Had bone graft and abutment fitted last Monday. When it is safe to wear my flipper?

[MountainMama]

I didn’t get to spend too much time with the oral surgeon. He was in a rush as he was 30 minutes behind schedule and a number of patients were still waiting. His assistant did the CT Scan for me and he basically looked at the CT scan and told me that he will do everything all at once and about 3 months, I can put the tooth back. Not much time for questions. He already escorted me to the billing specialist. I thought they would at least inspect the broken tooth and gum. That’s why I didn’t feel comfortable about it. And when I emailed him my questions, the front desk emailed me back without consulting with oral surgeon. I know because I had a following questions specifically to check with the surgery and she told me that he was out of office and won’t be back until 3 days later. I had a very bad experience with a surgery with anesthesia and ended up with hooking in a ventilator for 6 days and almost didn’t make it. So I am extremely nervous. I told the surgeon about my concern, but he said it sould be fine this time.

Yes, I was referring to why wearing the flipper after extraction and implant. And what you said make sense. My dentist told me that it’s not necessary because front tooth won’t shift position. Actually having the flipper will make me feel better after extraction because I will not be able to see the would; otherwise I might faint. I afraid if wounds and blood. Currently putting in the flipper is a challenge. Every day I spent 1-2 hours in the bathroom trying to put it on and because of that I don’t feel like eating multiple meals. So now I only eat lunch and dinner and completely skip snacks.

Yes, you are correct. The dentist smooth of surface for the broken tooth, so it looks like there’s no tooth, but the root is still there.

I just want to fast forward to 5 months later, so everything is settled.

I would be uncomfortable feeling rushed as well. That is how I often felt with my previous dentist. My oral surgeon was fantastic and would always take time, even if he was running late (which is probably why he was late most of the time). I always had to wait at least 30 min past my appointment time, but I didn’t mind since he was so great.

My surgeon told me the teeth could shift, but my teeth are also crowded so it could have just been me. I didn’t wear mine at home after the first week or so. I just wore it when I went out or had company.

I hope it all goes well for you!!!

 

[Kate2022]

I would be uncomfortable feeling rushed as well. That is how I often felt with my previous dentist. My oral surgeon was fantastic and would always take time, even if he was running late (which is probably why he was late most of the time). I always had to wait at least 30 min past my appointment time, but I didn’t mind since he was so great.

My surgeon told me the teeth could shift, but my teeth are also crowded so it could have just been me. I didn’t wear mine at home after the first week or so. I just wore it when I went out or had company.

I hope it all goes well for you!!!

I see. Maybe I should just ask him questions In the beginning. Glad to hear that we don’t need to wear the flipper all the time because it has been very stressful. Attempted 3 times today (at least more than 2 hours) and finally able to put in the flipper around 5:30 and it’s almost dinner time that I need to take it out. Having opening my mouth for a long time plus the stress gave me headache and feeling nauseous. I am sorry, I complained too much. It’s just a stressful process. Thank you again. I’ll see what happens after the extraction next week.

 

[Kate2022]

@MountainMama I finally had the surgery this morning. The surgeon told my husband that it was successful. They put in the flipper, but told me to take it off and not to wear it these days. Everywhere I read said to keep it on. I guess he is using the traditional old method. So he sew the incession and I will need to go back after 3 weeks for him to remove. So far the pain is manageable, not as bad as I thought, but I took the ibuprofen anyway and didn’t feel anything after that. The only uncomfortable thing is that the surgical area still have a little bit of blood. I was told not to spit until after 12 hours. So basically when I take medicine with water, I swallowed blood and making me uncomfortable. And I afraid to eat because I afraid of swallowing blood. Hopefully the recovery goes well. Will keep this posting for update just in case anyone wants to know in the future. I was so surprised that the surgery went by so fast. I thought I didn’t sleep during the surgery, but I think I did. The last thing I remember is that the surgeon put IV and told me that he’s going to inject some medication to make me relax. I thought I was talking to them all the way without sleeping and the following conversation is that they told me the surgery is done. I was like I didn’t even have my mouth opened. And the tooth is gone, tooth flipper was in my mouth. It was so amazing! All these days, I’ve been stressing too much. It’s not as scary as I thought. )

 

[Former member 33748]

I thought I didn’t sleep during the surgery, but I think I did. The last thing I remember is that the surgeon put IV and told me that he’s going to inject some medication to make me relax. I thought I was talking to them all the way without sleeping and the following conversation is that they told me the surgery is done.

@Kate2022 I had a bone graft recently and thought the same thing It was like a 2 hour surgery and when I woke up I said “I didn’t even fall asleep!” then I asked what time it was. They were probably like “uh huh okay”

 

[Kate2022]

@Former member 33748 I know. How funny is that! I was doubting for a moment. They even said they put in my flipper, but I didn’t feel it at all. I finally took the courage to open up my mom and look at the surgical site. It looks kind of scary. And then I look the the flipper, they trimmed off the top of the tooth and all of a sudden my fake tooth color is so yellowish. Has this happened to you too? They told me not to wear flipper, but what is the purpose of asking me to get one in the beginning? Do you keep yours in? How long did the bleeding stop? I still have a little bleeding after 6 hours post surgery. Is it normal? And I haven’t eaten anything yet since 9pm last night and it’s almost 5pm in my area. I don’t feel hungry at all. So weird.

 

[MountainMama]

@MountainMama I finally had the surgery this morning. The surgeon told my husband that it was successful. They put in the flipper, but told me to take it off and not to wear it these days. Everywhere I read said to keep it on. I guess he is using the traditional old method. So he sew the incession and I will need to go back after 3 weeks for him to remove. So far the pain is manageable, not as bad as I thought, but I took the ibuprofen anyway and didn’t feel anything after that. The only uncomfortable thing is that the surgical area still have a little bit of blood. I was told not to spit until after 12 hours. So basically when I take medicine with water, I swallowed blood and making me uncomfortable. And I afraid to eat because I afraid of swallowing blood. Hopefully the recovery goes well. Will keep this posting for update just in case anyone wants to know in the future. I was so surprised that the surgery went by so fast. I thought I didn’t sleep during the surgery, but I think I did. The last thing I remember is that the surgeon put IV and told me that he’s going to inject some medication to make me relax. I thought I was talking to them all the way without sleeping and the following conversation is that they told me the surgery is done. I was like I didn’t even have my mouth opened. And the tooth is gone, tooth flipper was in my mouth. It was so amazing! All these days, I’ve been stressing too much. It’s not as scary as I thought. )

I am so glad it is over for you! What a relief, right?

I didn’t have much bleeding after the first hour, because the flipper was in. The surgeon told me that the flipper acted as a seal to help stop the bleeding as well.

Other extractions that I have had did bleed for a long time…even seeped for up to 24 hours! I don’t like swallowing blood either. It should slow down soon, though, if it was sewn shut. I had the dissolvable stitches so I didn’t have to get them removed.

I found that jello was easy to tolerate the same day as the extraction and implant, especially since I had two done the same day. It was easy to keep it out of the wound area.

 

[Former member 33748]

@Kate2022 ah sorry didn’t mention that my bone graft was for bone loss due to perio and I didn’t end up needing an extraction (though we thought I might). Surprisingly my one quadrant must have clotted up really fast bc I didn’t experience much bleeding at all! And I didn’t have much more than an Ensure or two a day for awhile. I hope your bleeding stops soon!

 

[Kate2022]

@MountainMama Yes, what a relief! I think he only stitched up the incision. I can see with the bone or metal piece. Haven’t eaten anything yet and not feeling hungry at all. I am asked to brush teeth tonight, so kind of worry. And the surgeon doesn’t recommend to wear the flipper of not necessary. He cute the flipper and now it looks very ugly and all of a sudden it turned yellow. I wish I have taken a better picture of the original flipper. It was white and nice sharp.

 

[Kate2022]

@Former member 33748 I see. Thank you!!

 

[MountainMama]

@MountainMama Yes, what a relief! I think he only stitched up the incision. I can see with the bone or metal piece. Haven’t eaten anything yet and not feeling hungry at all. I am asked to brush teeth tonight, so kind of worry. And the surgeon doesn’t recommend to wear the flipper of not necessary. He cute the flipper and now it looks very ugly and all of a sudden it turned yellow. I wish I have taken a better picture of the original flipper. It was white and nice sharp.

He must have placed the healing cap, then. That is probably what you are seeing and maybe why he doesn’t want you to wear it unless necessary. I am purely guessing here.

My healing cap was not placed until right before it was ready for the crown, with my front tooth. With my molars, it was placed immediately after the implant was placed.

He probably doesn’t want any extra pressure on the implant, just out of an abundance of caution.

 

[Kate2022]

@MountainMama You are right. It does look like a healing cap. I don’t know why I never get to talk to the surgeon, so I had no idea how he performed the implant. I am so worried that the bone graft fell out. At first when I was brushing my teeth, I feel like something stuck in my throat. I tried so hard to cough out, it was a yellow grain sized substance. Before I can look carefully, it got flushed down the sink. I have no idea how bone graft looks like. When i checked the implant site, the screw and stitch are both still there. But when I lick the implant site, it feels like something is missing. Just when I thought everything is perfect, now another thing to worry. Was the bone graft visible when you had your bone graft and implant?

 

[MountainMama]

I am sorry your surgeon doesn’t take time to talk with you. . I have been lucky in that both of the surgeons I have had have spent about ten minutes before the surgery and several minutes after explaining to me.
You generally can’t see the graft. However I was told by both surgeons that it is normal to have pieces of graft material in your mouth the first few days.

I freaked out with my last implant because about two weeks after, I started having bits of grafting material coming my up through my gums and coming out. It would happen gradually over a few weeks. I went back to the surgeon and he said it was unusual but he took an x ray and it looked great. It wasn’t an issue in the end.
I actually did lose part of a graft once. I had a tooth that needed extraction and the surgeon couldn’t get me in. So I had it done at my dentist, and he did the graft as well. His technique was different and he didn’t cover the graft afterwards so it was just open. He said it would close up and the gums would cover the graft material. It didn’t and pieces were falling out. I was petrified of having to do it again and pushing back the implant, but my surgeon looked at it in four months and said the bone still grew in how it was supposed to and I just needed a little bit more graft with the implant.

So if yours is sewn shut, you should be just fine! Losing a little is okay as well.

 

[Kate2022]

@MountainMama Thank you. The stitches only hold the gum and screw, so I really don’t know about bone graft…whether it’s below the screw or around it. On the day of the surgery, I sat on the sugical chair and he came in to greet (without wearing mask) and told me that he’ll inject something via IV to make me feel comfortable and the next second, the surgery was done and I was left with his assistant. And then they got a wheelchair and push me to our car. So I had no idea what was going on. Your surgeon was so nice that he explained to you before and after surgery. It would be nice if they have explained everything to me, so at least I don’t have to constantly Google and making myself more worried. The particle that came out was quite big (bigger than a grain). But if I am coughing up from my throat, it should be from my throat, not the surgical site?? I am so confused. Hopefully it’s just food particles. I wished I had taken a picture of the surgical site when I got home. Now I have nothing to compare to. When I thought everything went well, and now I am finding myself stress again. I really need to learn to relax a bit.!

 

[Kate2022]

And I just received a prescription reminder from CVS. I called the oral surgery office and the person said they have no idea what it is. Okay fine, then I asked about the email I emailed them yesterday, she said the surgeon hasn’t gotten the time to respond to email yet. I’ve never experienced anything so unprofessional like this before. Before surgery I emailed them, 600mg of ibuprofen is too high of dosage for me. They said they’ll reduce it to 400mg. When I picked up the medication, it’s still 600mg. So I ended up crushing the pill and took only 2/3 of the portion. I am feeling totally frustrated and not sure what to do. The peridex rinse they gave me has no instructions. I had to googled online myself for instructions. Am I just being overly picky or they do have some issues???

 

[MountainMama]

And I just received a prescription reminder from CVS. I called the oral surgery office and the person said they have no idea what it is. Okay fine, then I asked about the email I emailed them yesterday, she said the surgeon hasn’t gotten the time to respond to email yet. I’ve never experienced anything so unprofessional like this before. Before surgery I emailed them, 600mg of ibuprofen is too high of dosage for me. They said they’ll reduce it to 400mg. When I picked up the medication, it’s still 600mg. So I ended up crushing the pill and took only 2/3 of the portion. I am feeling totally frustrated and not sure what to do. The peridex rinse they gave me has no instructions. I had to googled online myself for instructions. Am I just being overly picky or they do have some issues???

That sounds like it isn’t the best situation. My oral surgeon also gave me an “after care” brochure with a lot of info on how to take care of the area and what to expect and even frequently asked questions. He even included his cell phone number in case of emergency.

If the particle was in your throat it could have been something from the surgery itself.

Oh and the surgical site will look different every day for about a week. It will swell up over the next few days and in my case a few times the healing cap completely disappeared under the gums from the swelling. Then it went back down and looked different also. Lol

 

[Kate2022]

@MountainMama Last Thursday I had difficulty swallowing and breathing. I went to ER and a follow up appointment with my primary doctor. Turned out that all of a sudden I developed the globus sensation. It feels horrible and not knowing when it could be treated. I also had my one week post surgery appointment. Oral surgeon only took a quick look (seriously less than 10 seconds) and said my stitches could be removed since my recovery looked good. It was supposed to be 3 weeks post surgery. Just like that, his assistant removed it (a little bit of pain, but manageable). And he said now u can brush over the surgical area and rinse with salt water after every meal. They told me to brush and avoid gum growing over it…but it’s out of my control if it grows over it. Anyway, next appointment will be 3 months from today to check if it’s ready to out on crown. Now I need to stay calm to control my globus sensation because I feel chocking every moment. Just too many things happened to me and my family recently and I got anxious every day.

 

[MountainMama]

@MountainMama Last Thursday I had difficulty swallowing and breathing. I went to ER and a follow up appointment with my primary doctor. Turned out that all of a sudden I developed the globus sensation. It feels horrible and not knowing when it could be treated. I also had my one week post surgery appointment. Oral surgeon only took a quick look (seriously less than 10 seconds) and said my stitches could be removed since my recovery looked good. It was supposed to be 3 weeks post surgery. Just like that, his assistant removed it (a little bit of pain, but manageable). And he said now u can brush over the surgical area and rinse with salt water after every meal. They told me to brush and avoid gum growing over it…but it’s out of my control if it grows over it. Anyway, next appointment will be 3 months from today to check if it’s ready to out on crown. Now I need to stay calm to control my globus sensation because I feel chocking every moment. Just too many things happened to me and my family recently and I got anxious every day.

I hope your stress levels go down. . I am glad everything looks good! I didn’t have trouble with the gums growing over the healing cap. I brushed it with one of those little interdental brushes and went around the sides. Otherwise I never felt like it was really clean.

The good news is that the next three months are the easiest!

 

[Kate2022]

@MountainMama Thanks! I am brushing that area with the extra toddler brush for my daughter. It’s been a week, it’s it normal for bone graft to leak? I just feel a very tiny sand like size white particle. I thought the surgeon would do another X-ray to ensure that the bone graft is okay, but he didn’t. I guess surgeons are experienced and they can tell by just looking at the gum. Three month (91 days to be exact) is a long wait and I don’t know what to pay attention to if something goes. And after all, i got my flipper for nothing and with all that stress putting it on. Haha….

If you don’t mind, I have a couple more questions. Can I now use straws? And when can I start going for other dental related appointment?

Now I am focusing on healing my globus sensation because I feel like choking every second.

Thank you so much for your help. I feel so comfortable talking to someone who actually has experienced the same thing. Much appreciated! Have a wonderful evening (assuming you are in the east coast).

 

[MountainMama]

@MountainMama Thanks! I am brushing that area with the extra toddler brush for my daughter. It’s been a week, it’s it normal for bone graft to leak? I just feel a very tiny sand like size white particle. I thought the surgeon would do another X-ray to ensure that the bone graft is okay, but he didn’t. I guess surgeons are experienced and they can tell by just looking at the gum. Three month (91 days to be exact) is a long wait and I don’t know what to pay attention to if something goes. And after all, i got my flipper for nothing and with all that stress putting it on. Haha….

If you don’t mind, I have a couple more questions. Can I now use straws? And when can I start going for other dental related appointment?

Now I am focusing on healing my globus sensation because I feel like choking every second.

Thank you so much for your help. I feel so comfortable talking to someone who actually has experienced the same thing. Much appreciated! Have a wonderful evening (assuming you are in the east coast).

Yes, on the east coast also!

It is normal to lose some particles. I was told that as long as you are not losing a huge amount, like a gush of them, a little bit coming out is normal.

I avoided straws for a few weeks, but was told just for a week. I was just too nervous to take a chance.

 

[Kate2022]

I want to use straw because I feel like every time when I drink soup or flavored drinks, it might get into the implant and hard to clean. To be honest, I am still not comfortable brushing on the healing cap and the gum. The dental assistant told me to brush in a circular moment when brushing heading cap. I really don’t know what is the correct way to brush. And just read online that sometimes the healing cap comes out. Has that ballot to before? I wish I can go back for a quick appointment on a monthly basis to just check on how it progress. Three months seem like a long time.