It’s been quite a journey over these past three weeks,,,Getting my remaining ten teeth extracted and beginning the process of getting used to life with dentures. I had no idea what the “denture life” would be like. It’s been difficult to learn how to eat all over again. There’s a huge difference between eating with your natural teeth and eating with dentures. And then there were a couple of unexpected turns as well.
A part of the initiation into wearing dentures is to go to the dentist to make adjustments. As the healing process continues, swelling decreases, and adjustments must be made to ensure the dentures fit correctly. The first visit the week after the surgery was uneventful. They did what I surmised was a bit of filing to the upper and lower dentures. He also examined the gums to ensure they were healing from the extractions.
My second visit to the dentist was a bit more traumatic. Upon examining the dentures, filing was once again done. But on examination of the jaw are, there was a bone protruding from the number 11 tooth area. The dentist explained that this was something that would need to be attended to, which likely meant another visit to the oral surgeon. The odd part about it all is that I hadn’t experienced any discomfort from that particular area. An appointment was made with the surgeon to see him the following day.
A lot ran through my mind over the remainder of the day. It was very disheartening to know that there would have to be more surgery done. And that can tend to play a number on your mental well-being. And then there was the financial part, not knowing how much all this would cost in a process that had already cost over nine thousand dollars. Needless to say, I wasn’t looking forward to the visit on several fronts.
The oral surgeon had seen pictures my dentist had taken and did a hands-on exam of the affected area. He concluded that the bony area could be filed down, which he could do right away in his office. That all caught me by surprise, and before I knew it, I was headed to the treatment room.
The process was performed using a local anesthetic. It was over within a short period, and then I was given instructions as to what to do for the rest of the day. I went to the pharmacy to get the medications he had prescribed and was then headed home. I don’t plan on doing much for the rest of the day and hope this procedure will permanently fix that problem.
Given tomorrow is New Year’s Day, I’ll wait until Thursday to call my dentist to find out when he would like me to come back for my next visit. I’m hoping that this bump in the road is just a temporary setback and won’t require any further treatment.
David Lee 