Do I want a dental implant or a bridge?

In My Humble Opinion
41

Well, sports fans… gitchyseff a cup of coffee or a beer, depending on the time of day where you are…

I didn’t go through with starting the implant process. In fact, I left the dentist’s office in something of a huff with my mouth numb (still is).

When I got there, they took me right away and the assistant sprayed the pre-shot stuff in my mouth. The dentist came in and gave me a couple of shots and explained the procedure step by step. Then he came back to check on the numbness, and it wasn’t quite ready. So he gave me a couple more shots, and one of them went right into a nerve. Involuntarily and reflexively, I yelped and jumped. When he pulled the needle out, I said, “Now I’m going to have to cry for a bit.” So sue me: something hurts like the devil, I cry. I’m not someone who ever chokes back tears. (The same thing happened when I had my lumpectomy and someone did a thing called “wire localization.” Look it up. Holy freaking shit-- THAT HURT. I burst into tears then, too.)

So he left and I took a few minutes and cried. I sobbed, actually. Quietly, so as not to scare the other patients. But I sobbed for a good five minutes into my hanky. It helped a lot with the tension in my body overall.

After about 15 minutes the whole side of my face was totally numb. I was ready to get the show on the road. I waited. And waited. After a while the assistant came in and asked how I was. I said, “I’m totally numb and ready to get on with it.” He said, “We’ll be in in two minutes.”

FORTY MINUTES LATER, the dentist came in and sat down and asked how I was doing. I said, “Everything is totally numb, let’s continue.”

And then, oddly, he became the opposite of reassuring. Even though I’ve had an implant, and had a tooth pulled and was not a newbie to the process, he started running through how much of an ordeal lay ahead, how if he started to pull the tooth, and there was a problem he might have to inject some more anesthetic, and that down the road (4 months down the road) when he put in the screw, I’d need more anesthetic… it was very weird, telling me all that might go wrong and how awful it would be even if things didn’t go wrong.

I got very annoyed. Here I had (as they say in 19th century British novels) “screwed my courage to the sticking point” and was ready to go, and here he was waffling and undermining my resolve. I said, “I’m halfway up Mt. Everest, and I don’t want to go back to base camp and have to climb to this point again.”

He babbled some more about, “If you’re ready and you know what you’re getting into” and stuff along those lines. There wasn’t an ounce of confidence or reassurance in his words or demeanor.

Finally, I stood up, took off the paper bib, and said, “I’m leaving,” and walked out the front door.

This is the practice where I had my other implant [which I am VERY happy with!] and a tooth pulled and several crowns, etc. The principal dentist of the practice who did that work retired last year. I had a lot of confidence in him, and he projected confidence. He was a man in my age range and a retired naval officer. I guess you could say I had a boatload of confidence in him. :wink: I cried on him one time, too-- he was going to take an impression of my upper teeth that necessitated sticking a spatula-like object coated with plastic goo into my mouth. I burst into tears and said I couldn’t do it. Without batting an eye, he said, “Okay, no problem. Come back another time.” I left and came back the following week and it was fine.

Upon reflection, I think this Very Young Dentist wanted me to leave. I think my crying truly frightened him, and he was afraid I might become hysterical and cause a scene if everything did not go perfectly during the tooth removal. I think he was immensely relieved (and maybe a little embarrassed) when I walked out. I know I feel relieved. Being in the dentist’s chair is one of the most vulnerable and helpless places you can be. Especially if you have an early childhood history of very bad dental experiences.

I need to find another dentist. I’m back to wavering between implant and bridge, now leaning toward bridge. I just talked to a very close friend from high school, and like many of you, she’s had a bridge for a long time and has never had a problem with it.

The end. For now.

42

I only have 5 teeth on the bottom, all in the front. From what folks are saying, I probably wont.
Thelma, I hear ya. Its good to be able to walk out if things dont feel right.

43

I’m sorry you had such a horrible experience. I had a similar one a few years ago when I needed a root canal and crown. I got up and left part way through because the dentist was so callous and borderline abusive. Finally went back to my regular dentist because I needed the procedure finished. He worked with me to find a new provider and established ahead of time that I needed ‘trauma informed dental care’ so as to not make things worse yet again. He was a professor at out state dental school and he worked with the dept head and the resident dentist who was chosen for their chair side manner skills and empathy to complete what I needed. It went very well and now I’ll be able to pursue that kind of care again in the future if I need it. It may take more time to finish a process but it’s worth it because you’re being cared for by residents (they are already licensed dental school graduates further specializing) who are highly motivated because they’re supervised by attendings and need to get a good grade to graduate and pursue their professional dreams. Unlike private practice they are less motivated by hurry up and rush more patients through, cutting corners to have more billable encounters.

There’s a dental college in San Antonio and it sounds like they have four layers of providers you could pursue trauma informed care from. May take a bit more time but hopefully will be state of the art chair side patient-centered care.

The concept of ‘trauma informed dental care’ first came out of Canada (thank you, Canada🇨🇦).

44

I once had a problem with a dental hygienist who jabbed an instrument towards the back of my throat several times in one cleaning session and made me gag. When I politely complained, she treated me like I was a super-hyper-sensitive snowflake who was acting like a diva (rather than her being clumsy and/or incompetent, oh no). I got angry and said I never wanted to see that worker again, and the dentist has honored my request so far.

45

That was my first thought. I just called them and the procedure is that you have to enter through an intake process and get screened and evaluated to join the practice. Even though it would ultimately be very convenient, due to the fact that ALL my docs are part of UTHealth and they can all see all my records, I don’t think this is for me at this time. I have this specific task I want taken care of.

Thanks for the supportive replies, y’all. I feel good about walking out.

46

I applaud you for walking out. You took good care of yourself!

47

Good on you ThelmaLou, I think you might have dodged a bad bullet with this dentist.
I wish I could send you to my dentist, I think he’s pretty good(of course :smirk:)

48

Thanks, y’all. When you post something on the Dope, you’re never entirely sure what kind of replies you’re gonna get…

Me, too. I’ve texted a few friends and also checking out Yelp reviews. This navy guy who retired is only the second one I’ve been to in town. The previous one died. He was also great. Reminded me of Mister Rogers-- soooo gentle. And while he worked on you, he made little murmuring optimistic noises, as if to indicate that the procedure couldn’t possibly be going any better. A real sweetheart.

49

I had an implant completed early in ‘21 and am in the midst of the second. Friggen expensive but so far zero regrets.

50

Still researching…

Has anyone ever heard of something called a “Maryland bridge”?

A Maryland bridge is a type of permanent dental restoration that can replace a missing tooth. The concept is similar to that of a typical dental bridge, in that a prosthetic tooth is attached to teeth on either side of the gap to create a seamless smile. However, there are a few key differences to keep in mind.

…

Maryland bridges, on the other hand, consist of a prosthetic tooth with thin metal “wings” on either side. These wings are bonded to the back of the adjacent teeth, eliminating the need to drill away any of the tooth’s natural enamel. The wings are attached using a composite resin that is cured under a special light, creating a durable dental bridge.
Source

They are an option when only one tooth is missing and when grinding down or capping the adjacent teeth (to fit a regular bridge) is not desired. I have had something “bonded” to a tooth in the way that the quote describes. It’s pretty incredible.

Anyone have one of these?

51

I believe these are better suited for front teeth as they may not be able to take the chewing load that molars ezoeriance.

52

That makes sense.

53

Sounds like you made a sound decision. You had lost confidence so had no business being there.
My work (2 upper implants, sinus lift, gum graft & lower All On 4) was done at a large office with several dentists and specialists under the same roof.
Implant Specialist to pull existing teeth & insert implants. Endodontist to perform the bone & gum graft. Prothsodontist to look after the final denture & fit etc.
I only had to attend a separate x-ray specialty place to have the x-rays where they plotted out exactly where the implants were to go (& who knows what else).

54

I agree. You totally did the right thing.

What I really want to say here is that this has been a very informative thread and thanks to @ThelmaLou and all the participants. In my capacity as an Old Geezer™ this is a subject that interests me.

My dental situation is hugely different than in my youth, where I used to get toothaches due to cavities, and they’d be fixed, or in worst case, a root canal would have to be done. These days, maybe because of slower metabolism or something, I don’t get toothaches or obvious signs of cavities, but there are other signs of deterioration. I recently lost a big filling on a front tooth, which caused me to speak with a whistling sound, sort of like the gopher in the Winnie the Pooh cartoons! That caused my first visit to a dentist in a decade. And now I have a molar that broke two different times, leaving basically just a tooth remnant.

So I know I will need semi-major dental work at some point, though I’m a great procrastinator. It’s always good to read about this stuff ahead of time!

Oh, and regarding the quoted bit, I’ve used Braun Oral-B since forever. It was originally the recommendation of an old previous dentist for my then-young son. It came with a bunch of brush heads so I ended up using it myself, too. I’ve since gone through several generations of it, and still love it. Due to sensitive teeth/gums, I currently use the extra-soft brushes, which seem to me to still be pretty damn stiff! For all I know, the Oral-B may have been a major contributor to my dental health. Visiting a dentist on average about once a decade is pretty good!

55

Yep, walking out was a very good move. I don’t know what that man was thinking.

I found a dentist who is a woman and very good with chair side manner.

Good luck with the search.

56

That sounds like a fabulous place to get dental work done!

I used to use the brushes they call “soft,” but they are way too stiff for me.

Then I discovered Oral-B Sensi Ultra Thin. Sounds like a condom, right? They are very gentle.

These Curaprox extra gentle manual brushes are insanely comfortable-- firm but not stiff. Like brushing your teeth with a kitten (short-haired). Go read about them. I use them along with the electric toothbrush.

57

I had one for years- I didn’t have any problems with it at all ( I no longer have it because of other problems with the rest of my mouth). But I would not get one for a molar.

58

It worked well. As you can imagine, it was quite drawn out by the time of completion. But the specialists did confer with one another since they were all on scene and actually tried a work around to save me from the gum graft procedure. I ended up having to have it, but they tried. It was also less expensive than another quote I’d received. There were a couple times I got a little concerned about things but in the end it all worked out. Soon time for a checkup.

59

This may be completely obvious to you, but just in case… did you know that if you are using sensitivity repair toothpaste, you are NOT supposed to rinse your mouth after brushing? The chemicals need to stay there so they can do their thing. Apparently many people don’t know this, and thus don’t get nearly the benefit they could. There are also Rx level toothpastes that help more than the OTC ones available.

60

Or brush, rinse, reapply; wait at least a half hour before eating or drinking.