Journey to hopefully-no-longer-a-phobic

[letsconnect]

Wonderful to hear that working with your dentist has been such a positive experience ! I hope the oral surgeon turns out to be a kind and gentle, and that the sticker shock will be manageable . Thanks for the updates!!

 

[Vaidile]

I'm officially cavity and tartar free!

My last filling took place before Christmas, and today the dentist polished a few rougher edges left and finished my cleaning. I'm so happy to start the year with a (mostly) healthy mouth! The only thing left marring it is my broken premolar. I can't wait to finally have it out, even though I hate extractions, but it will still be several weeks until that.

The cleaning was bearable, but unpleasant and painful at times when she had to dig deeper, even with the lidocaine spray. I'm bummed that this is something I'll have to get done regularly from now, but hopefully if I keep up with my dental hygiene, it won't be so bad in the future. I'm determined not to let it go so long without a visit again.

I still need a couple crowns but they can wait, so I decided to get my oral surgeon visit done first. It's on January 27. I need to have my broken tooth extracted, and then we'll see about implants. Ideally, I'll be able to get (and afford) 2; the third one probably won't be possible due to the remaining teeth having shifted too much.

I can't believe how far I've come in just a few months. I wouldn't have believed it possible a year ago. I still have a long way to go, but I don't think anything will be as hard as that terrifying first visit.

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Vaidile, You have accomplished so much in a short time and come a long way in your dental journey! Certainly an inspiration to me and so many! Congrats on being cavity and tarter free! That is a huge!! glad you can get a small break before the oral surgery appt. Definately keep us up with how that goes!

 

[Vaidile]

I got two implants today!

Contrary to what I expected, I was barely nervous before the visit. We got an ice storm last night and I was more worried about getting to the clinic safely than what might happen when I'm there. But I managed to arrive with all my remaining teeth intact

I liked the oral surgeon instantly. He had a very calming presence and somehow managed to appear both professional and laid back. I can see why my dentist recommended him. At first he thought my broken tooth might still be salvageable and even called another dentist for a consult, but eventually they decided the success of treatment would be too uncertain and it's better for it to go. So the eventual treatment plan was extraction of tooth 35 with immediate implant, plus an implant for 26. I was very surprised that 8 years after extraction of tooth 26 I didn't need a bone graft, just a sinus lift. Tooth 16, which has also been extracted years ago, is not currently possible to implant because the gap is too narrow, so he recommended getting partial braces on that side to correct it (he recommended orthodontic treatment in general, but I really, really don't want it). We'll see about that later. I was very afraid of how much it'll cost, but so far the price seems manageable.

So then he said that we could do the extraction and implants right then, if I wanted to. I really wasn't prepared! I expected to at most get an extraction during the first visit. But I decided that the last thing I needed was more time to freak out about the procedure, so I agreed.

It was so quick and easy! I couldn't believe I used to think about maybe getting sedated for this; I've had more uncomfortable fillings. After a couple moderately painful shots on each site the rest was completely painless, even the pressure wasn't too bad. The surgeon and his assistant were calmly reassuring, kept asking if I was okay and telling me what was happening and what I'd feel. I couldn't have asked for better treatment! I didn't even get lightheaded, which I'm prone to, especially during extractions. When he finally said that we were done, I was incredulous.

I got an ice bag, a pamphlet with aftercare instructions, a prescription for antibiotics and some stronger painkillers and was good to go. Felt fine afterwards, so decided to go to work. The numbing is almost gone by now, but I took a painkiller in anticipation so all is still good. My body usually handles dental work pretty well, so I hope this will be the case this time, too. I'm back in a week to remove stiches and check how everything is healing, and then there'll be a 6 month wait before getting crowns.

I'm feeling on top of the world right now. This was much, much easier than I expected. Turns out oral surgery doesn't have to be scary!

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Wow!! Congratulations.. Sounds like best case scenario! The surgeon sounds amazing,! So happy for you.. What a reassuring experience!!

 

[letsconnect]

Congratulations @Vaidile !! that's pretty amazing . How are you doing now? I hope the healing is going smoothly!

 

[Vaidile]

@letsconnect, I'm doing very well, thanks for asking. So far the recovery seems to be much smoother compared to a regular extraction, probably because there's no open wound and blood clot to protect. My bottom site already has a healing cap on, and the top one is nicely stitched up. There was minimal pain the first day and none at all the second; no swelling. I woke up in some pain last night, but took a painkiller and was able to fall back asleep pretty quickly. Feel fine again in the morning. I'm still eating softer foods and avoiding chewing on my left side, where the implants are, but other that that everything feels completely normal.

The worst part is that due to the sinus lift I was told to avoid blowing my nose for a few weeks. It's winter; my nose is constantly getting stuffed up and/or runny, especially when I'm outside - and I like being outside! We're finally having a properly cold, snowy winter this year and I want to savor it. So the no blowing part is pretty annoying. I already couldn't help sneezing a few times; really hope it didn't cause any damage.

All in all, I'm very happy with my implant experience so far. Let's hope the rest continues to be as smooth sailing.

 

[letsconnect]

That's great to hear, and sorry about the no nose blowing part at the wrong time of the year! Looking at the weather forecast for Lithuania, the snow is here to stay for a wee while, so hopefully you'll have plenty of time to savour the winter (down to -24 at night??? yikes )

 

[Vaidile]

(down to -24 at night??? yikes )

Haha, yeah, most people here feel the way you do. I'm a bit of a freak about winter, though, so I'm actually excited. We haven't seen a proper cold in years! Winters like that used to be common when I was a kid. Fuck climate change.

 

[letsconnect]

Well yes, they say that there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. Though I've never quite figured out how to put a nice thick down coat over my face while still being able to see and breathe! Anyway, it's good to hear that not everyone is a wimp like myself - enjoy !!

 

[Vaidile]

I chipped my front tooth on Saturday. Was eating a plum; didn't even hit the pit. It was probably the last straw for the poor thing.

If that had happened a year ago, I would have been a panicked, sobbing mess. Eventually it would have either forced me to make an appointment with a dentist, or, more likely, I'd have added it to the growing list of my dental issues and learned to live with it, hiding my smile even more.

Now, though? After a moment of panic and running to the mirror to see how bad it was (not as bad as it seemed at that first instance) I immediately went to look for the nearest opening with my dentist. Fortunately, she had one this very Monday! So I booked it, messaged a couple of friends to whine about my misfortune, then proceeded to make lunch and eat it very slowly and carefully. That was it. I barely thought about it the rest of the weekend.

I went to the dentist today. After checking my bite to see why this might have happened, she was able to restore the tooth with no issue. She also checked the rest of my teeth and complimented me on my brushing. I worried I might be slipping because some nights I can't be bothered with the full routine, so it was reassuring to hear that I was still doing enough. We chatted a bit about my implant experience, what comes next, some whitening options. The entire visit was friendly, relaxed and no stress.

It's times like these, when unexpected issues happen, that I'm most thankful to have finally faced my fear and come out the other side of it. Doing it on my own terms, when there was nothing urgent pressing me to proceed quicker that I might have been prepared to, was the best decision ever. I can imagine all too well how stressful this weekend would have been otherwise.

 

[Vaidile]

Last week I finally got my two implants crowned. It was done in 3 short visits. First I returned to the dental surgeon who put in my implants in January to check them and put on a healing cap on the top implant (the bottom one had it from the start). It only took a bit of local and a couple minutes of work. He then sent me for x-rays, confirmed everything looked good and that was it.

A week later I had my first appointment with the prosthodontist. I got a bit into my head in the days leading to it, because once again it was a completely new process with a new person. There was nothing to worry about, though. The dentist turned out to be very nice and communicative. She scanned my teeth with the handheld scanner, which was a little uncomfortable, even though I don't have a very sensitive gag reflex, but I was very glad to have avoided the old-school impressions, those don't sound pleasant at all! The top implant site hurt a little when she took the healing cap off and put it back on, but she assured me it was just my gums protesting being manipulated and nothing to worry about.

The crowns were made in another week. Putting them on was much easier than I expected - they just took the healing caps off and screwed the crowns on in their place. There was some pressure and a bit of fiddling to check the fit, but zero pain. The access holes for screws were filled in and the entire thing was over. They also let me keep the 3d printed model of my teeth, which was very cool.

The crowns felt huge in my mouth at first, but I got used to them in a couple of days. I still have to remind myself to eat normally on that side of the mouth sometimes, but otherwise they look and feel much the same as my natural teeth. So far I'm super happy with how they turned out and how easy the entire process has been. It sounded so scary and invasive in the beginning, but was really no big deal.

The biggest win, though, is that now I can confidently say I'm almost entirely over my phobia. I've seen 5 different specialists over the last year, and though my regular dentist deserves most of the credit for getting me to this place, I didn't have a single bad experience. I still get nervous when faced with something new, but unless I let myself get into an anxiety spiral, it's usually manageable. Regular dental work no longer is something to dread (except cleanings. I hate them and they hurt. This will be something to work on in the future to hopefully make them easier to bear).

My dental journey isn't 100% over, there are still some things left to do, but they are not urgent or even absolutely necessary. My dentist is moving to a new office which will hopefully be nicer than her last one, so I think I'll visit her in a few months to check it out and see what she recommends to do next, if anything. I'm actually looking forward to seeing her again. Isn't that crazy??? I would not have believed it to be possible a year ago!

A massive thanks to everyone in this forum who supported and cheered me on back when I was a nervous wreck just starting this process. I'm not sure I'd been able to go through it without you

 

[letsconnect]

That is fantastic news, a huge WELL DONE @Vaidile !! So good to hear that the implant process went so much easier than you expected .

Keeping my fingers crossed that your dentist's new premises are a huge improvement over the old ones - a nice environment makes such a difference!

(P.S. I also hope that the cleanings will become easier - like yourself, it's something I tend to dread. For some reason, some cleanings can be pretty painful (even with the same hygienist and same instruments). Even though I haven't really had a really terrible experience in many years now, I'm still on edge beforehand. Not sure if some of my past hygienists were just having a bad day, or if it might be down to the instruments. I read somewhere that as dental scalers get more dull with use, this can lead to painful cleanings... so perhaps asking about using some brand new scalers might help. Probably worth having a chat with your dentist about your dread of cleanings if you haven't already done so - there might be something that can be done to make things easier. A lot of people also get numbed up for cleanings (it's a more surface level numbing than for more "serious" dental work), so that might be worth considering!)