I have had a poor history with dental health. As a child I drank a LOT of cola. Like I could down a 12 pack in a day. I don't know why I drank so much, it sounds sickening to think about now. My family did not make it a habit of going to the doctor or dentist too often and we often did not have the money to pay for it either way.
I start with this laundry list of issues to explain that I have had major dental problems much of my life. As I got older I did not prioritize it much myself and the situation just got worse.
When I started at my current job, I was very excited to have dental insurance and the funds to pay for the dental work I needed. I had several fillings and root canals done as I started to repair my teeth. I had one tooth in particular that had an old root canal that started to fail. Over the years the tooth cracked and began to chip away until there was not much left. The remaining part of the tooth was pulled and I told the dentist that I wanted a dental implant to replace it.
From the start of this new push to restore my teeth to now it has been about 3 years. The area of my jaw where the tooth was pulled was packed with bone filler so it would remain dense enough to hold the anchor of the implant when it was later installed. Once the majority of the dental work was done, I started an orthodontic treatment to correct the alignment of my teeth that took about a year. The implant could not be installed until the braces where done as the implant cannot move.
Once my braces where done I had to have the anchor for the implant installed.
Sorry for the weird mouth pictures, I figured I should illustrate this if I am posting about it.
This involved cutting into my gums and drilling a mounting hole into the base of my jaw. The anchor was screwed into the mounting hole with a ratchet wrench that used so much pressure I had to strain to pull my head the other way so they could get the torque to drive it in. The anchor had to heal up for about 4 months and then it was checked to make sure it healed properly.
Finally, today is the day I have the crown of the implant attached, restoring my missing tooth and marking a point in which I will have all my teeth back in proper order!
I arrived at my dentist's office and checked in. Very quickly after they called me back. I don't know what to expect for this experience. I'm hoping it will be a quick procedure, but I'm trying to mentally prepare for more invasive work.
The tooth has been installed! They install a base mount into the anchor that the crown is screwed into. To install the base it is screwed down tightly into the gums, making a seal. What this means is you have to sit there while they crush your surrounding gums. It hurts for a moment, but a few seconds later and it goes away.
My first test drive:
I am currently eating some hummus with pretzel chips, a reasonably crunchy food, and it is strange but nice! I can easily chew with my left side now! I had gotten pretty used to eating without that tooth, but anything like a cracker would often stab my gums, and of course it was just not effective to use that side to chew. But now I can just bite down with my left side. It feels refreshing! It does feel a little like there is a foreign object in my mouth, but if I remember that it's a new tooth I can feel confident chewing with it.
Replacing this tooth was a real statement to myself. I probably could have come up with a simpler answer, but it meant something to me to have the tooth back permanently. It is about righting a wrong that I let happen, investing in myself, undoing the trouble of yesterday. I feel a great sense of pride being able to see this tooth restored.
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