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Bastet's Journal

The word of the day is vibration. :)

I had my implant appointment for tooth #30 today. I watched a YouTube video first so I knew what to expect, and I was expecting a lot of vibration. I wasn't really prepared for the intensity of it. It tickled my ears. I wanted to laugh. If I had been on nitrous oxide, I probably would have.

I want to add here that my biggest issue with dental work at this point in my process is the fear of gagging, choking, not being able to breathe, etc. Watching graphic videos of procedures doesn't tend to trigger any fears for me. Everyone's journey is different, and I'm thinking that videos would probably not be helpful for everyone. You all know what is best for yourselves. Also, if you are phobic or highly anxious, I wouldn't really recommend having this procedure without sedation until you have experienced success with some simpler procedures first. That's just my opinion. As I said, you all know what is best for yourselves.​

I was doing OK until about an hour before the appointment. Then I started panicking and thinking that I should just get another bridge and be done with it. I reminded myself why I wanted the implant and calmed down a bit. I bought some oatmeal and ate some so I wouldn't feel sick during the surgery. I figured I would eat the rest for lunch if able.

The surgery itself wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't too bad either. I had to have a bite block, and I don't like them because just as with the Isolite, it is too hard for me to swallow. I did OK though, I think because I wasn't laid back as far as I usually am with regular appointments. The hardest part of the appointment was keeping my mouth open so wide. He needed me to be open farther than the bite rest had me, and it kept falling forward as I opened. I actually think I would have done better if he had just taken it out.

After the appointment, I went back to work. I sit at a desk all day, so nothing strenuous. I was already hungry, so I carefully finished off my oatmeal. At lunch I was still hungry, so I carefully ate some pasta salad. We were allowed to leave work a little early today, and when I got home, I had some lentil soup. So much for my thought that I might lose a pound or two with this.

I took some Aleve as the numbness was starting to wear off. I just have a bit of soreness now. I have a prescription painkiller if I need it, but I tend to avoid those because of nausea.

The one thing that is freaking me out is the position of the healing cap. I expected the center of it to be at the center of where the tooth would be. Instead, it's way toward my tongue. I know he told me he had to use a certain implant because of the amount of room he had, so maybe that's part of it. I'll definitely ask about it at my follow up next week. Until then, I'm trying not to panic.
 
Today I haven't had any pain so far, but I was still feeling freaked out about where the center of the healing cap is. I searched a little and read some more about custom abutments. My treatment plan calls for a custom abutment, so what I read made me feel calmer. I really believe if there were any issues he would have told me, but I wasn't expecting to see what I did. I'm probably still want to ask him about it next week.

Anyhow, everything feels so good so far that I'm really going to have to remind myself not to be overly active and to be careful eating. I will stick with a softer diet, but I won't be stuck with just yogurt and soup today like I thought I would.
 
This was one of the most helpful implant procedure description I have ever read, thank you for that. It's good to know what to expect and how things really feel, your insights are very valuable.

I was wondering why you wouldn't just give your office a call and ask them about the healing cap if it bothers you so much. They must be used to answer post surgery questions, after all it's the days after the surgery where people start to doubt and worry if everything is right.

All the best wishes, may you recover as soon as possible.
 
Hi Enarete,

I'm glad you found my description helpful. The main reason I didn't call the office with my question is because for me, the answer required a bit of a visual explanation.

***

Today I had my appointment with the oral surgeon for a follow up. He said everything is healing well. He told me it will be a couple more weeks before I'm comfortable brushing the cap and also the sides of the teeth adjacent to the implant. He told me I could do it with a Q-Tip. I was glad he brought that up, because I was going to ask him about it. I could feel that my cap wasn't quite as slippery as it was when I got it. He cleaned it up for me. I love that he was able to bring it up in a way that didn't make me feel embarrassed or ashamed.

I asked him if the custom abutment would get my implant tooth more in line with the rest of my teeth than the implant cap is. He assured me it would and showed me with his hands a bit how it would work. I was thinking of posting a picture of what it looks like, but I didn't want it to bother anyone who may not want to see stuff like that.

Anyhow, I have to go back in a month. I don't have any dental appointments until then. Yay. :)
 
I thought I would have nothing to write about until my next check with the oral surgeon. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way.

Today I got a phone call at work, and I noticed on the caller ID it was from the oral surgeon's office. I assumed they were going to ask me to change my next appointment, because this office has done that twice before. When I picked up the phone, the doctor was on the other end. I was taken aback and thought I must owe them money or something. Funny how my mind went there. I'm paraphrasing, but he told me he's concerned about the position of the implant, and he thought the custom abutment would work, but now he wants to be sure it's restorable. My head starting spinning. Why didn't he say that when I asked him about it last week?

He said that he had talked to my general dentist and she would call me. He said I need to go see her and she will do a scan to help her determine if a crown and abutment can be created to restore it as it is. He told me to coordinate with him so he can loosen the cap before I go to my appointment with the general dentist. He asked if I had any questions. I didn't know what to say at that point, so no, I didn't have any questions.

My general dentist called and told me a little more about what she would do. She said if it's not restorable, the oral surgeon will remove my implant, augment the bone, and replace the implant. She asked if I was OK with that. Well, not really, but here we are. I said yes.

I don't know which one of them initiated contact with the other. I like to think that the oral surgeon thought more about my question and decided it was valid. Really though, I imagine it was the general dentist sitting at her computer staring at my radiograph with a cartoon cloud above her head filled with question marks.

So, Monday I'll find out more.
 
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I had two choices. Ideally I would have the implant removed, get bone augmentation, and have the implant replaced. As a compromise, I would have this implant restored but the crown would need extra bulk toward my tongue. I'm choosing the compromise.

I'm not happy that it even got to the point where I would have to make a decision like that. I believe there should have been way more coordination between the surgeon and the general dentist before I even had surgery. What was the point of the evaluation appointment and the 3D CT scan if I just end up like this anyhow?

I know I should say something, but I won't.
 
Now that I'm calmer, I feel like writing more about yesterday. I was horribly anxious all day. I was preparing myself to hear that I would have to have the implant replaced, but I was also really worried about having the cap taken off.

I had coordinated with the oral surgeon's office to go there a little before my appointment with my general dentist, so he could loosen the cap. I left work without a lot of time to spare, and I think the elevator stopped on every floor. Just when I thought I was in the clear, someone else would get on and get off on just the next floor. Finally, I got downstairs, and it was like an obstacle course of people outside seemingly wandering aimlessly around. I got through them, and someone stopped me for directions. Always wanting to help out a tourist, I sent him on his way and rushed to the oral surgeon's office.

I thought I would just make it, but then had the same issue with the elevator. I got to his office about two minutes late, and no one was at the front desk. I sat down and tried to look like I had been there all along. :) An assistant called me back and said she would try to loosen the cap, and if she couldn't, the doctor had tools to get it off. She said he's good at getting things into small spaces. Yes, he is. That's part of my problem. She easily loosened the cap with just her fingers. I was expecting some big ordeal. She told me she'd let the doctor know she was able to loosen it, and that he would probably tell her to send me on my way. My thought was he better not do that. Under the circumstances, I'm expecting him to make a personal appearance. He did. He told me he had just talked to my dentist, and she was expecting me. I appreciate the level of communication that's going on now. He put some gauze in my mouth to hold the cap in place. At that point I'm wondering if it's so easy to loosen, why do I have to walk to the dentist with it loose enough to require a big wad of gauze in my mouth?

I got to the dentist's office with plenty of time to spare. The assistant that works on designing all the implant crowns in the office took me back and got started with the scans. The dreaded Isolite again. It gave me a chance to see if I can tolerate it at all without nitrous oxide. I'm happy to know that I can. It would be much harder with the water from a handpiece, but I still think I could do it if I had to. It's way easier with it though. Anyhow, he finished the scans, and talked to the dentist. She then gave me my choices. So, if all goes according to plan, I'm back to not having another appointment until I see the oral surgeon again at the beginning of the month.
 
I just want to put a brief note in my journal. I had a check with the oral surgeon this week, and the implant area is healing well. I have an appointment to see him again in three months, and he'll check the integration. If all is well, I'll be able to schedule my restoration.

Next up is a hygiene appointment at the end of the month.
 
Glad to hear about the good appt and integration! Always good news ! :)
 
This week I had my hygiene appointment. I had what I think is a normal amount of nervousness. I think I am settling in there. I told the hygienist about a spot that was painful to floss. It was some residual cement as I suspected. The area was really tender when she was digging it out, but since I was expecting it, and I knew she would stop if I asked, it didn't freak me out.

This hygienist is like a detective. She asked me if I was chewing on my right side and I told her not much. She asked if it was because of the space there. It's not so much the space as it is that I'm not comfortable chewing on the implant cap, but she knew I wasn't chewing there, because I had some plaque build up on the occlusal surfaces of the upper molars. She told me to really scrub there. Oops. One good thing about having that happen is that it reconfirmed I'm not overly sensitive about hearing things like that as long as they're presented professionally. She didn't want me to feel bad about myself. She just wanted me to have the information, so I could take care of it. Yay.

She complimented the first dentist's work again. It's kind of a shame that such a skilled dentist chooses to have the kind of staff that he does. I really don't get it.
 
Sounds like a really good hygienist! Which is great. Hygienist appointments are very nerve-wracking, so it's great that you have trust in this one. :)
 
I had an appointment with the oral surgeon yesterday to see if my implant is ready to restore. It is. The reading was 84 whatever that means. Ha ha.

It was a weird appointment though. An assistant called me back and tried to take the reading. She never introduced herself and kept saying "hmmm" while she was trying to get the reading. I was getting very anxious. She finally went to get the doctor, and he came in with the other doctor in the practice. He also did not introduce himself and said "that doesn't look right." More anxiety for me. It turned out all of this was because the assistant wasn't using the right tip or whatever they're called for my kind of implant. The doctor that never introduced himself showed them the right tip, and everything was good.

Good grief, though. I wish I had the confidence in an appointment to say, "excuse me, who are you?" :)

Now I have to call my general dentist for the next steps. I think I'll do that next week.
 
Two doctors and a nurse with you in the appointment and none of them introduced themselves? How unpolite. It amazes me how some dentists seem not to get the importance of such basic things. I wouldn‘t even feel up to open my mouth if I didn‘t know the person who wanted to take a look.

Glad to read your implant is ready, hope your next appointment at you regular dentists goes well.
 
Hi Enarete,
One of the doctors was mine, so I knew him at least. This office is on the campus of a teaching hospital, but it is not actually affiliated with the hospital. I think that doctors that are part of the faculty practices affiliated with the hospital have it drilled into them that they have to do things like greet the patients and introduce themselves. It's seems like such an obvious thing to do.
___________________

Today I was walking to work and I thought I heard the first dentist I wrote about in this journal talking behind me. He has a distinctive voice, but I've never encountered him in that location before, so I decided it wasn't him. Then he started talking about practice management, and I knew I was wrong. I wanted to turn around and give him a few pointers of my own on practice management. As the younger generation would say, I'm still salty. Ha ha. I decided to just turn the corner and be on my way.

I still haven't called the general dentist. It's not really fear that's stopping me. It's just a bad time to get away from work. Maybe in a week or two. Worst case scenario is that I would talk to them about it when I go to my hygiene appointment in November.
 
I had my appointment today for a cleaning and exam. It went well. I was able to eat a normal amount of breakfast before I went, so I didn't feel queasy at all during the appointment. I don't use nitrous oxide for cleaning appointments anymore, and I had just a little bit a trouble with water pooling. The hygienist noticed when I was having issues and took care of it. The best thing is she said I can try a four-month recall rather than three. I hope I don't mess it up.

The dentist talked to me about next steps with the implant. For my next appointment in a couple of weeks, I am going to have the two crowns from the old bridge replaced. They are also going to scan for the implant crown and abutment and send the scan to the lab. The appointment after that will be to cement the implant crown and abutment.

Since the implant crown is being made in a lab, I asked if it would be possible to have a tooth tattoo done on it. The dentist is going to check with the lab. I hope they are able to do it. No one would be able to see it but me, but it would make me happy.
 
I asked if it would be possible to have a tooth tattoo done on it. The dentist is going to check with the lab. I hope they are able to do it. No one would be able to see it but me, but it would make me happy.

Please, tell me more about this, this makes me really curious. What is a tooth tattoo? Is it a tiny picture that will be on the tooth? Sounds pretty exciting! I will keep my fingers crossed for you to get it!
 
Yes, this does sound interesting a tooth tattoo never heard of it .. would be curious to know more as well.
 
Yes Enarete and krlovesherkids777, it is a little picture painted right onto a porcelain crown. I would like to have a cat if I can.
 
awww.. I LOVE cats!!! do you have them ? and any certain kind of cat or color you would like ? :)
 
krlovesherkids777 - I love cats too, but I don't have any now. I wanted just a black silhouette.

------------------------

Today felt like my day of disappointments. Haha. I went to have my crowns replaced on 29 and 31. Those were the bridge abutments before I had the implant placed. The assistant told me the lab won't do the cat picture. I was pretty much expecting that, but I was still a little disappointed.

I had nitrous oxide again, but they turned it off while the crowns were being made. They had to take impressions instead of doing a scan for the implant crown. The assistant said he was going to take the upper impression, and I asked if he could put the nitrous back on. He said no, it would be too hard for him to take the impression. Then he said "sorry." I said I'd try. I was hoping for some words of encouragement, but he was silent. That really got to me for some reason. I felt bad for even asking. It turned out the impressions were fine. It wasn't the kind of material that oozed down my throat. I don't know why it's bothering me so much. I guess because he didn't say anything to help me out. Most assistants tell me something they'll do to make it easier for me or coach me on breathing. I wish I could put into words how I felt. I guess I felt like I asked for help, and it wasn't acknowledged. I did thank him for not gagging me.

He asked if I needed nitrous for the second half of the appointment, and I said no. It was a mistake, because I had kind of a hard time, and in the state I was in, I didn't want to ask for anything again. I know that was my issue and had nothing to do with the dentist. I got through it though, and it's good to know that I can.

One of the upper molars that was crowned has really been bothering me a lot lately. Actually, it never really felt good after the crown, because the decay was really deep, but I waited it out hoping it wouldn't need endo. It's gotten to the point that I can't pretend anymore, so I told the dentist. She told me my endodontist retired. I was disappointed about that too. If I hadn't waited, I could have seen him before he retired. It'll be OK. There are some nice doctors there. I've heard them interact with their patients. My dentist marked a few she thought would work well with me, and they were the same ones that I was thinking of. Yeah, I've been to that endo office enough to know who most of the other doctors are. :scared:

I just need a day or two to break out of my funk. Next up, call the endodontist.
 
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