T
thatonedude
Junior member
- Joined
- May 11, 2009
- Messages
- 3
Hi All,
I had my exam today and was referred to a Maxillofacial surgeon.
The bad news is I need to have a full mouth extraction and need to get dentures.
The good news is the dentist I saw, Dr. Brian Midei, was WONDERFUL! The right person can put a good perspective on such news (he's in the Tucson, Arizona area. Highly recommended.)
Here is why:
I was worried about being judged about the shape of my mouth.
- Did not happen. They handled the case with professionalism, and were very up-front and realistic about my situation.
Thought the path forward would be root canals, crowns, fillings, et cetera, that I'd need to be awake for.
- Nope. He realistically presented my options, even including IV sedation on the referral form. I will be out for the procedure.
Worried he'd do unnecessary poking and prodding.
- Did not happen. The exam was gentle, they took 1 X-Ray of my number 19 molar to see if it could be saved (it could not). He took a further look around my mouth using only a mirror and his fingers and had a very soft touch about this looking around.
Worried I would leave uninformed, just being told what I had to do instead of why I had to do it.
- Information is a powerful tool! He explained what needed to happen, why various other procedures couldn't save my teeth, and why I would not be able to support a partial denture.
So, I'm looking at an extraction of 29 teeth, I'm already missing 3 of them. In place of those 29, a full upper and lower denture plate.
Now that I know what is going to happen next I don't have any fear about the process because it is not unknown to me.
So, I guess my support to offer you reading this, is to set aside your fears, explain what you need and why you need it, ask questions, get answers, and remember that medicine has come a long way since leeches and blood-letting. You are in control of your mouth's destiny so take charge and realize your smile can be brought back to life!
I had my exam today and was referred to a Maxillofacial surgeon.
The bad news is I need to have a full mouth extraction and need to get dentures.
The good news is the dentist I saw, Dr. Brian Midei, was WONDERFUL! The right person can put a good perspective on such news (he's in the Tucson, Arizona area. Highly recommended.)
Here is why:
I was worried about being judged about the shape of my mouth.
- Did not happen. They handled the case with professionalism, and were very up-front and realistic about my situation.
Thought the path forward would be root canals, crowns, fillings, et cetera, that I'd need to be awake for.
- Nope. He realistically presented my options, even including IV sedation on the referral form. I will be out for the procedure.
Worried he'd do unnecessary poking and prodding.
- Did not happen. The exam was gentle, they took 1 X-Ray of my number 19 molar to see if it could be saved (it could not). He took a further look around my mouth using only a mirror and his fingers and had a very soft touch about this looking around.
Worried I would leave uninformed, just being told what I had to do instead of why I had to do it.
- Information is a powerful tool! He explained what needed to happen, why various other procedures couldn't save my teeth, and why I would not be able to support a partial denture.
So, I'm looking at an extraction of 29 teeth, I'm already missing 3 of them. In place of those 29, a full upper and lower denture plate.
Now that I know what is going to happen next I don't have any fear about the process because it is not unknown to me.
So, I guess my support to offer you reading this, is to set aside your fears, explain what you need and why you need it, ask questions, get answers, and remember that medicine has come a long way since leeches and blood-letting. You are in control of your mouth's destiny so take charge and realize your smile can be brought back to life!