two valium (I had to get mine from my GP as apparently dentists can't prescribe them, Not sure if that's still true.) Take one the night before and one the next morning. That should take the edge off the needle phobia and the rest is easy.

Good luck.

Im having another implant in a couple of weeks, had first one ( two posts for 2 'teeth') 2 years ago. Im not looking forward to it but it'll be fine, it doesnt feel much different to a filling and I dont remember there being blood. I just found it hard having my mouth open for what seemed a long time. I didnt have any sedation. Its just half hour of my life for a new tooth! Ive had a lot of dental work and am a bit traumatised by it all now anyway, it is horrible having someone poking around in your head. I wish humans had a third set of teeth that came in around age 40 - 50 😊

@NecklessMumster yes it would be great if we had teeth like sharks! I'm not bothered by pain or dental injections more the though of drilling into my skull😒

Ive had them and Ill be honest I think they were hell. It hurt, and went on for bloody ages, and they also failed, so Im having to have it all done again. Im super fed up with it tbh. I also got multiple infections, and face blew up like Id gone 2 rounds with tyson.

If I could live with my denture I would but vanity and the fact I can't bare it stops me. But I have to have another go in March - Im absolutely dreading it. They are going to give me valium next time thank god.

I had one a few months ago, I was scared but it was absolutely fine. Of course it is a surgical procedure so the preparation is a bit more full on, hair covered, everyone in gowns etc, but it was over pretty quickly, and it didn’t hurt at all. I had the tooth extracted and the post put directly in its place, which made it a slightly longer session but even so recovery was good, not too painful. I took one dose of paracetamol the following morning and then nothing. My jaw felt tender, slight ache in my face, but nothing that warranted painkillers. It all healed well and the tooth is now in place. You obviously need to follow your dentist’s instructions on cleaning and care while it all heals, but once the stitches dissolved I stopped noticing it really.

I had one last year. I was the same - petrified of the thought of someone drilling into my skull.

it was genuinely not scary at all. The dentists knew I was scared and really looked after me. I wasn’t sedated at all and didn’t feel I needed to be at any point.

I thought they were being hugely optimistic when they said I probably wouldn’t need any pain relief the next day and planned to have lots of paracetamol and ibuprofen so that I could stay well topped up but 24 hours after having the implant surgery I stopped taking them. I just didn’t need it.

it will not be nearly as awful as you think, if you choose someone skilled and understanding to do it

I had an implant 15 years ago. It's still fine. I had no problems at all. It wasn't even painful. For me it was no worse than a filling other than it took longer and i has several appointments to cast the tooth prepare the gum etc

The thought is worse than the reality, for me. I mean, a tooth extraction is out of your bone anyway, ....it doesn't feel like its drilling into your bone, just a usual drill.

I had an implant a few years ago and honestly it was fine. I had root canal treatment before that and this was way more traumatic. My implantologist offered me sedation (I presume diazepam or midazolam) but I didn’t take it as the thought of being sedated in front of ‘strangers’ freaks me out more than medical or dental procedures. There’s only a tiny bit of blood-the dental nurse wiped it away from around my mouth quickly after the op.
From memory you can hear the drilling but you obviously can’t feel a thing. I think I wore noise cancelling headphones so I couldn’t hear anything.
It’s completely fine-nothing to worry about at all.

I had three last year and another one in process (back to have crown made in Feb). Honestly, easier than root canal and I have had worse fillings too.
My implant dentist is so good at explaining why he does things and how my mouth will react that it feels very straightforward

As for pain, for the three together (top teeth, two together on one side and one on the other) I took ibuprofen for four days as instructed but the bottom tooth I only took it for a day. No blood at all (stitches in gum which came out in their own without pain 10 days later).
I don't want any more, but am not afraid of having them if necessary.

I have had implants, alsoat the front. The local anaesthetic was a stronger one than usual - my face felt numb for a while - but the drilling and vibration and pressure were no different to a filling.

I’ve had one and the whole time I was just thinking‘I can’t believe someone has invented this’. It’s totally amazing that it can be done, for me, the worst part was the fake tooth that they made to fill the gap. And paying for it all. The actual dentistry part was OK. Not fun, but OK.

I took something with me to squeeze. I started with a pair of rolled up socks but the densest said that people sometimes brought a cuddly toy so I tried that and it did help. Not emotionally but practically. Having something to squash.

I had one a few years ago. I was also terrified of the drilling. But it was fine! It was so much easier than even a filling. The drilling wasn’t anything dramatic. The oddest bit was when they pull the gum back and you can kind of hear/feel the vibration against the bone. Absolutely not painful in any way but just a bit odd! Nothing to worry about though.

It was a breeze. I had no pain at all after, no swelling, no bruising. The whole thing was a non-event really! I scared myself silly, put it off for years, but it was way easier than a filling! The drill doesn’t even sound as scary as the one they use for a filling.

Don’t panic! You’ll be absolutely fine.

I’ve had an implant via NHS 20 years ago with just your usual injections. It was uncomfortable but nothing majorly unbearable. Unfortunately it failed after 15 years, and to have it removed privately they would only agree to do it under iv sedation(apparently it’s worse to remove than to implant). It was so much better for me, (relaxing and calm). So come the new implant, I opted for the iv sedation again.

Implants are brilliant and I think less stressful than root canals. It's not bloody or messy at all. You feel nothing.

I had it done recently. Literally no pain, just some pressure and it took longer.
Bring headphones and some music or an audio book - that’s what I did to pass the time.
Don’t damage your healthy teeth! Implants are a great solution.

I have several implants (preceded by bone grafts in as I didn’t have enough bone for the implants to sit in), as well as several crowns. (Unfortunately the dentistry where I come from involves destroying healthy teeth to create bridges every time a tooth has an issue.)

My experience was 100% positive. The only pain I remember is the injection they used to give me to numb me. But that only takes a couple of seconds and it doesn’t hurt much. I also remember my jaw being swollen for a couple of days after the implants. But I don’t remember any blood or any trauma. I had so much dental work done that I got to the point where hearing the dental drill didn’t trigger any sort of anxiety anymore, I was fully relaxed, like going to the hairdresser.

This was 17 years ago. I still have all the implants and all the crowns that my dentist fitted back them. Money best spent! I never used to want to smile in public but now I’m grinning from ear to ear. Many people can’t tell that my teeth are not real.

I hope your dentist is as good as mine! I have moved several times over the years and every time I join a new dental practice the new dentist takes a look at my mouth they appear incredibly impressed with what they see

I had implants a few years ago.

I had lost a couple of teeth due to gum disease which itself was a result of avoiding the dentist for years because of fear.

I was such a wuss that my dp spent months persuading me to make an appointment and then came with me.

It was absolutely fine. The conscious sedation worked well. I didn't feel any pain and was completely relaxed during the procedure.

You get very strong painkillers afterwards, need somebody to drive you home and I slept a lot. I'm really pleased that I had them.

I have 3 molars on 2 implants and had to have a bone graft too. My first appointment took 3.5 hours. The worst thing was having my mouth open for so long. It’s fine and I had no sedation.

I had an implant with a bone graft and sinus lift a few years ago - honestly didn’t feel a thing bar some gum soreness that I had to rinse with salt water for.

I have 2 implants gotten at different times and both are fine and the procedure was fine..i just had numbing pain not sedation. I think root canals are more tedious and fillings more horrible noise wise. Implants are great, it will be worth it. Just deep slow breath from the nose.

I wanted implants initially to replace missing front teeth but at 8K it was just too much. Can't get an NHS dentist round here for love nor money. Even a new bridge is going to cost 5K! Stuck with a horrible denture at the moment.