Full mouth implants!

These were taken right after I got home from surgery and on the day after surgery. Right now, the swelling is finally started to go down. I can open my mouth wider and I've been following all directions, salt water swishes, medicated swishes, antibiotics, pain meds, and ice packs. The pain is totally bearable. Probably because I take the pain meds every 6hrs whether or not I'm in any pain. Whatever it is, the only pain I feel right now is when I touch any of the bruises I have. The temporary teeth I have feel like my own teeth and talking is not really affected. Once the swelling is gone I'll know more. Yogurt, ice pops, jello, and pudding is helpful. I've eaten regular food just chopped into tiny pieces and even though it doesn't hurt when I chew, I've been trying to avoid really chewing on anything. If I have to, I just try to mash it up on the roof of my mouth.

This is my second day after implant surgery.

Let me talk about the day of surgery first. I went in at 6:15am. I wasn't scared because they assured me that I would be asleep. They showed me the treatment room and the recovery room. I waited a few minutes in the recovery room and when everything was ready, they brought me to the treatment /surgery room. I had brought a nice warm blanket from home, it was suggested because the room would be cold, and I'm glad I did. It also was a kind of "binky". Lol. Anyway, the surgeon came in, introduced himself and went over the entire procedure with me. I recognized him from researching this particular Clear Choice center online. He was super nice. I hardly felt the IV go in and then I was asleep. Easy peasy.

I woke up and don't really remember how I got to the recovery room. I'm pretty sure I walked, now that I think about it. They told me they would call my mom and let them know that surgery was done and that they could come in if they wanted. They had oatmeal, Ensures, apple sauce, and water for me in the recovery room along with some movies or tv I could watch. My mom's a peach and she showed up with lunch for the whole office. She's like that. I love may parents so much. Everyone made sure I was okay and my mom filled the new pain prescription while I was waiting for my new teeth to be finished. These are the temporary teeth that I would be wearing until my gums healed up and until that new, permanent teeth were ready for me. Time frame until the 2nd set of temporary teeth is about 4-6 months if all goes well. So, to clarify, I get 1 set of temporary teeth to wear while I'm healing, then 1 new set of interim teeth that look and feel like the final set of teeth I want for tweaking and until that look and feel perfect, then I get the last, final pair. from start to finish it is an 8-12 month process. What was important to me was that I went home with teeth in my mouth. The only time I didn't have teeth was while I was in the recovery room, only a few hours.

Okay, now about the pain. This is my first day after surgery and I have a lot of swelling in my lower jaw/cheeks. Not painful, just a little uncomfortable. There is a little pressure in my sinuses, but that doesn't hurt, just pressure. The only time I felt pain was when they attached my teeth to the implants yesterday. That was very painful. One of the "rods" was covered by the tissue in my mouth from swelling and that brought tears to my eyes. When the teeth were finally attached, that last thing he had to do was tighten and cover the holes. You hear a kind of ratchet sound, but that part didn't hurt. I think that if that one "rod" was not buried in my mouth from swelling, it would have been relatively pain free. After everything was attached, Dr. Shahi came in, made sure I was okay and made some minor adjustments. I got to go home and rest up. I wasn't really tired, so I played some video games while I ate yogurt, applesauce, and otter bars. I felt and still feel fine.

The day before surgery, I made to get whatever soft food I wanted and had a cup of Emergen C before bed. I don't know if that made a difference, but in my head it did. After I got home, I also decided that I would take both pain meds every 6 hours regardless of whether I was having pain or not. I didn't want the pain to creep up on me. So, that's it for now. Kind of a long update. Lol. We'll see how tomorrow goes. I'll add pics tomorrow from before surgery to now.

I've had good teeth up until that last few years. Medications have played a major part in my decision. Dry mouth, gum disease, missing teeth, and loosening teeth have increased my visits to my dentist and started to become more and more expensive. I've been told by 3 dentist that I will eventually lose all of my teeth early and dentures or implants were my options. I do currently have partials for two of my missing bottom molars. I've also noticed my face changing since having my molars removed (several years ago). The right side of my jaw seems lower or saggy.

Instead of waiting for my teeth to fall out and going back and forth to a dentist, I'm opting to do everything all at once at Clear Choice in Daly City, CA. The cost is high and I would not be able to do it without my family's help. I feel for people who need this more than I do but can't afford it. Hopefully, in the near future, people will realize that having a healthy mouth, teeth, and gums is essential to living a healthy life and things like implants will be covered by insurance.

I've read reviews and considered all my options, did my research and talked to people who have gotten implants. I'm nervous, but know what to expect regarding pain, follow ups, length of time till I get my final zirconium bridges, etc. It is about an 8-12 month process, maybe more depending on my healing process and how happy I am with the look and fit of my final teeth. I am excited and anxious to start this. I'll write more after my surgery.