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My dental implant story blog

M

MomofSprinter

Junior member
Joined
Nov 10, 2017
Messages
18
Hi all. I was going to originally add this to my old post but figured I'd start a new one for those searching for similar cases.

I broke my front tooth at 7 years old. Never did like any of the crowns and in the last few years I had been complaining of pain. Which went ignored by several dentists until I got sick of it and sought out a cosmetic dentist. Guess what? I had infection at that tooth.

My fear of dentists started as a child so I never did care going to the dentist. In fact, I got high anxiety when I did need to go.

But I wanted my front tooth replaced with something better looking. I chose an implant.

On November 8, 2017 I had the crown and front tooth extracted. My biggest fear!! Being toothless. And it also happens to be a chronic nightmare of mine. I am 50 years old and luckily still have almost all my teeth! But this front tooth literally caused me nightmares all my life.

I had to have a bone graft at the time of extraction. I had swelling and pain for 48 hours following that but nothing motrin didn't take care of. I also had the flipper, which I HATED. So, I asked my dentist to place a Maryland Bridge while my graft took. I saved my flipper for backup.

Fast forward to today. I made an appointment because my bridge became loose. It was also follow up to the bone grafting procedure and I had lost some graft material through my gums which made me nervous. I thought the graft failed.

However, the graft took!! Unexpectedly this morning, it was time to place the post! My dentist could fit me right away so the next step is now done. The implant post is in. Healing cap on ( or protective cap). Stitched up. And bridge was reset. All in all, it is not as scary as I thought it would be. Some pain today and a little swelling but motrin is taking care of it.

Hope this helps someone. If you are in doubt or scared, I'm testimony that it isn't all that bad. The worst part is the needles for the novacaine.

I'll update at the next step. :)
 
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Update:

28+ hours post implant surgery and I am having literally no pain! Yesterday at this time my gums were a little sore but I think it was mostly from having my mouth open so long. Lol. Today I feel pretty good. I was even able to go in to work last night for an 8 hour shift.

Only annoying thing is the sutures. But all in all, feeling great. Post op appt on Friday morning and another cleaning. I'm doing cleanings every 3 months right now.
 
Thank you for posting about your implants. I’m about to get a whole mouth full of them and
I am relieved every time someone gets one and reports that they had minimal to zero discomfort.
I’m so glad all went well and you’re feeling good!
 
Congratulations! You did great.

Thanks for sharing. Keep us up to date as to your latest courageous actions.
 
So I am back. I thought I'd give an update on my journey. I had another appointment today. Xrays on the implant. And it is ready! I then had the mold of my mouth taken and opted for the implant tooth, a crown on either side of it and a veneer on the far tooth. So the top 4 teeth will be done at the same time! Now I am just waiting for the abutment and the lab to make my teeth!!

So excited!!! I've come far since last November. Not afraid of the dentist anymore. It helps that I found one who actually cares!

Oh, and my maryland bridge held through the mold! I was happy about that. Back to the dreaded flipper in a few weeks though. :( But just for a few weeks.
 
So excited!!! I've come far since last November. Not afraid of the dentist anymore. It helps that I found one who actually cares!

This is lovely to read, thank you for the update! Finding a dentist who cares really is a game changer.
 
And I am done!! Today I had my 1 implant crown, 2 other crowns and veneer put on. It was a long 11 months but well worth the wait! I ended up not needing to go back to the flipper. My dentist put on a temp bridge on the 4 front teeth while my crowns were made. A long 10 weeks waiting for those!

Next is to finally bite into something!! I'll start with something soft, like a sandwich. I'm a little scared the veneer might fall off. I've also gotten a little used to cutting everything up before eating it so this will be interesting.

Thanks everyone for the courage! I'm much better at taking care of my teeth now and not afraid of the dentist! I see him regularly. I had my teeth whitened during the whole process too. Now moving on to crowning a molar. :)
 
Bravo. Enjoy.

Soon, since you demonstrated such courage, you’ll be eating such wonderfully crunchy food like apples and tortilla chips.

You’ve got this.
 
That's awesome! So nice to read success stories on here while I'm in midst of a implant myself. Glad to hear the bridge held up through impression, as well. I have a fear of having existing (older) crowns pulled out during this process.
 
So glad to hear your success story! I am getting an implant for a molar put in next month.

I have a similar story with my front tooth. I chipped it badly as a child, and the canal is wide and has an open apex. No issues until this year, 30 years later when it started hurting. Turns out I had a large abscess and the tooth was completely dead. I had a root canal that is still hurting 3 months later. I go to the endodontist this week to get a cone beam scan to see if the tooth can be saved. Otherwise, I will be getting it pulled, which is one of my biggest fears as well. I am already having difficulty talking due to the pain when my tooth touches my lip or tongue. Good to know the implant procedure isn't too bad.
 
So glad to hear your success story! I am getting an implant for a molar put in next month.

I have a similar story with my front tooth. I chipped it badly as a child, and the canal is wide and has an open apex. No issues until this year, 30 years later when it started hurting. Turns out I had a large abscess and the tooth was completely dead. I had a root canal that is still hurting 3 months later. I go to the endodontist this week to get a cone beam scan to see if the tooth can be saved. Otherwise, I will be getting it pulled, which is one of my biggest fears as well. I am already having difficulty talking due to the pain when my tooth touches my lip or tongue. Good to know the implant procedure isn't too bad.
Did you need a sinus lift for the molar implant?
 
Did you need a sinus lift for the molar implant?

No, the implant is for my lower molar. I had an upper 2nd molar extracted, and would need a sinus lift for that one, but I am not going to replace that one. I can't afford it, and the oral surgeon said the upper 2nd molars really don't need replacing.

My father in law had an implant put in on an upper 1st molar, and had to have a sinus lift. He said it was no big deal, much easier than he imagined. He said it sounds much worse than it is.
 
No, the implant is for my lower molar. I had an upper 2nd molar extracted, and would need a sinus lift for that one, but I am not going to replace that one. I can't afford it, and the oral surgeon said the upper 2nd molars really don't need replacing.

My father in law had an implant put in on an upper 1st molar, and had to have a sinus lift. He said it was no big deal, much easier than he imagined. He said it sounds much worse than it is.
Second molar is the last one on the top right? I get so confused I’m glad to hear it’s not that if a deal I tried watching videos of is and it terrified me. Then I’ve read so many different people talking about the recovery time and pain. Idk if I can handle all that
 
Second molar is the last one on the top right? I get so confused I’m glad to hear it’s not that if a deal I tried watching videos of is and it terrified me. Then I’ve read so many different people talking about the recovery time and pain. Idk if I can handle all that

2nd molars are the last molars before the wisdom teeth. I am guessing you are having an implant for a 1st molar, right? Those are usually recommended. I would not watch videos of it at all!! I had an apicoectomy on a molar this past summer, and was terrified. Watching videos was the worst thing I did...I almost canceled the appointment. However, the procedure was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated. When I had the apico, the endodontist perforated my sinus cavity (which she had warned could happen). Again, it wasn't a big deal, and honestly, I didn't even notice it in the recovery process. It is one of those things that sounds and looks much worse than it feels.
I am having another apico today, actually, on a front tooth. Although I am really nervous just to get the procedure done (fear numbing won't work, and of ths shots), I am much calmer than I was last summer.
 
2nd molars are the last molars before the wisdom teeth. I am guessing you are having an implant for a 1st molar, right? Those are usually recommended. I would not watch videos of it at all!! I had an apicoectomy on a molar this past summer, and was terrified. Watching videos was the worst thing I did...I almost canceled the appointment. However, the procedure was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated. When I had the apico, the endodontist perforated my sinus cavity (which she had warned could happen). Again, it wasn't a big deal, and honestly, I didn't even notice it in the recovery process. It is one of those things that sounds and looks much worse than it feels.
I am having another apico today, actually, on a front tooth. Although I am really nervous just to get the procedure done (fear numbing won't work, and of ths shots), I am much calmer than I was last summer.
No I rescently had my last upper molar so I guess it’s the 2nd molar, extracted due to bad infection/ abscess. No implants, wondering though if I should get one for it so I don’t loose any other teeth because that one is gone So lost and confused in all this. Dentist did say if I wanted an implant there I would need a sinus lift. Thank you so much for your reply and good luck today
 
No I rescently had my last upper molar so I guess it’s the 2nd molar, extracted due to bad infection/ abscess. No implants, wondering though if I should get one for it so I don’t loose any other teeth because that one is gone So lost and confused in all this. Dentist did say if I wanted an implant there I would need a sinus lift. Thank you so much for your reply and good luck today

Thanks. My oral surgeon said you rarely miss the upper 2nd molars, and they usually don't cause you to lose other teeth. Supereruption happens mostly when the lower molars are missing. Your bottom molar has a small part of it that touches the top 1st molar, providing some pressure.
 
Thanks. My oral surgeon said you rarely miss the upper 2nd molars, and they usually don't cause you to lose other teeth. Supereruption happens mostly when the lower molars are missing. Your bottom molar has a small part of it that touches the top 1st molar, providing some pressure.
Thank you! I sure hope so I’ve been a wreck. Had enough getting use to not having it ?the thought of losing more terrifies me. Glad to hear things went well today for you!
 
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