I broke a front tooth many years ago as a child and then had a back molar extracted due to a serious abcess about 10 years ago. The front (crowned) tooth snapped off under the gum line 7 weeks ago, which was very distressing. My dentist arranged to see me on a Sunday to effect a temporary repair and indicated that realistically I would need an implant as wearing a front plate with a denture for many many years would probably cost more in the long run than implants and would also be annoying from both a speaking and eating perspective.
I met with the implant surgeon two days later and he spent over an hour explaining everything about implants - good, bad, cost, potential problems, results that could be achieved . Two weeks later I went back and we discussed it all over again. At that point he already knew I would need two implants (one upper, one lower) and a bone graft in the upper jawbone. He had to extract the broken front tooth and fit the denture plate as the temporary repair was exactly that! (Having now had this plate for a month there is no way that I could live with this for ever!! On the other hand, it's better than the "witchy" gap at the front that would have been left!!).
Two weeks ago I had the initial surgery. All done under a local anaesthetic - two implants and a bone graft. Antibiotics and steroids given intravenously at the time and I had ABSOLUTELY NO PAIN AT ALL AND ONLY MINIMAL SWELLING THE NEXT DAY.
Now it is just a question of playing the waiting game for 6 months for the bone graft to take and the implants to attain total stability before the new crowns can be fitted.
All I can say is go and see an implant surgeon with experience and make sure he/she spends as much time as you need explaining everything to you. Ask to see photos of cases he/she has worked on, so you know what to expect. Take your time with making a decision - this will not be a cheap option.
And finally....you need to allocate a lot more time to your dental hygiene routine whilst the implants are taking....hot salt mouth washes, Corsodyl mouth wash, Corosdyl gel, TePe brushes........
I can't wait to get my crowns in the New Year - so far it has all been worth it.
or perhaps 
