More dental implant procedures

I was back with the Implant dentist yesterday. First off he asked if I wanted a local anaesthetic. I thought about it for a moment and said no. Last time he unscrewed the healing caps it smarted only a little bit and the anaesthetic would have hurt far more. I also hate the numb face that lasts for hours afterwards. I’d rather no anaesthetic if I can help it.

He told me he would be fitting in the metal frame, to make sure everything fits before making up the final bridge (I have two implants next to my canines which will hold a bridge of four teeth). The metal thing was a sort of square U shaped piece of metal, each end screwing into the implant. Unscrewing the healing caps was practically painless, then he started to screw this thing in and it stung a bit, then it felt tight and then (with further tightening) it hurt, then it REALLY hurt, then I squeezed my eyes shut because it was hurting so much and my face flushed. Then my lower back lifted off the chair I started to sweat a little. I put my hand up and said “I think I’d like the anaesthetic”.

He had the needle ready and it went in and OH MY GOODNESS that hurt so much. I’ve had more than my fair share of injections in the mouth but this was a ridiculous amount of pain for what it was. I had expected the jab to hurt less than what he was doing but it was about the same.

He added a second and proceeded to screw in the frame deeper. It wouldn’t fit and he was pushing and pushing. With so much force being applied I was worried he might break my implants. They’re made of titanium, sure, but I know my bone is mere millimetres thick. I don’t want metal things snapping out of my head. I don’t want to hear a loud crunch and have been through all this for nothing (or worse! to go through it all again). Despite the anaesthetic at the front, I could still feel the tightening and pulling at the gum behind the area but it was acceptable pain, better than another jab, anyway.

He kept going away to modify this U shaped bit of metal, pushing it in, modifying it, pushing again. The thing wouldn’t fit and when his colleague came in they spoke about the limitations of the impression they send to the lab, hence this frame not quite fitting correctly. Clearly this was not part of the plan.

He modified it a little further and asked if I mind he make tiny incision at the gum. I was quivering by now, still shaken from the earlier experiences, but said “yeah, go ahead” (I was numb, so what does it matter?) and so another injection where the gum had felt tight earlier. God that jab hurt a lot, too. I must have been too tense or something – they do smart but not usually that much.

After the incision, it fit a lot better and I was to bite onto some quick-hardening goo (to show exactly where my bottom teeth will be, to prevent them bashing the bridge, I assume).

Once that impression was taken I was done and with wobbly knees I went off the find reception to have a further £800 removed from my personal finances. I’ve got another final installment to pay and then it’s complete. I’d pay anything to have this over and done with.

Once suitably poorer and after having plashed my face with cool water, I wibbled to the train station, wibbled to the right platform and nearly got on the wrong train, so wibbly was I. Once I’d got on the right train, I phoned Landlord and welled up a bit (I’m such a pansy!) and instead of going back to work I decided to go home (my mouth was still bleeding) and so I worked from home. But hey, it’s my last day on Tuesday – what can they do? fire me? and I think I got more done than I would if I’d been at the office anyway.

I go back in a fortnight and go through it all again but this time but with the final bridge rather than the metal try-ins. More jabs, more cuts (he said two) and for the first time I really don’t want to go. At least I know to say YES to anaesthetics next time.

I hope this is worth it. I’m so scared I’ll be disappointed with the results.

UPDATE:

to all those reading this as part of research into dental implants, I want to assure you that my teeth turned out absolutely brilliant. No Janet Street Porter but beautiful, natural looking teeth. Much better than I expected and I can eat whatever the hell I like. Case in point: today I had corn on the cob. An impossibility before with four front teeth on dentures. If you want info on the whole procedure and what it was like (not just the implant-placing bit) just leave a note in the comments.

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