My kids were both born missing adult teeth (they had baby teeth, but the adult teeth underneath just didn't exist -- one tooth for the oldest, two teeth for the youngest), and we paid more than 2K per missing tooth for them to have a full mouth of real-looking teeth. No, they aren't as good as real, natural teeth -- but they are the best thing that technology can offer today.
Having them done was "a process":
- The oral surgeon put in the implant, which is a bit of stainless steel that sticks straight up out of the gum. He described it to me as a screw with holes in it; essentially it was screwed into the gum.
- He placed a temporary abutment over the implant so that they could eat comfortably and wouldn't destroy the implant or knock it about while it was healing.
- We waited 4 months while the bone "grew through" the holes in the implant. This means the implants are a piece of their bodies and cannot be removed. After 4 months, the oral surgeon x-rayed and said that the bone growth was good.
- At that point we went to our regular dentist, who made a crown (a fake tooth) that sits upon the implant. This took two visits: One to measure for the new tooth, a second to place it onto the implant. This crown should last 10-15 years, but eventually it will need replacing.
Yes, it was a long, drawn-out process, but it was absolutely the best choice. The implants behave just like real teeth (except that they can't get cavities). They can eat anything they want and have NO special requirements for the implants. They require no care beyond everyday brushing, and my kids tell me that they rarely ever think of their implants.
I would not go overseas for this. First, it's just not practical: You'd have to have the surgery done without meeting the doctor ahead of time, without checking his or her credentials. Second, you'd have to be put to sleep for the implant, which means you'd be groggy and "out of it" for at least a day. If you were unfortunate enough to have any complications, you might have trouble going back to see the dentist who'd worked on your teeth. The cost to travel for such a procedure (and for a trusted person to take you to /from the overseas dentist too) would end up being more than just having it done here at home, and I don't think any trip that included minor surgery would be fun.
You WILL find both lower and higher. All kinds of dentists CLAIM they do implants (how many in the past month?)... You DON'T want it to fail because the dentist is inexperienced or tried to save you a few bucks by not doing a bone graft, etc.
No, no, any dentist CANNOT do an implant. Though, yeah, any dentist might CLAIM he can do implants.
Our regular dentist told us from an early age that my kids were missing those teeth ... and when they were old enough for the implants, he referred us to the oral surgeon, explaining that this is a specialist's job, and he isn't qualified to do it. We've been his patients for years, and if he'd been legally qualified, we wouldn't have gone elsewhere. He -- our regular dentist -- did the crown on top of the implant though.
The worse case is a friend who is now several years into the implant process and it's still not complete. He's had multiple surgeries to reset it, but it just won't take.
Based upon my knowledge of the process, this doesn't make sense. I wonder if he's using a less-than qualified oral surgeon.