Bridge fail(s) / fear of implant / oral surgery

[tonyb300]

First post here, I hope this qualifies to be here as I'm not sure I'm phobic and have faced some of my fears just to get to this point.

I recently had a bridge done to compensate for a missing lower molar, (2nd attempt, 1st one failed due to poor fit), this one has settled in not much better.
My dentist is a trusted one, but I'm having buyers remorse on it, as my bite is slightly off, it's a little uncomfortable at times (causing anxiety), but I can't see going thru the process a 3rd time. Dentist has pointed out my upper teeth above it have an odd alignment making it difficult to get a good fit so I'm not sure it's worth trying again.

When this all started I was given the options of:
-Partial denture - Tried it, hated it.
-Bridge - Less invasive & costly than Implant.
-Implant - Several surgeries as I have bone loss, costly, long period to complete.

I chose the bridge but now regret my decision, and there's no turning back. My only options I believe now are to get an implant(something I fear & dread) and redo crowns? / another bridge? or redo the remaining two stumps with crowns?


To complicate things, my dentist may be retiring soon, so I may have to make a decision fast as to what path to take and what options I have. I have a follow up appt & cleaning with him 11/20 and will discuss it with him what he feels my best options and how much longer he will be working.

Thanks for reading, I'm just hoping to get some viewpoints to consider before I make another bad dental decision.

 

[Gordon]

Get the bite adjusted properly on the bridge first?

 

[tonyb300]

Get the bite adjusted properly on the bridge first?

I wish I could but the bridge settled in too low (like the 1st one) and my canines hit together before my molars making clenching my teeth uncomfortable. Chewing not much better. The height was OK for the first few weeks but after eating on it for a while it sunk lower.
The only recourse is to redo it (3rd time?, not sure it will work) or yank it? and put crowns on the existing stumps and live with the missing tooth and/or eventually getting an implant?

This is what is building heavy anxiety for me in that I'm going to have to make a decision concerning my dental health and really fear the consequences because in all honesty I wish I had never made this choice and would have left it with the missing tooth now that I know what the outcome is like.

Thx for your reply.

 

[Gordon]

That sounds really weird, teeth don't generally move OUT of the bite spontaneously. What's the bridge made of? Is it a porcelain/gold one or some kind of acrylic?

 

[tonyb300]

That sounds really weird, teeth don't generally move OUT of the bite spontaneously. What's the bridge made of? Is it a porcelain/gold one or some kind of acrylic?

Metal, It was not spontaneous, it was gradual over a few weeks.

It's not as bad as the 1st one, but no where close to the feel of the original teeth that were there.
Sometimes I just feel I'm having a really difficult time adjusting to man made teeth that are not as perfectly natural as the originals. That's where my fear really comes into play when I realize that what has been done is not that satisfactory to me and making further decisions can have such repercussions that I'm so unsure of myself & what to do that I'm afraid to make a choice.