Yet Another Prep Appointment

Some advice for anyone undergoing a total reconstruction -- make sure at the outset that you and your posthedontist are on the exact same page.  I mean, get into the details.  Find out what types of crowns your prosthodontist will use and be clear about what color you want.  This may require some strategic planning of using whitening agents.  This will save you time and headaches in the long run.

Yesterday I spent another 3 hours at Dr. S's office doing to prep work for the porcelin crowns.  This actually required more drilling!  Let's just say I'm glad to have that behind me.  I'm ready for these crowns to be done!

Four months later ...

Well its been four months since the process of finalizing my front crowns began and they still aren't in. Had a slight detour--in November I had to have an emergency root canal and apparently the endodontist went to far up into the root causing inflammation. So 10 days ago I had surgery on the gum above the root canal to fix that. And still no crowns.

I'm not to happy at the moment with my prosthedontist. It seems to me this is taking all too long!

Apt was total disaster!

I think my prosthodontist is losing his patience with me. Because he told me several times on my visit on Tuesday that I had to be patient. Once when I asked to rinse and I forgot the other time. Anyway, my apt was at 2:00 pm and I didn't leave until 4:15 pm. When I left I looked like a wreck, like I had cried my eyes out which I did. Good thing my next stop was yoga. Which I barely made on time. Yoga was the best thing for me although with all that novocaine I did not have good muscle energy.

Anyway, this particular apt was for fitting my final crowns. Mind you I've been in my provisional bridge (which spans 9 front teeth) for well over 8 months. Well, I don't know what the problem stemmed from (since I'd been in twice to have molds etc. made for these crowns) but they were awful. Horrid! Too big, sticking out forward like buck teeth and just generally ugly and unflattering. And they did not fit my gums well. Dr. S actually didn't hand me to mirror to look and I think he would have preferred for me not to see. But his sweet assistant Jenny gave me the mirror when I asked.

After I saw them and because of how impatient Dr. S was with me, the tears just started streaming from my eyes. I couldn't stop and I just got more and more upset. Finally Dr. S came back in and it took him a while to realize I was crying. My nose became stuffed up and I couldn't breath. So he put me on oxygen. After a while the oxygen calmed me down and we finished the appointment. Dr. S spoke softly to me and explained that he didn't like the way these crowns looked and he was sending them back to the lab. At least we were on the same page on this. But will I ever get the crowns I like? It doesn't seem so at this point. :-(

Wow, has it really been 3 years?!

So I have not logged on in a while and I just realized that October marked my 3 year anniversary since my BSSO. Hard to fathom that three years have passed since I sat here in the very same spot with a swollen face looking like a Macy's parade blimp.

I'm about to get the final crowns on my top 9 teeth and I'm a little apprehensive. Will I love the way they look? Gosh, I really hope so after spending all of this time and money. I will post pictures as soon as they are on.

Aug 2009 Update

So progress is slow but there are a few new developments. I had my 4 month check up on the last two upper implants and Dr. K said everything looks good. That means in two months, I can get the crowns on those implants plus the crowns on the other teeth that have been prepared for the crowns. I still have the molars on either side that will have to wait until next year.

Also, I had minor gum rebalancing surgery on one of my two front teeth to even out the gums. On side was lower than the other. The surgery went well and the gum in that area has healed nicely.

That's it for now.

Last 2 implants are in!

So a lot has happened in the last month. I had my upper implant preparation "procedure" on March 10. Dr. Shlosberg removed both bridges on either side where the implants were to go and made one bridge consisting of 9 teeth all the way across (from tooth #4 to tooth #12). The procedure lasted about 4 hours during which I was under twighlight anesthesia. The temporary bridge looked quite comical, like rabit teeth.

On Tuesday March 25 I was fitted with a provisional bridge that would be removed during the implant surgery. The teeth look amazing for a provisional bridge and I was quite happy. I however need a gum rebalancing to make it look more natural.

I had the actual implant surgery this past Wednesday, April 8. That surgery lasted only 2 hours, again with twighlight anesthesia. Dr. Kaufman is an amazing surgeon and I had no pain and hardly any swelling. Unfortunately I am once again on a soft-chew and no hot food diet.

So now I lay low for the next 4-6 months while the implants fuse with my bone. By the end of 2009 I should have my permanent crowns! In the meantime, I go back next Wednesday for a post op check up.

Part 3

So tomorrow I go in for preparation for my two upper implants, one on each side. This will entail sitting in the dentist's chair for about 4 hours. My dentist suggested -- and I agreed -- to have an anesthesiologist to make it easier. He will be taking off the two bridges where the teeth are missing and also begin the prep for the crowns on all of my front teeth. Quite extensive. I'm not sure how it will all look. I will have a temporary bridge across about 11 teeth. Yikes!