Dental bridge implants plus whitening - experiences and cost (if you don't mind disclosing it) please

[LaMarschallin]

I've got 3 cracked/damaged molars on both sides of my upper teeth. I've also got a chipped front tooth that's been built up by a white filling and 1 molar missing from my bottom teeth.

I'm in a financial position where I could now get the necessary work done to correct this. I thought, if I was already having some extensive* treatment, I'd also look into getting them all whitened.
They're quite a yellow colour naturally and I've always been self-conscious about them.
I'm guessing I'd have to have the whitening done first so any bridges/implants could be matched to my new colour.
If anyone has had any or all of these procedures please could you tell me:

How long did it take?
How much did it hurt?
Any downsides or anything you wish you'd have had done differently?
How much did it cost (if you don't mind saying)?
Thanks in advance 🙂 <--- (note closed lips smile which I always do because of my teeth)

*Autocorrect keeps trying to change this to "expensive". It's not wrong 😐

Following. I'm just starting this now. Had my first whitening yesterday. Home treatment called Boutique Whitening which cost £340ish.

Back a month after that for a bridge on NHS.

Then Composite bonding later in year

Dh is going through the process of implants/ bonding and whitening currently. He started about 9 months ago with bone grafts at a few locations, then 3 months ago had the implant screws put in, now they’ve bonded successfully and he’s doing the whitening part in August ahead of having his actual implant teeth put on in September. I think his composite goes on then too.

Forgot to add, my composite bonding is £250 per tooth and I need five doing as the sixth smile tooth will be part of the bridge. I've also spent about 24 months seeing the hygienist every six months and the dentist every six months (so going to the surgery every three months) because I had bad gum disease but it's controlled now.

Sounds like your husband has been through a lot, CMOTDibbler. I don't think I'll need bone grafting but you never know.
Thanks, ScarletPower, that's really helpful. I've no idea what to expect as to cost, you hear huge sums (to me, anyway) mentioned. On another thread I've seen somebody saying they've spent £8,000 on their teeth, so your post was encouraging. I don't think I've got gum disease but, again, you never know. It's not been mentioned.
My DH was a bit 🤔at the thought of whitening, but I think he's got visions of Rylan's veneers or Ross on Friends and his teeth glowing in UV light.

I am having whitening shortly- my dentist uses Boutique- cost is either £350 or £550 depending. I think you get extra syringes of treatment for the £550 because they offer a guarantee that they will get your teeth to a particular shade of whiteness. I certainly don’t want Rylan/Ross from friends whiteness, but just brightening up. I thought mine were terribly yellow so I was pleasantly surprised when the dentist put the shade scale thing next to my teeth and said that my current shade is somewhere in the middle of the scale- not right at the most yellow end 😂

In September, I’m starting implant treatment- two teeth. There is some degradation in my jaw bone because the infection I had in the teeth that were extracted was extreme and got into the bone. The dentist does not plan to do bone graft but just clean the area thoroughly and affix the screws to the healthiest bits of bone. Cost will be between £3000-£4000. I don’t have that money lying around so will probably pay in installments.

I had whitening plus four crowns, so as you say, whitening first so they can then match to that colour. I found that because I was having a lot of work done at once, they discounted bits of it. So the whitening was cheaper than it would have been on its own, and they gave me free temporary fillings to cover the sensitive bits when I have gum recession.

DH had implants that took at least 18 months because he needed a graft for one of them, but says it was all worth it.

My top tip is to have a really clear idea of how long each appointment is and exactly what they will be doing so you can prepare yourself. The one appointment I found awful was the one that turned out to be much longer and more painful that I was expecting.

No regrets at all - it’s been ten years and they still look great (kind of wish I’d had it done sooner).

I was pleasantly surprised when the dentist put the shade scale thing next to my teeth and said that my current shade is somewhere in the middle of the scale- not right at the most yellow end 😂

Sounds like yours are better than mine, Waitingfordoggo! I had a front tooth filling 20 or so years ago and the dentist kept moving the scale along as my heart kept sinking, as I realised how bad they must be. I've very rarely done an open-mouthed smile in a photo since.

My top tip is to have a really clear idea of how long each appointment is and exactly what they will be doing so you can prepare yourself.

That's really helpful, FourBlackCats.
I also suspect I'll wish I'd had it done sooner but just wasn't in a position financially to do so. Nice to know they last for a reasonable length of time too.

I’ve only had one implant and didn’t need a bone graft. I’m in Scotland where prices are cheaper and it was £2.5k. It was much more straightforward than I expected and the only hassle was multiple appts at the dentist/implantologist. It was certainly much less stressful than the root canal treatment I had on my tooth previously!
I’ve also had my teeth whitened. I got the trays made for my teeth by my dentist and the bleach syringes-it was ages ago so can’t remember how much it cost but I didn’t love it as some of bleach always comes out of the trays and bleaches the gum a little bit. I now use the Crest whitening strips (with my dentist’s blessing-he uses them too) and find them much better. I get them from family in US but sometimes buy them online and they have been fine. There’s a poster on here that will be on soon to tell you how bad these strips are but I’d rather take advice from many own dentist whom I trust. Obv don’t buy the strips from dodgy sites like Aliexpress etc.
I’ve also had composite bonding but again much cheaper as I’m in Scotland-it’s £20 per tooth.

I'm in the process of having implants where 2 molars were. About £2K each. SE England.