People who need to replace missing teeth have several options today, like dentures and dental implants. In this article we will compare dental implants and dentures: situations where one is preferable over the other and why dentures or dental implants abroad could be a good idea.

Comparison of Dental Implants and Dentures

Material:

Dentures are made of acrylic, cast metal, flexible plastic for base and plastic or porcelain for the teeth part.

Dental implants are made of titanium, a metal compatible with the human body.

Procedure:

Dentures take several appointments over three to six weeks. In the first appointment, impressions of the jaw and tooth structure are taken. Wax or plastic moulds are created and tried on. Final cast is made and fitted and adjustments made.

The tooth implant is placed in the bone socket. (Local anesthesia needed). It takes five to eight months to fix the prosthetic tooth onto the implant.

Comfort:

The denture can move and make clicking sounds when you eat or speak, so it may make you uncomfortable. Dentures in the upper jaw have better grip than lower dentures due to suction from roof of the mouth. Ability to chew is greatly reduced, compared to natural teeth.

Dental implants or implant-retained dental prostheses are very stable, as they have a root-like portion that fits into the bone socket, like natural teeth. People who have implant-supported artificial teeth can chew efficiently.

Where they are used:

Dentures can be used when you have lost many or all your teeth because of periodontal disease, tooth decay, damage, or aging. Dental implants can be used here too, but only if you have healthy jaw bone to support them.

Dental implants can be used to replace missing teeth, either one or more. But may not be advisable for diabetics and smokers as osseo-integration might take longer.

What to expect once you have them:

Dentures will need to be re-aligned, re-based or re-made as your gums and jaw structure change with aging. Dentures are also subject to normal wear and proper oral hygiene is necessary.

With proper care, dental implants last a lifetime.

Why Dental Implants are considered Better than Dentures

• Dental implants enable firm placing of the prosthetic teeth. The tiny titanium screws act like the root of a natural tooth, so you don’t have to worry about the crown falling off.
• You can chew better with implant-supported artificial teeth.
•  Dental implants are made of titanium, which the body accepts. This has two advantages: one, it promotes healthy bone growth and second, this natural bone holds the implant firmly in place. The opposite happens with dentures, as pressure from the dentures causes disintegration of bone material.
• Some people may be allergic to some of the material like acrylic used in dentures whereas titanium used in dental implants is bio-compatible.
• Dental implants offer more options. It is possible to get your dentures fixed with mini dental implants.

Disadvantages of Dental Implants

• Dental implants are more expensive than dentures.
• Dental implants are more time-consuming. After the implants are placed, it may take anywhere from 3-6 months for osseo-integration to happen.
• People with a tendency to grind teeth may not be suitable for dental implants.
• If the bones have shrunk and are not in a condition to support the implant, the dental surgeon may advise bone graft for dental implants. This involves further cost, time, and surgery.
• Dental implants are an invasive procedure, and involves incisions and stitches. Though done under anesthesia, people with dental surgery phobia may not want to go for it.

Cost of Dentures and Dental Implants

There are different types of dentures including complete dentures, removable partial dentures and implant-retained dentures. The cost varies according to which of these you need, the different material used and the dentist’s fee. The cost could be anything between $300 and $2,500 in the US. Traditional dental implants cost in the range of $2,000 and $4,500 in the US. Low cost dental implants in Costa Rica, Mexico, El Salvador, or India can save you about 60% or more of the US cost, with no compromise in quality. Plus, it offers you the chance to combine a tropical vacation with your dental treatment package.

Lap band surgery abroad is affordable for the self paying , thanks to the many quality lap band centers along the Mexico border. People suffering from obesity in Texas, California, or Arizona states do not have to look too far for bariatric surgery.

Because of the geographical proximity, there are many similarities in culture, too, and it is not like going to an alien land where you may have to be ready for culture shock.

World-class Mexico lap band centers with reputed bariatric surgeons are sprinkled along the south of the Texas-Mexico, California-Mexico, and Arizona-Mexico border, the important ones being at Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez, Reynosa, and Monterrey.

Lap Band Surgery in Texas-Mexico Border

Ciudad Juarez, Reynosa, and Monterrey are some of the major lap band centers along the Texas-Mexico border. These are helpful for people from the following cities in Texas state – Kingsville, Las Cruces, McAllen, Harlingen, Brownsville, Laredo, Eagle Pass, Del Rio, El Paso.

Ciudad Juarez: If planning to fly here for your gastric band, best would be to land at El Paso, Texas, USA. The airport is just 25 minutes away from the Mexico border.

Mexicali : You could land at San Diego or Calexico , CA airport, USA from where the Mexico lap band hospital is few minutes away.

Monterrey Lap Band : You could either fly or even drive down from Texas, as it is just 4 to 5 hours from the US-Mexico border.

Lap band clinics from Medical Tourism Corporation’s network provide free pick-up and drop to US airports near the Mexico border.

Lap Band Surgery in Arizona-Mexico Border

For people living in Douglas, San Luis, Lukeville, Sasabe, Nogales, Naco cities in Arizona state, crossing over to Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez in Mexico for a cheaper lap band is more than a feasible option, thanks to the superb medical care which is also incredibly low cost. Also, unlike going to far-off places, going to Mexico for follow-up visits can be done easily, as, again, the distance is not too much.

Lap Band Surgery in California-Mexico Border

Mexican gastric band surgeons in the state of Baja California in Mexico have been doing the lap band surgery much before their US counterparts, and hence have much more experience. Not only do they have excellent success rates, but they can also speak good English, making communication quicker and easier between patient and doctor. People from San Diego, Otay Mesa, Tecate, Calexico, and Andrade in California state are very close to the Mexico border and often cross over for low cost weight loss surgery. Tijuana & Mexicali offer great options for people in these areas looking for lap band surgery in Mexico.

Advantage of Obesity surgery in Ciudad Juarez/Reynosa/Monterrey for California, Arizona & Texas residents

Huge cost savings: This is the most obvious and one of the most significant advantages to be had by going across the border for lap band. To many, it is quite unbelievable that the same obesity surgery with the same quality can be had at half the cost just by traveling for a few hours. Also, the flights to US airports on the border are pretty cheap. So, you gain on the travel fare, too.

Proximity: Bariatric surgery on the Mexico border is a very attractive option as traveling to the Mexican border for lap band presents no problems at all in terms of the money or time required to travel.

Board-certified lap band surgeons and accredited hospitals: If Mexico’s cost advantage was not accompanied by quality comparable to US healthcare, it wouldn’t be the booming medical tourism destination that it is today. That said, exercise caution in the selection of the right lap band surgeon and hospital in Mexico.

Medical Tourism Corporation facilitates low cost gastric band surgery south of the border at Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez, Reynosa, Monterrey and other places along the US-Mexico border.

India is a popular destination abroad for revision hip replacement (or arthroplasty) surgery. Revision hip replacement is an orthopedic surgery to replace an earlier hip prosthesis that has worn out. Though first-time hip joint replacements are common and successful nowadays, they tend to wear out with time. When a patient’s hip replacement has worn out, he/she may need a revision hip surgery.

Revision hip replacement surgery is more complicated and time-consuming than first-time total hip replacement surgery. As a result, cost of revision hip surgery is very high in USA, Canada and UK. It would be much more affordable to get your revision hip replacement surgery in India at world class hospitals by board certified orthopedic surgeons.

Why does Revision Hip Replacement become Necessary?

Hip joints are replaced for the first time in patients suffering from severe hip arthritis or trauma. These hip prostheses work very well in the first 15 years for most people. However, by 15 to 20 years, a good number of people will have worn out their prosthesis and will need hip revision surgery.

• Hip replacements can wear out for reasons like infections, damage to the prosthesis, bone breakage around the replacement, etc.
• Obesity can contribute to faster wearing of the hip implant.
• People who undergo hip replacement at a relatively younger age will probably outlive their hip prosthesis. People who are very active are at higher risk. Ceramic hip replacement which has less wear than MoM prosthesis may be of help to this category.
• Another common reason is aseptic loosening which is the loosening of the hip implant inside the bone. This is a painful condition. If there are causes like infections for needing revision surgery, these will have to be taken care of separately before revision surgery is done.
• A US study of 51,000 hip revision surgeries found that dislocation of the initial prosthesis was the reason in 23% of hip revisions while 20% was accounted for by mechanical loosening of the device and another 15% of revisions were needed due to infections.

It must be noted that all individuals who need a revision surgery do not experience symptoms. Conversely every person who experiences some of the symptoms cannot undergo the rigors of revision surgery. A decision in this regard can be made only after a thorough medical examination of the candidate to see if the benefits outweigh the risks.

Advantages and Risks of Revision Hip Replacement

Benefits:

• Pain relief.
• Improved ease in movement.
• Treatment of infection and avoiding further complications.

Disadvantages:

• By the time revision surgery is needed, the person has advanced in age. Quality of the bone becomes an issue due to this.
• With total hip replacement the first time, your orthopedic surgeon would have removed some bone in order to fix the prosthesis. Availability of sufficient bone to secure the revision prosthesis can be a problem.
• In several cases, bone grafts are needed. This involves addition of bone material to reconstruct the acetabulum (hip socket) from where bone was removed to fix the prosthesis. It can be an auto-graft (bone taken from other parts of one’s own body- e.g. pelvis) if the requirement is very small. If more bone is needed, the hip surgeon will use an allograft (donor bone). Due to concerns like contracting HIV or hepatitis, the bone tissue needs to be screened thoroughly for infectious agents and proper processing.
•  After grafting, you are advised to avoid putting weight on the operated hip for three months or so. This time is needed for the graft to grow into solid bone. This can be a lot of hard work and you will need crutches for some time. Patients for revision surgery are typically older and less able to cope with long procedures and blood loss.
• The old, worn out prosthesis has to be removed. This adds to the time and complicated nature of revision hip replacement surgery.

Risks:

• There is a chance of the femur bone fracturing during surgery. If this happens, extra repair measures will be needed.
• The operated leg may end up being shorter or longer than before surgery.
• Mobility and range of motion may be more restricted compared to after first-time replacements.
• You may be unable to regain your normal gait again.
• Dislocation and loosening risk is to be expected in the first three months after operation. Greater pre-operative bone loss and poor quality of bone increase this risk.
• Infection, bleeding, trauma to nerves in the region etc are likely, just like in all surgical procedures.
• Blood clots in legs or lungs can occur due to twisting and trauma of blood vessels.
• Patients with existing heart and lung problems may experience problems related to these.

For all these reasons, a revision hip arthroplasty has to be carefully considered and planned.

Why consider India for Hip Revision Surgeries?

The reasons for India’s popularity as a center for hip revision surgery are:

• The number of revision surgeries performed by the specialist orthopedic surgeons in India is very high compared to that done by their counterparts in the West. This is good news as revision surgeries usually require higher level of expertise and experience for good results.
• The cost is way lower. This, again, is very advantageous as revision surgery is usually performed on older people, whose income may have been reduced or who may be dipping into their savings for this surgery.
• Most insurance plans do not cover revision surgeries.
• Most surgeons have been dealing with Western patients for a long time now. So, there is ease and comfort on both sides.

Cost of Revision Hip Replacement in India

Revision hip surgery is technically more demanding of the surgeon. Only highly experienced hip surgeons undertake to perform this surgery due to increased risk factors. Consequently, revision hip surgery is even more expensive than primary THR. Orthopedic surgeries are highly costly in USA, Canada and UK.

For the medically uninsured population, revision hip surgery in world-class orthopedic hospitals in India can work out much more affordable. Orthopedic surgeons in India have high level of expertise and specialization in surgeries such as hip resurfacing, revision hip surgery and knee arthroplasty.