Taking Dental Impressions to make Permanent Hybrid Dentures

Today was very exciting and interesting!

I have reached the point in this journey that the ultimate glorious end is quickly approaching!

I had dental impressions made, unlike anything I've ever experienced!!

One jaw at a time, this is what was done....

First the abutments (screw on tops) are removed from each implant.

A CT-Scan is taken.

Then metal guide rods, measuring about 1/2" long, are screwed into each implant.

It's quite the gruesome, eerie, freaky sight!

(as you will see at the end of my post)

The impression tray has holes in it. 

Each hole represents a guide to mark where the location of each implant is. 

Here is a basic idea of what one looks like.

Once the tray can easily slide into place with the guide rods in (a test is performed), 

a thick, fast drying putty is put inside of the tray.

It's then placed on the jaw and manipulated until it falls right into place. 

The guide rods will be sticking up through where the technician marked/drilled out each location.

This impression will show precise gum line shape and the exact location of each implant. 

WOW!

Now THIS is IMPRESSIVE technology!

Imagine though, in a few short years, I would bet

that a computer/CT-Scan will be taken and your hybrid dentures made.

All without much trouble. 

Advancements in technology happen quickly.

You never know!

So, without further hesitation,

here I am looking a bit like a newly created Monster 

for a Horror Movie (HAHA)!

I told the Technician....

"GRRRRRRR.  I'm going to bite you!"

We both LOL!

This is with the guide rods in place just before impressions with putty are made.

I'm so glad I'm not shy!!

You need to see this and understand the process.

Let's all share our experiences with others. 

Believe me, 

I would have had a much easier journey with a little actual advise and actual photos!

I hope this helps someone.

Have a great day and there will be much more to come....

Lisa : )

Cutting Away Gum to Expose Implant

The title is exactly what it states.

I had one implant just under the gum, so the Oral Surgeon 
had to cut away the gum to expose it.  

Under a local anesthesia, like you get at the dentist's when a tooth is going to be pulled, the Oral Surgeon deadened the area and then cut the gum away to expose the implant.

This is a normal occurrence and is easily taken care of.

I had this procedure November 13th.

This procedure is performed shortly before the installation of permanent implants!

YAY!

Dry Mouth

ok - I've been having dry mouth lately.  

The feeling that my mouth isn't moist enough.

I'm going to try Biotene Oral Rinse and also the spray.

So, I did a little research online and found that one of the causes is: 

Nerve damage. An injury or surgery that causes nerve damage to your head and neck area can result in dry mouth.

There are many reasons for dry mouth, 

but it's awfully coincidental to me that this started 

after my oral surgery.

Mayo Clinic is one site that I trust.

Here is the link to their article.

I just wonder, since the huge nerve in the mandible (lower jaw) gets disturbed during surgery and in turn makes your bottom lip and chin numb, (which by the way took 2 months for mine to finally subside enough that I can say I'm no longer numb), that this may be the cause for my dry mouth.

HOWEVER, I wake up every morning with my chin feeling like it's 'waking up' from numbness.

Once I'm up and out of bed, it goes away.

Interesting thought to contemplate about the dry mouth.

I'll confirm it next appointment.

And I'll find out if Morning-Numb-Chin is normal or not.

When Implants Decide That They Don't Want to Emerge

WOWOWOWOWOW!

I have TWO implants on the top jaw that are determined 

to not reveal themselves!

I asked the Technician today, at my appointment,

What are we going to do?

I don't want these to DELAY progress!

She reassured me that this is normal.  

No worries!

When it 'comes time',

the Oral Surgeon will 'trim' the gums to expose the implants.

Then we will be good to go!

So, this post is to let you know that there really IS a light at the end of the tunnel!

THANK GOD!

Another Food Idea - TAMALES

I promised to update you as I found other food choices, 

if you are like me and are unable to actually chew anything

since the bottom dentures flip-flop around!
Here is the link to the post where I talked about food choices:
https://myhybriddenturejourney.blogspot.com/2019/09/foods-some-ideas-on-what-you-can-eat.html

If you like Mexican food - TAMALES are soft and can be simply cut up with a knife & fork!

I ordered & picked up this tamale dinner from a local Mexican Restaurant.

It has refried beans and Spanish Rice with it!

YUMMMMM!

The masa (or dough) melts in your melt!

Happy eating!

What color do I choose?

Hello everyone!

I'm at a point in my dental process that I'm deciding on the color of my permanent hybrid dentures!

Although I'm still 4+ months away from getting my permanents, 

I'm also very anxious to choose a good color!

I've watched many a video on the internet and 

most of the ladies out there are the color PW4.

Earlier in this process the Prosthodontist's Technician advised me to not go too white.

She was concerned about me being stared at and talked about having fake looking teeth.

I told her, in all earnest, that the $xx,xxx I was spending for this, 

that I wanted a smile worth the same amount that I was paying.

So, she's 'lightened' up a bit.

Below are photos that I took from my iphone showing the color chart.

Here is the neat thing....my dentures are color A1, 

which are yellower than B1 (the color the Prosthodontist and Technician suggested).

I wasn't happy with my A1 colored dentures, so the next whiter color is B1.

Although you can't see 'yellow' in my dentures, 

unless a really white tissue or shirt is placed up against them,

I decided that if I'm going to spend this amount of money, that my teeth are going to be WHITE!

Here is a recent photo of me, with my A1 colored dentures.

This is in my car and in 'true light' from the sun.

So, now, let's take a look at the tooth color chart!

I took these photos with my iphone.

Although the color B1 is the next shade whiter than my dentures,

I have decided to try PW4 first.

You can see that PW2 is close in color to the suggested B1 color.

So, if PW4 turns out to be overly bright white for me, I will go with PW2.

But, PW4 is what I see all over the internet and it's BEAUTIFUL!

Women are very satisfied with this color.

I think that I will be also!

So check out these colors:

So, don't you agree with PW4 as the choice?

I can't wait (4+ months away) to show you how beautiful this PW4 color really is!

NEVER EVER 'short' yourself!

If you are paying out the whazoo like I am, you DESERVE this gorgeous white color!

More to come.....

I'm hanging in there and moving forward in this process.

I will reach the end with FULL happiness!

Take care!

Lisa : )

Implant Failure - or a simple abutment change

I just experienced a very scary situation!

A certain area in my mouth has been bothering me for a long time

and just recently, in the past few days, it's been hurting.

Last night I decided to really look at the area.

It appeared ok, but maybe a little redness.

I touched the implant and it moved, also hurting me at the same time!

Well the 'F' word flew out of my mouth and then the overwhelming sense of despair.

Called the Oral Surgeon and they got me in right away this morning.

He saw it move too!

So, they took a CT Scan and brought me to a surgery room.

The plan was to remove the implant and if the bone looked healthy,

he was going to install a new, larger implant.

He deadened the area and then torqued the implant.

It did not budge at all!

So, he changed the abutment (screw top) to a flatter one that wouldn't stick up so high.

So a loose abutment caused the illusion of a loose implant!

WHOO HOO!!!!

Now I'm riding Cloud 9!

Beware of Bone Spurs

I really mean to say "Be AWARE" of bone spurs!

These tiny splinters of bone will eventually work themselves out of your gum.

So far I've only had one and boy was it SHARP!

I got this one out by scraping it with my fingernail.

YIKES!!

My Oral Surgery explained - photos of progress

It took 4 long hours (originally expected to be only 3 hours) for the Oral Surgeon to completely do everything to start my Hybrid Denture process.

I chose to be in a hospital, 
mainly because of my health history of 3 heart attacks before age 50.

NOTE: Gum Disease and Heart Disease are directly related.

Gum disease with its nasty bacteria can get into your bloodstream and end up affecting your heart.

There are many internet articles. 

Here is Web.MD's:

https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/features/periodontal-disease-heart-health#2

Here is a very interesting fact that I learned from the Oral Surgeon.

Did you know that your jaw bones have TWO layers?

In my own layman's way of explaining it, 

the top layer is aerated, meaning that it has many holes of air pockets.

This is the layer that holds your teeth in place.

When you have gum disease, this layer actually PROMOTES it because of the aeration.  OMG!

The very bottom layer is pure SOLID bone.  

So....without the top layer (the one that causes trouble), you will no longer have gum disease - EVER.

Not only were all of my teeth pulled, but each jaw top bone layer was shaved off.  

I actually barely have jaw bone to speak of now that this has been done.

But, the comforting news for me is NO MORE GUM DISEASE!!!

After teeth are removed and jaw bones shaved, then you get stitched up good.

Next is the costly titanium implants that have to be installed.

A drill is used and the implant is placed.  

Along with each comes abutments (screw tops).

So, when I went home with ice packs tied around my head to keep on my jaws, 

I was very "Frankenstein-ish" inside of my mouth.

NOTE: YOUR CHIN & BOTTOM LIP 
WILL REMAIN NUMB A LONG TIME!

(I'm writing this post 6 weeks after my surgery and my bottom lip has FINALLY just about come completely out of numbness.  It still tingles a little.  My chin is getting there rapidly as well, however I get twinges of PAIN that last 10-15 seconds in my chin.  I think that the bottom jaw nerve (mandible nerve) is coming out of numbness, which is a great sign!)

Let's focus on the numbness you will experience. 

Firstly, it almost hurts and it really SUCKS!

I had to touch with my hand to insure that the glass was on my lip so I wouldn't spill all over myself!

It's the same numb you feel after leaving the dentist.

TOTAL NUMB.

Can't feel if or when you have liquid or food on your chin, so you are constantly wiping it. 

BE MENTALLY PREPARED TO ENDURE NUMBNESS FOR WEEKS!

Now for photos to show you how much swelling is involved.  

First, this is the day of the surgery.

Me with my dentures in and gauze packed in to soak up the bleeding.

Now, here I am 2 days later.

I'm in pain and you can see it in my eyes.

4 days after surgery.

One bruise on the side of my jaw started dissipating and traveled down the center of my throat.

Just over 1 week after surgery.

Smiling is extremely difficult because the swelling you don't see 

that's inside of my mouth makes it hard to 'bend' the muscles.

This photo taken 9/5/2019 (3 weeks after surgery).

More to come.....

Before Surgery - Very Happy & Optimistic....and the beginning of my adventure

Hello and welcome to my new blog!

I decided that I wanted to document my journey as I go through months of healing to finally reach the end of getting the prize!

The "PRIZE" is beautiful Hybrid Dentures!

YAY!

So, let's begin......

I took a photo of myself to remember what my smile and the color of my teeth were.
This was only 3 days prior to my surgery.

Here it is:

Now, looking at this, you probably think, so, what is 'really' WRONG that made you decide to get Permanent Hybrid Dentures?

Well, I'll tell you....

I have had gum disease for many years.  

I used to DREAD going to the dentist for my 6-month cleaning because I KNEW that I would bleed like crazy and he would gently remind me that I wasn't flossing enough.  
I would always promise him that I would do better and THAT I did!

Well time went on and then it started getting REALLY REALLY serious!

I was sent to a Periodontist for professional gum cleanings.

I started going every 3 months.

I knew that I would suffer the AGONIZING pain with each visit,

but I kept going because I KNEW this was GOOD for my gum disease.

I got REALLY serious with doing everything to keep my gums & teeth as clean as possible.

Brushing 3-5 times per day using my Sonicare rechargeable toothbrush; using "Go-Between" type brushes that clean food between teeth; and most importantly, using my WaterPik Flosser....along with the every 3 month intervals of professional gum cleanings at the Periodontist's office, the gum disease just stayed put and wouldn't get better!

Let me explain Periodontal cleanings to you.

They literally scrape between the gum and teeth with special instruments.

There are times that you just want to SCREAM!

I would grip the chair arms and hold on for dear life during these cleanings.

Once in a while, I would have to stop the Technician because I just couldn't take the pain any longer.

I am one who can tolerate a LOT of pain, but when it comes to my mouth, not so much! 

During my treatments with the Periodontist, he took 3 biopsies and sent them to a special lab in California.  The results came back as PURE GENETICS!

He was looking at possible immune deficiency disease or hormonal problems. 

So....GENETICS cannot be solved with a pill!

X-Rays revealed that I had sudden bone loss - right below where two front bottom teeth became loose in a matter of 3 months, in between cleanings.
I had already had THREE teeth pulled and then had these two others about to come out!
This is all in a matter of about 4-5 years.

Now to shorten the story....I asked if I would continue to lose bone and teeth.  

I was told DEFINITELY YES.

I asked what could be done about it.

I was told that I would get partials - those metal clip on things with fake teeth.

OR

I could get all my teeth pulled and have dentures

OR

I could get dental implants for each lost individual tooth.

I went home and contemplated.

After internet research and the advice of a great friend, 
I learned about Permanent Hybrid Dentures!

So, next time I saw my Periodontist I posed the question..."if I get implants, that means that you would "Onesie-Twosie" replace my teeth?"

He said YES.

Then I said, "so that means I would have replacement teeth in the same nasty color of my current teeth?"

YES was the answer.

Then I mentioned the Hybrid Dentures.

He wholeheartedly agreed but referred me to the Oral Surgeon.

The Oral Surgeon went over everything and also took a CT Scan.

I was SHOCKED by what I saw!
My JAW BONE went straight and then ALL OF A SUDDEN dipped down!
My two loose teeth were holding on for dear life by the tips of their roots!
I couldn't believe my eyes!

Here is my CT SCAN:  

After getting advice from my dentist, Periodontist and now the Oral Surgeon, plus seeing the CT Scan for myself and the damage already done by bone loss, I knew that I should do something NOW while I was still 'young'.  I'm 58 years young.

So this is where the turning point happened in my life and 
my Hybrid Denture Journey began......

EATING - What they tell you and What is REALLY the TRUTH

Before going through the surgery to remove all of my teeth and start my hybrid denture journey, I was told that in just a matter of DAYS that I would be eating soft foods like pasta!  

Well people, guess what?

That's an outright LIE!

You've just had all of your teeth removed;

have had titanium implants drilled and embedded into your gums;

the temporary dentures you have been given have a pad between the dentures and the gums, thus preventing a good solid hold to eat ANYTHING!

First - here is what my healing bottom jaw looks like, 3-1/2 weeks after surgery. 
LOOK AT THOSE FRANKENSTEIN IMPLANTS!
OMG!

PREPARE!!!!

Prepare mentally & physically for a long road of weeks and weeks of pureed foods!

Had I KNOWN what I now know, this journey/experience would've been a WHOLE LOT BETTER!
This is the REASON I've created this blog - in hopes of helping YOU have a better experience!

After week #1 in fact,

I understood things a bit better!

For a couple of weeks I lived on Instant (boxed) Potatoes; Grits; and Popeye's (Louisiana Cajun Kitchen-known for their Southern Fried Chicken) Red Beans.  

The red beans HAD to be pureed. 

Now, speaking of pureeing.....you really HAVE to get one of THESE!
Because a regular blender sucks.

Get a HAND BLENDER!

It purees beautifully, but I find that you MUST put your food into a deep container to prevent splashing every where!

I was sooooooooo NAIVE and really believed that I would eat semi-normal foods in a matter of a couple of weeks!

NOT!

You have to imagine the WORST CASE SCENARIO!
This is what you will SURVIVE on!

Also, I thought that I HAD to keep my temporary dentures in place almost ALL of the time.  

Once I researched the internet and learned some things, I realized that I could actually take them OUT!  Despite the Prosthodontist's Technician telling me from the beginning to wear them AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.  

Sooooooo.....

I don't wear these temporary dentures UNLESS I have to leave my house! HA!

Trying to eat is FUTILE.

REASON:  The bottom denture is loose and there is nothing to make it better!
I can literally FLIP it off my jaw with my tongue!

Because I have implants that are sticking out of my gums and they aren't all sticking out at the SAME height, there isn't really anything for these dentures to grasp to!

So, the minute I drink, talk or attempt to chew, the bottom dentures flip-flop all over the place!

I tried taking a pill once and when the dentures started floating in my mouth and I almost CHOKED, I had to run to the sink and spit the pill and water into my hand!

OMG!
THAT was the LAST straw!

So, I've learned that on a temporary basis I will have to deal with this dilemma and the way to do that is to make myself HAPPY!

This means being able to EAT (or at least get tasty foods into my stomach). 

So let's move on to another post where I give you ideas of foods to ingest!