All on Five on Upper Arch

I sort of waited to reply to your comment. I did not want to sound too positive until I had my perms in for a little while to see how things shook out. If you read my last update you know by now that I had a very good outcome. For the money spent, it should be. I know a lot of other people go out of the country to various places and I read that a great many have excellent outcomes. I just could no do that for a number of reasons. The main one would be that if things did go terribly wrong and it was obviously the fault of the practitioner I would have no legal recourse to recover my investment. Plus, if things go wrong for whatever reason, the travel costs could well make up the difference you saved. I know the people who treated me, trust them because one has been my dentist for years, and trusted that he would only refer me to others who were as competent as him. I could foresee my situation for quite some time and was as mentally prepared as possible. I was also somewhat financially prepared but was really surprised at how expensive it turned out to be. As the surgery date arrived I became quite nervous. I kept telling myself the odds for a good outcome are really high. Like you, I have no other health problems which is a definite plus since overall health increases the chances for a good outcome for any medical procedure. I do not see not wanting the traditional denture as vain. We wore partials and know the result of those limits eating and can sometimes be socially embarrassing and they can also damage what teeth you have left. The bridges are great but you also sacrifice teeth to anchor them and you can run out of those as I did. Some might opt to buy a new car but I would choose my dental health every time. Dentures are even worse than what we have endured. I know they are the only choice for some for varied reasons. They definitely limit what you can eat and how you enjoy eating. The social aspect should not be ignored and your dental situation can affect that drastically. I do not want to think about my teeth except when I clean them. I want to talk without fear of spitting them out. I want to eat and enjoy it ( sometimes I do too much). When someone is looking intently at me during a conversation, I don't want to be thinking they are looking at my teeth or dentures. There is a lot of freedom gained from having fixed denture, crowns, and bridges over the alternatives that are not fixed. That is worth more to me than a lot of other things I would buy with that money. I am not rich by a long shot. I worked and saved as much as I could these past few years knowing this time would come. I learned at a young age the embarrassment from having broken teeth, no teeth, and teeth that weren't functional. It is important and is not vain. If there had been obstacles to require me to wear dentures, I would and would work at making the situation the best it could be. Meanwhile I am doing the same with the implants and feel blessed that I was a candidate. I do wish there was more support and importance put upon dental health instead of viewing it as a "cosmetic option". I would never call anyone vain for trying to improve the hand they were dealt. There was slight pain and discomfort for a few days, frustration with the diet early on, but good things just don't come easy and it all is a small price to pay I'df it is at all possible. I have heard others speak of financing options. One bright point in spending all that money is that it can be written directly off your income on tax day. If you agree, I encourage you to look into the possibilities and if financing is impossible look into possible university programs with dental programs and become a learning lab. I wish you luck in creating the smile and life you want.

Good luck to you! The implants are a lifesaver for those of us in those situations.

How are you doing? Things go as planned?