putting dental implants when you have osteoporosis

to tilou
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I thought that it bone implants that I need as well are complicated, but never imagine that it is also painful.

I am in the midst of $12,000 of work on the #4, 3, and 2 teeth, one of which (#4) was removed after it split post a routine cleaning and is now going to be a dental implant. I have been doctoring with an endocrinologist since 2017 (Type II diabetes) and am a b.c. survivor whose A.I. therapy pills has taken her from osteopaenia to osteoporosis. My endocrinologist gave me pills to take, but I read about them and never took a one. I go back at the end of this month to see how the implant post, inserted in December, is doing. The oral surgeon felt I was a good candidate and I DID tell him about the Anastrozole and my -2.2T bone density (as of May, 2022). Whoever suggested getting "all dental work done a year in advance" is giving strange advice, since I had NO plans to lose the #4 tooth, but this is the second time that a routine cleaning has caused one of my teeth to give up the ghost (first time was in 2020). I'm not doing this for fun; I'm doing it because (a) I hate bridges and (b) one of my teeth gave up the ghost, a probable victim of my old amalgam fillings and being someone born in 1945. How can we "have all your dental work done a year in advance?" It's not like I'm looking to run up a bill the size of the national debt simply to look good. I'm addressing dental problems that are arising because of my age and routine cleanings and, probably, because the old-style pre-fluoride dentistry was a far cry for us than for my son, age 55, who just had another "you don't have any cavities" appointments. I'm fighting to KEEP my teeth, if possible, and I debated long and hard about this dental implant, insisting on the best oral surgeon in the area, I think. He said I was okay to have one and agreed that a bridge (I have one and hate it) was NOT going to be a good alternative (although much cheaper) because the 2 teeth on either side of what is now a hole, since they dug the #4 (upper right) tooth out in pieces, is flanked by a tooth that needs to be crowned. (It has a cavity under a filling). I floss routinely and brush daily, but I am borderline for osteoporosis, am old, and we didn't have fluoride (etc.) in my youth.

Thanks for the info - how does one decide on tooth implants vs osteoporosis in hip and spine? I guess a lot of details and expert advice is needed - and both sides look mainly at their profession? Dentists don't really think about FRAX risk and Bone health doctors don't think about when implants are more important or not.

I have osteoporosis and had a front tooth removed, bone graft and then implant. It takes a while for everything to heal but all went well for me. This was about 3 years ago.

Glad all went well. What stage of osteoporosis?
Are you on meds for osteoporosis at all?

I have to decide whether to do an implant on 2nd molar that was removed 3 months ago. Had a bone graft that seems to be integrating ok.
Also, have to decide on what medication for OP as t-score is -5 in wrists, -3.5 in spine. So timing is everything it seems.

I am not using that but instead of implants another solution might be SED. . I’m getting ready to have it later this month. Google the info on it.