46 Year Old - All-in-4 .....Tired of my Closed Mouth Smile!

Changing jobs after 18 years, I wanted to start with a confidence boost and not be embarrassed of my smile. I grew up in an area where the water was loaded with fluorides, causing my teeth to become very porous. Not knowing this, the liquid sugars (cokes, coffee w/sugar) made my teeth brittle and weak. I would break a tooth on boneless chicken, or a sandwich. For over 5 years, I used fixodent to hold two crowns, a cap, and a bridge in place so I could eat. I grew a thick goatee to camouflage my smile. The bridge was at a point that it would almost not hold; even with the dental cream. It was time! I set an appointment at Archpoint Dental in Dallas for a consultation. (I researched a lot, then saw an Archpoint commercial on tv…that did it for me!) Nick walked me through my options and funding. I enjoyed talking to Nick…and when we finished the consult and I was ready to move to the next step, Dr. Newby came in to discuss my options. I knew I wanted the All-in-4, but wanted to hear what she thought. I felt very comfortable talking with her, and agreed that the All-in-4 was the way to go. The hardest part of that day, was letting them take pictures of my mouth/teeth. All the reviews talked about how nice everyone is there….it’s true….they are!
April 13, 2017…D-Day. A little nervous in the morning…but anxious. Dr. Hall did my surgery. I have to say…I like most people, and I’m comfortable around most dr.’s; but I’m setting a place at the Thanksgiving table for Dr. Hall…this guy is one of a kind! Once the put the magic juice in my IV…I was out in less than 5 seconds. When my eyes opened…it was about noon, surgery was done. No pain…no fuss. A little loopy from the meds, but I got myself into the wheelchair and they moved me to the recovery room. I was bleeding and had a lot of gauze in my mouth….but it wasn’t more than what was expected. I wasn’t swollen, I wasn’t in pain. Didn’t feel like eating any of the food I had set up for the day, but did drink some of the Ensure to take some meds. At around 3:00, they told me my teeth were ready to install. Didn’t take a lot of time to install, but the bite was a little off in the back on the left side. The Dental Technician worked it down to make it more comfortable. The bottom teeth are a little higher than I like, which makes me feel like my mouth isn’t closing right, but that can be adjusted over the next few months. I was able to smile in the chair to see them...it’s amazing how they can do this in one day! My teeth looked good…and so real!
Day 2 – April 14. I can feel some pain and discomfort now! Slept sitting up, but up every few hours through the night using the restroom. Drinking a lot of liquids has its downside! I ate scrambled egg beaters and grits for breakfast. Not much swelling…no bruising. Ate soup for lunch. Mashed potatoes and Mushroom soup for dinner.
Day 3 – April 15. Common theme…most pain happens during the night. Kept a journal on my meds so I could stay on track and not over/under do it. Pain meds scare me….but this time…they were my friend! Swelling showed up today. When I tried to smile…I looked like the joker from Batman; without makeup. Switched from cold to heat…I miss the cold, but staying on schedule. Bleeding almost completely stopped. I ate scrambled eggs and grits again for breakfast. (FYI…probably should lay off Tabasco until all healed) Soup and mashed potatoes for dinner. Pudding for desert. (They make coffee pudding now…sweet!)
Day 4 – April 16. I mentioned above that I was about to start a new job….well, I started it and needed to be back at work by this coming Tuesday the 18th. Very swollen…still no bruising. Pain is there, but really not as bad as I expected. All the reviews I read about All-in-4 talked about a burning pain in the roof of the mouth, but no one really harped on for how long. I got the burning sensation too…but as I’m writing this, 3 weeks has passed. The burning only lasted a few days…every now and then it might burn for a minute…but getting better…healing! I was concerned Tuesday would be pretty tough based on how I looked and felt on Sunday. Stayed on track with the meds…brushed my teeth for the first time. The mouthwash turns your tongue black….that was interesting! Sutures starting to come out. Rinsing is not comfortable…hate the salt rinse! Again had egg beaters and grits for breakfast…no Tabasco this time! Ensure for lunch, and I made beef stroganoff for dinner. I used precooked meatballs for the meat, thawed them in the microwave, then mashed with potato masher. Overcooked the egg noodles to make them softer, and used a can of cream of mushroom and half a cup of sour cream. Chopped up real good and was easy to eat. (Is the food overkill? I keep hearing people say they lived on liquids and…you really don’t need too. Nick told me in the consult, that if you can cut it with a cheap plastic fork, you can eat it) So I’m including for those thinking about doing this.
Day 5 – April 17. Again…a bit of a rough night. Slept in recliner every night with head propped….that really helps. Only up twice during the night. Pain and discomfort still there…swelling down a little…no bruising. Skipped the eggs and grits today…went with pudding. Soup for lunch and wife made potato soup for dinner. Early to bed.
Day 6 – April 18. Back to work! Ironically…I feel great! Best day yet…swelling way down, last pain pill was at 2:00am. Have to drive to Houston…can’t do that on pain meds! I haven’t mentioned it much…but I feel like I’m talking with marbles in my mouth. I know there’s a lot of equipment in there…it won’t last forever! Ate at a Mexican restaurant, had tortilla soup and refried beans. Chunks too big in soup…just ate broth. I all refried beans….felt bad for coworked stuck in the car with me all day! Soup for dinner. Swelling WAY down at the end of the day. I wonder if it was because I was talking more then normal due to work. Had first pain pill at 7:00 that night….it was a welcomed dose!
Day 7 – April 19. Terrible night! Woke up at 3:00…face felt like someone had punched me! Put a heating pad on it for 20 minutes, propped my pillows, dosed with another pain pill and Ibuprofen and went back to bed. Got up at 6:00am….felt great! Whatever I did at 3:00am…did the trick! Still a bit swollen…to date…no bruising. Eggs and grits at hotel for breakfast, crawfish etouffee for lunch. I asked the waitress if the cooks could take out the chunks and dice them very small. She asked…they did, was very good! Soup for dinner.
April 25 – 1st follow up appointment. Dr. Oppedisano did the follow up…said my recovery was amazing. I’m talking better…but still have a full mouth! No bruising…limited swelling. The top and bottom gums in front are still numb/swollen. This has been the greatest discomfort. It’ll pass…takes time! Went over likes/dislikes. I feel the bottom teeth/gums are too high. Molars in the back are too high…both causing me to feel like I can’t close my mouth all the way. (does not look odd though….normal with mouth closed…only odd to me) On the right side; top and bottom, they do not follow my original gum line. (they cut in too soon make my tongue rub against top and bottom…causing more marbles in the mouth when talking) Dr. O said they could adjust, but I was leaving town that afternoon and didn’t want to take a chance being late, so I said next time. I’ve stopped taking the pain meds…Ibuprofen cut in half to 400 mg; still doing everything else though.
May 2 – Off Ibuprofen now….ran out, didn’t refill. Taking Advil to help….doesn’t really seem to help! Without pain and ibu….more discomfort. Not a lot of pain, just pressure and discomfort. When I smile really big, kind of hurts. I feel it’s still working it’s magic and just pulled a bit. My teeth are not loose, but the pressure is sometimes very irritating! Salt rinse really helps! So does heating pad! Had a soup and pasta at Applebee’s last night. Asked to have kitchen chop up pasta and chicken really small…they did. So far…I have not eaten anything that requires my teeth to chew. Everything has been soft enough to swallow without issue. I’ve lost 12 pounds…which is a good thing! I know because of less carbs without bread. Next apt on 5/11/17.