Implants and Bridges to Nowhere

My teeth have never been great. Most dentists attribute this to the fact that I grew up on a farm and well water is not treated with fluoride. I did drink a lot of milk, though, so that probably helped keep too many problems at bay.

As a child I had many cavities (therefore many fillings) and then braces. I spent way too much time in dental offices. When I was 20 one of my fillings went bad and on Christmas Eve I was in agonizing pain. Of course there were no dentists available in my small town to see me until the 27th. Three days of pain, no sleep and misery.

When I was finally able to get in to see a dentist he offered me two options: root canal or pull the tooth. I had been in pain for days and had heard that root canals were an awful, painful experience. So I had the tooth pulled. (Knowing what I know now I wish I had opted for the root canal.)

As it was a back tooth I didn’t think much about it and it wasn’t until this past year that I had a bridge put in to replace it. I considered dental implants but after doing a bunch of research I decided that a bridge would be less time consuming, less painful and less expensive.

Of course a dental implant is more natural as it is implanted into the jaw. Had it not been a back tooth that needed replaced I would have definitely tracked down a respected oral surgeon and had an implant done.

Has anyone had a dental implant done? What was the process like? Are you happy with it? Would you do it again?