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Some VERY NERVOUS Questions Before Getting 3 Crowns and an Implant

R

Ryan_B

Junior member
Joined
Mar 6, 2023
Messages
2
Location
St. Cloud, MN
After not seeing the dentist for about 10 years, one of my fillings popped out and I was forced to go to the dentist and have the tooth extracted. This was about six months ago, and since then I've been working through my very long treatment plan. (It's finally down to one page! WHOOO!!!) But now, after going through the gingivitis scaling, the cavity fillings, and the cleanings, I'm feeling more nervous than I've ever felt before about the next few steps.

After saving every cent I could for the past six months, on Friday I've got an appointment to get crowns on teeth #2, #12, and #24, and I'm taking the first steps towards getting an implant for #14. One the one hand, I'm excited to be so near the finish line. But I'm also feeling a huge sense of dread, like I'm counting down the final days of my mouth feeling "normal."

I'm REALLY nervous about it, especially because my dentist is terrible at explaining things, and barely says "hello" and "goodbye" to me during my visits. (This may be because it's a budget dentist, which is all that I can afford.) Because of this, I was wondering if I could ask you folks some questions:

- My treatment plan says that the crowns will be "porcelain/ceramic," which doesn't give me a ton of information. I never had any conversations with the dentist about materials, but should this be something we discuss? And is there anything I should know before having that discussion?

- Is it a dumb idea to do three crowns in one appointment? I was given the option of spacing the appointments out, but I figured I should just rip off the band-aid rather than have three times the appointments to dread. I also thought that it would minimize the time I'd spend worrying about temporary crowns falling out.

- To what extent will my mouth feel different now that four of my teeth are artificial? I feel like I'm constantly aware of the space where tooth #14 used to be, and I'm worried that adding three crowns to the mix will make my mouth feel even more foreign, which will make me hate the way my mouth feels even more than I already do...

- How will my ability to chew food be affected? I've read different opinions online, with some saying that I'd have to give up raw carrots, apples, nuts, and steak forever. Is this true? I'm still relatively young, and I've been pretty depressed at the thought of spending the rest of my life worrying about eating anything too crunchy or sticky.

- Should I have some money set aside for future emergency dental expenses related to these crowns and this implant? How much would you suggest saving? It took me six months to save for these crowns and this implant, and I never again want my dental choices to be dictated by my savings account. (I've spent the last six months depressed/angry at myself for not having the money on hand to potentially save tooth #14.)

- Are there any questions that I should make sure the dentist answers before we begin? (I mean, aside from the that ones I've written here...)

- Is there anything you can say to make me feel a bit less nervous?

I really, really appreciate your help. And even just typing out these questions has made me a bit less nervous by helping me identify where my anxiety is coming from. (Mainly my concerns about eating and hating how my mouth feels forever.)
 
My treatment plan says that the crowns will be "porcelain/ceramic," which doesn't give me a ton of information. I never had any conversations with the dentist about materials, but should this be something we discuss? And is there anything I should know before having that discussion?
Not really. The dentist should choose the best material for the crowns. If there's no "best" one then it would be reasonable to explain it to you and get your input.

- Is it a dumb idea to do three crowns in one appointment? I was given the option of spacing the appointments out, but I figured I should just rip off the band-aid rather than have three times the appointments to dread. I also thought that it would minimize the time I'd spend worrying about temporary crowns falling out.
No, in many ways it's better. Crowns are individually hand made from porcelain powder there can be subtle variations in the colours between different batches of porcelain powder, so getting them all done at once should give more consistent colour matching.


- To what extent will my mouth feel different now that four of my teeth are artificial? I feel like I'm constantly aware of the space where tooth #14 used to be, and I'm worried that adding three crowns to the mix will make my mouth feel even more foreign, which will make me hate the way my mouth feels even more than I already do...
You shouldn't notice at all. They might feel a bit different at first but you'll get used to them very quickly.


- How will my ability to chew food be affected? I've read different opinions online, with some saying that I'd have to give up raw carrots, apples, nuts, and steak forever. Is this true? I'm still relatively young, and I've been pretty depressed at the thought of spending the rest of my life worrying about eating anything too crunchy or sticky.
It doesn't matter. If the crowns can be dislodged by normal eating then there's something not right. I've had a 3/4 crown on a premolar for 30 years. It's never come out and I don't give it any special treatment.


- Should I have some money set aside for future emergency dental expenses related to these crowns and this implant? How much would you suggest saving? It took me six months to save for these crowns and this implant, and I never again want my dental choices to be dictated by my savings account. (I've spent the last six months depressed/angry at myself for not having the money on hand to potentially save tooth #14.)
Err... I don't know. It's always a good idea to have a "disaster fund" as a general life rule.

- Are there any questions that I should make sure the dentist answers before we begin? (I mean, aside from the that ones I've written here...)
Ask to be shown how to maintain them properly, especially cleaning round the implant when you get one!

- Is there anything you can say to make me feel a bit less nervous?
Sure. It's going to be fine. You'll be so proud of yourself when it's finished, all that worrying, saving etc has paid off :)
 
Thank you so much, that does make me feel a lot better! A big part of me knows that I'm worrying over something that's completely normal and routine, but there's still this huge feeling of impending dread that I can't seem to shake!

I think I've built it all up so much in my head that my imagination is running wild with what could go wrong, it's really useful to hear a normal, calm voice talking some sense. I really appreciate your response!
 
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