The Worst Teeth in the World- At Least When I Feel Sorry for Myself

[carole]

Hey Davee

How are you getting on? I read all your posts and I hope all is going well for you, fingers crossed.
I felt kind of sorry for you really because Carole is the only one responding to your blog, not sure if that's normal around here. She seems like an extremely nice person.
Maybe it's because your issues are not because you have financial problems, health issue problems, pain related, or aesthetic problems but I don't feel you get the answers you deserve so I chimed in. I hope I don't cause more issues than I can answer.
People can be reserved unless they can relate.

All I can say is that it's a big challenge taking on braces at this age. Not because one can't have positive results but if you like reading about mouth issues, I'd encourage you to read about periodontal disease caused by braces and also about peri implant disease caused by implants. Bone loss is also related to the same problem and they are all bacterial diseases that dentists don't like talking about or have any successful protocol to cure or prevent them, regardless of how much money one pays them in the mean time for different treatments.

The reason for bad breath(when a consequence of dental issues) is the exact same, bacterial, but in the lucky cases it's only got to the teeth, not the gums or the roots of teeth when teeth loss and bone loss start occurring. So you are right that most people have it, some in less extent than others.
And obviously, another reason is having teeth extracted and not being replaced for years when the jaw just learns that it no longer needs supporting teeth and the bone loss occurs.
I am not sure which one of them is the cause in your case, but I'd take my health in my own hands.
And I wish you the best of luck.

Hi the reason there are not may replies to this thread is because it is a journal, this part of the forum is for people to record their treatments and progress, so that at some later date they can refer back to it to see how far they have come and how they felt at certain times in their treatment.

I hesitate myself to put comments on journals but every now and again I do add a few words to let them know that people are reading their story and are interested in knowing how they are getting on.

Normally if people are wanting comments and support as opposed to recording their experiences they will post in the support part of the forum.

Thank you for your comments but don't worry no-one is just left to worry and stress over their oral problems.

All the best to you

Davee sounds like things are going well and to plan, I hope this continues for you and that it is successful, GOOD LUCK and have a really good 2015. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU

 

[Yabalka]

Hey Carole, I understand your concern. I don't see it this way. To me this is a thread opened by a live person who may need support one way or another. Talking to yourself, especially about teeth, without any contribution or support by others is tough to go along with.

 

[carole]

Hey Carole, I understand your concern. I don't see it this way. To me this is a thread opened by a live person who may need support one way or another. Talking to yourself, especially about teeth, without any contribution or support by others is tough to go along with.

Yabalka if you look around the forum you will see that Davee has other threads one being in the support section where they do indeed get support and encouragement from myself and others of this forum. We seem to have taken over their journal now by having this conversation so I will not intrude further by continuing this here. Also I am more than willing to accept and answer pm's sent to me, so please don't be worried about Davee any more they are fine.

All the best to you

 

[Davee]

No worries ladies. I don't expect comments on my blog but I always appreciate the support Carole gives me and all members of the forum.

The reason I write about my journey is because my problems seemed so unique. I could not find much written about what I was experiencing. Someday, someone may have some of my same issues, and I want them to know that they are the only person experiencing them.

I would like to point out that neglecting my teeth and my accident as a kid is what caused this whole mess. My fear of dentists and shame kept me from getting the help I needed. Even with the compassion of my new dentist I still find that some of my concerns are bigger to me than they are to him. I know many of us have experienced that.

I don't worry about periodontal disease right now. Part of the care with braces is having my teeth cleaned every four months and having the gum pockets measured. So it hasn't been an issue since my deep cleanings. Thank goodness- right?

I am of course worried that the implants will fail. Anything can happen including infection, rejection of the metal posts or the dentist injuring the surrounding bone or gum when he places crowns on them. And I do have pain from the bone graft. I have nerve damage now, it could get worse. But I hope it all works out and I am restored. If not the dentist plans for a bridge which I think I would not want. I don't want to lose the supporting teeth. So if anything or everything goes wrong I hope for a more permanent type of partial, something I can eat with. I also know that other people are experiencing things far better and far worse than me on this forum. But to each of us it is personal, and sometimes I do pity myself because I am only human and pain is pain. This has been a painful journey.

 

[carole]

I hope it all goes well with your implants. If things don't go to plan don't stress about having a bridge, I have two at the top back of my mouth. One I have had for over 20 years with no problems. They feel just like normal teeth and can be used exactly the same too. You just have to make sure the dentist show you how to clean them correctly and they are fine.

that your implants go to plan

 

[Davee]

Hi Carole. I should have been more specific when I said "bridge". I meant partial denture. The type I could keep in my mouth to eat with, unlike the flipper which I cannot.

Well today was the day they uncovered the implants to see if they integrated into the bone, and to put healing caps on. It went well. Next step impressions for my fake teeth.

 

[carole]

How are things going ?

 

[Davee]

Hi Carole! I will be getting posts next week and they will take impressions for my implant bridge. I can't believe that it is possible that I might within a month have front teeth again.

 

[carole]

I hope everything goes well. Keep us posted

 

[Davee]

My mouth is on fire!!!! Okay- just where they lasered off some extra gum tissue in preparation of my implanted 3 tooth bridge. You would think I would be used to this by now. But I have found I am used to the taste of my own blood, but the taste and smell of my cooking flesh- not so much.Took impressions today.

In one month (give or take a week) I will have my braces off and my implanted bridge in.
One month!!!! One month and I will be restored!!!!! The dentist told me I will be able to "bite into apples" with my implanted bridge. I wouldn't even try that. But to go out to eat again will be glorious!

I put 6k on my credit card today for my bridge. That is a huge amount of money to me because I have a lot of expenses recently. It actually worries me. The good news is my ortho is paid off.

If all goes well, then next month I will go out for Sushi with my daughter. I will be wearing dark lip gloss when I go and will be wearing a stupid smile.

 

[Davee]

My implant bridge is in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It looks good enough for me. Next steps are to get my braces off next month and then whiten the rest of my teeth. My Ortho wanted to correct my overbite more, but then my back teeth won't touch and my front teeth will slam into the front bottom teeth. I took my dentist's advice and opted for the end of orthodontics. I went from a 100% overbite to a 40% overbite. With that said, my bite has improved quite a bit and the implants fit nicely. My goal was never to have perfect looking teeth. I wanted nice looking teeth and a functional bite. I am there.

I put the flippers away under my bathroom sink. I can't believe I will wake up without having to put my teeth in. With all the surgeries the flippers rarely fit right, causing tissue abrasion, sores, cuts, and plenty of daily pain. That was the worst part of it for me. If the flippers had fit right I could actually envision a life without my three front teeth while wearing a partial. But since they didn't, it was always torture.

I can go out to eat, and eat in front of people again!!!! I think it may take awhile to get used to this and not cut my sandwiches in little pieces. It took two and a half years from teeth and tumor(s) removal to implanted teeth. Also, the last couple of months most of my nerve damage pain has resolved. I thought that was hopeless, so I was quite surprised that time actually did heal these wounds.

Thanks Carole and others for reading my journal and lending support through this journey. I never, ever truly believed I would be writing this final post. I never believed there could be an end to such a complicated and painful journey. I feel like today is a wonderful dream...........

 

[carole]

Hi I haven't been on here for a while but I am so glad to have come on and seen this.

CONGRATULATIONS

WELL DONE YOU

 

[Davee]

My dental phobia is showing. Literally showing. My face broke out into a rash while I slept in anticipation of today's dental visit. My braces are off and I had concerns. I still have nerve pain from my bone grafts and was really worried that my implants were infected, or that they were losing the bone that held them in. The reason for this is that I learned about peri-implantitis thanks to Google. According to Google between 3 to 67% of people with implants will suffer from this infection which will kill the bone around your implants and leave you without your implanted teeth. Swell! One of my fillings hurts on and off as does that one canine that has hurt on and off for almost three years now. I call it "transient tooth pain." Yep, I have my own dental sayings and dental terms now.

So I was planning on buying some alcohol and drowning my sorrows after today's cleaning and x-rays due to the bad news I was expecting. But everything is fine they tell me, so I will forgo the wine. Also the hygienist told me in the 20 years she has been working she has only seen one case of peri-implantitis. So maybe I will be okay.

Very relieved.

 

[Davee]

Since the last time I posted there hasn't been too much going on. I still have pain in my implants. More of an achy pain that is worse when my sinuses act up. Doesn't hurt all the time, just some days. It feels like an inflammation. That was all checked out- even had another CT and they could not find anything wrong. I had my teeth cleaned today and they haven't found any signs of infection, even around the implants.

The one thing I have learned is that implants are not always what they promise to be. They said they would function and feel like normal teeth. They do function like normal teeth but for me they do not feel like normal teeth at all. Don't get me wrong- I am glad I have them. But if they fail I will try to get a good partial made and not go down this road again.

Hope everyone out there in dental phobe land is doing well.

 

[carole]

Hi thanks for the update and I hope they are succesful.

All the best to you and good luck

 

[Davee]

Wanted to update this thread. For the first week ever my implants have not hurt. A whole week pain free! This is unusual as during the whole process I have been in pain. In pain for years. But this last week- no pain. That is worth writing about.

 

[Davee]

Well here we are almost a year and a half after my implants and bridge. I have only had that one week pain free. Some days I feel little pain, but most days my pain is more on the moderate side. I just had my teeth cleaned, full X-Rays and probing of the tissues. Again they do not find anything wrong with the implants. When the scar tissue inflames it can be very intense pain. Still physical pain I can deal with- the psychological pain of having an ill fitting partial denture that I could not eat with was worse. No one wants to take their teeth out at a restaurant or among co-workers, especially at my age. If it all goes bad my dentist has promised to make me a partial that I can eat with even though he tells me not to worry this will happen. It's always good to have a plan B.

My periodontal disease is now well controlled. My biggest pockets are 3mm. I do want to say that the only reason I have done as well as I am doing is because my dentist, his staff and my oral surgeon are top notch and take pride in their professions. My story would have been very different these last few years had I not found a wonderful dentist.

 

[Davee]

It's been a year since my last update. My implants rarely hurt anymore. I found out the culprit- tomato juice. I love that stuff and it was causing my implant pain. Now I only drink it occasionally and every time I do- my implants hurt. Strange but true. Wine causes the same pain so I avoid it.


I keep up with my dental visits and that is literally Hell for me. I still get very anxious weeks before the visit. Even though my dentist is so nice I still literally shake on the day I go in. The yearly xray is the worse. It takes me two days to recover from the visit. I really hate this phobia, and in general I hate how teeth have become such a large part of my life. When they were bad I worried about that. Now that they are good I worry about losing them. When I had a partial I worried about it breaking and missing work while they made me a new one. I have nightmares in which I lose my implant bridge and wake up surprised that I still have it.

So even though I have nothing to complain about I still find my dental phobia is alive and well. I don't wish it on anyone and I am glad that people on this forum understand the struggle.

 

[Anxious76]

It's been a year since my last update. My implants rarely hurt anymore. I found out the culprit- tomato juice. I love that stuff and it was causing my implant pain. Now I only drink it occasionally and every time I do- my implants hurt. Strange but true. Wine causes the same pain so I avoid it.


I keep up with my dental visits and that is literally Hell for me. I still get very anxious weeks before the visit. Even though my dentist is so nice I still literally shake on the day I go in. The yearly xray is the worse. It takes me two days to recover from the visit. I really hate this phobia, and in general I hate how teeth have become such a large part of my life. When they were bad I worried about that. Now that they are good I worry about losing them. When I had a partial I worried about it breaking and missing work while they made me a new one. I have nightmares in which I lose my implant bridge and wake up surprised that I still have it.

So even though I have nothing to complain about I still find my dental phobia is alive and well. I don't wish it on anyone and I am glad that people on this forum understand the struggle.

Hi there,
I’m on my way to getting the All on 4 soon and I just wanted to let you know I can relate to what you said in this post about your dental fear being alive and well.
I’ve had a bunch of appointments with my dentist, he brought me safely through a complex extraction and extensive bone graft surgery, he’s never done anything cruel or said anything too negative and yet I am terrified every time I have an appointment. It also takes me two or three days to recover from them. For example I had one on Wednesday and I’m still a bit jittery about it or I’m constantly replaying it. Then If I allow it I start worrying about my implant surgery coming up at the end of next
month. I worry i will feel or hear something in spite of the Sedation and I’m worried it’s going it hurt as bad as my last one did while I recover. Then I’m scared the implants will fail and it will be the denture life for me. I can not even stand the thought and I know I’m going to worry constantly. It’s nice to know I’m not alone in these thoughts. Thank you for your post.

 

[Davee]

Update- It's been a few years since I received my implants and had my braces removed. My teeth have moved a bit. The retainer put too much pressure on the implants to wear and the oral surgeon told me to keep wearing it, but it should not cause any pressure or it would destroy the bone holding the implants. I don't think he really listened to me when I told him how much pressure it put on the implants.

I still get transient tooth/gum pain. It seems a bit worse lately, maybe from clenching my teeth because things have been stressful. All these years later and it still happens. Nerve damage from removing the teeth and the bone graft surgery is the most likely culprit. I have learned to ignore it when I am awake. When I sleep my brain takes over and gives me nightmares that my implants have fallen out and I have no partial to wear. I am always surprised to wake up and find out they are still in my jaw.


Had my teeth cleaned today and X-rays. As always waiting for the sword of Damocles to fall on my neck but they tell me everything is okay. 7 years later and I still never really believe everything is okay. Unless something happens I will probably be okay regarding tooth stress for another 3 months. Then when the next dental appointment is on the horizon I will start to obsess and worry again.

We are still wearing masks at work. I know it's weird but that is a strange comfort to me. I thought before I went to the dentist that if the stuff hit the fan and I needed my implants removed, I could at least hide ill fitting partials or no partial behind a mask until things got sorted out.

All in all- my problems with my teeth have really created a confidence crisis. I can go about my day feeling pretty confident in my abilities then worry- what if I have more dental issues and need my front implants removed? The world is not kind to people who have visibly bad teeth. It's sad and it never leaves me that this is the way things are for the most part.

Wishing everyone well. Sorry if this post is a downer.