H
hellkatbaby
Junior member
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2016
- Messages
- 18
First off thank you to everyone who has contributed their stories to this site. While it sucks that a lot of have so many issues, it' nice to not feel so alone and lost.
So, my story is pretty typical - genetics, gum disease, bone loss, bad habits (heavy smoker/coffee drinker). In my 20's with no insurance it was easier to have a tooth pulled not knowing about bone loss rather than the cost of saving it. Then as the years went by I ended up having 5 top teeth pulled and a partial I wore for 4yrs.
The next time I saw the dentist, which was back in November, it was due to a cracked top molar. He did xrays and came back with the results his advice due to all the damage was to pull the remaining uppers and have a denture instead. Not wanting to go that route I went to an oral surgeon who agreed....sigh. So he sent me to one of those jack in the box places and I just did not fee comfortable dealing with them. Frustrated I did some searching in my area and found alot of complaints, too many to risk that much money. So I found a Prosthodontist who specializes in implants. She also agreed with the others in that no matter how much money I put into trying to keep and repair them the outcome would eventually be the same at some point.
So I went ahead and did all the scans needed to see if I were a candidate and with some bone grafting it can be done. Then I was hit with the price tag of $25-30k for the upper arch and that included all surgery, tax tag and title - OMG! That's a new car, a pool or a boat! I was most definitely sticker shocked, but decided to have a mold made so on the next appt. she could show me every option available. And after seeing the difference I figured at my age I deserved them, I was tired of not smiling, not wanting to go out to eat because something gets lodged in the partial or underneath. Not having to cover my mouth when I laughed and not having to soak my teeth every night. So I signed on the dotted line and started with all the upper extractions the day before Thanksgiving! People thought I was crazy but I was really taking advantage of having the paid holiday and weekend off to heal so I didn't exhaust all my paid time.
So I went with just a local and a light sedative, she did the extractions, split and cleaned my gums, added bone and tissue graft and then healing dentures. I will say I did not feel one shot, any pain and it took just over 2 1/2hs. Of course I was swollen for the next week an lived off mashed potatos, oatmeal and chocolate boost drinks for the first two weeks, but nothing major as far as pain so I only needed to take Motrin.
It's been a month and I'm still getting used to the dentures. I've had relines on my follow ups but still need a bit of adhesive because they are way too big for my mouth. If I can't cut my food with a fork then I cant eat it. But hey I needed to lose a few pounds anyhow.
Tomorrow is my next appt. and I find out when I'll be ready to have the posts placed. I'm assuming it would be Feb/March given how long the grafts take to heal. It's funny you hear of these teeth in a day, but this process from start to finish seems like it may take a year - between dentures as one graft heals any where from 2-4 months, to the surgery and more temps as the post and bone bond another 6-8 months from what I understand, THEN you get the final set. But I'd rather take the long route since it seems to make sense vs having them done too soon and the fail.
In the mean time I've been reading everything I can get my hands on so I have a list of questions a mile long for her tomorrow. So far she's been very upfront and honest, always tells me to come in anytime I feel my bite is off or if my gums get sore. So I'll update tomorrow on what the plan is.
So, my story is pretty typical - genetics, gum disease, bone loss, bad habits (heavy smoker/coffee drinker). In my 20's with no insurance it was easier to have a tooth pulled not knowing about bone loss rather than the cost of saving it. Then as the years went by I ended up having 5 top teeth pulled and a partial I wore for 4yrs.
The next time I saw the dentist, which was back in November, it was due to a cracked top molar. He did xrays and came back with the results his advice due to all the damage was to pull the remaining uppers and have a denture instead. Not wanting to go that route I went to an oral surgeon who agreed....sigh. So he sent me to one of those jack in the box places and I just did not fee comfortable dealing with them. Frustrated I did some searching in my area and found alot of complaints, too many to risk that much money. So I found a Prosthodontist who specializes in implants. She also agreed with the others in that no matter how much money I put into trying to keep and repair them the outcome would eventually be the same at some point.
So I went ahead and did all the scans needed to see if I were a candidate and with some bone grafting it can be done. Then I was hit with the price tag of $25-30k for the upper arch and that included all surgery, tax tag and title - OMG! That's a new car, a pool or a boat! I was most definitely sticker shocked, but decided to have a mold made so on the next appt. she could show me every option available. And after seeing the difference I figured at my age I deserved them, I was tired of not smiling, not wanting to go out to eat because something gets lodged in the partial or underneath. Not having to cover my mouth when I laughed and not having to soak my teeth every night. So I signed on the dotted line and started with all the upper extractions the day before Thanksgiving! People thought I was crazy but I was really taking advantage of having the paid holiday and weekend off to heal so I didn't exhaust all my paid time.
So I went with just a local and a light sedative, she did the extractions, split and cleaned my gums, added bone and tissue graft and then healing dentures. I will say I did not feel one shot, any pain and it took just over 2 1/2hs. Of course I was swollen for the next week an lived off mashed potatos, oatmeal and chocolate boost drinks for the first two weeks, but nothing major as far as pain so I only needed to take Motrin.
It's been a month and I'm still getting used to the dentures. I've had relines on my follow ups but still need a bit of adhesive because they are way too big for my mouth. If I can't cut my food with a fork then I cant eat it. But hey I needed to lose a few pounds anyhow.
Tomorrow is my next appt. and I find out when I'll be ready to have the posts placed. I'm assuming it would be Feb/March given how long the grafts take to heal. It's funny you hear of these teeth in a day, but this process from start to finish seems like it may take a year - between dentures as one graft heals any where from 2-4 months, to the surgery and more temps as the post and bone bond another 6-8 months from what I understand, THEN you get the final set. But I'd rather take the long route since it seems to make sense vs having them done too soon and the fail.
In the mean time I've been reading everything I can get my hands on so I have a list of questions a mile long for her tomorrow. So far she's been very upfront and honest, always tells me to come in anytime I feel my bite is off or if my gums get sore. So I'll update tomorrow on what the plan is.