POSTED UNDER All-on-4 Dental Implants Reviews
38 Year Old, Obsessively Researching Solution to Smile Again
UPDATED FROM HopefulAng
6 months post
6 Month Check Up
WORTH IT$31,000
Last Wednesday I went for my 6 month check up. Every thing has been going so good, so I wasn't too worried about anything. I took a gamble and book my flight home on the same day as my appointment was. Thankfully everything worked out and that the office was so accommodating, though I got got scolded to not do that again! lol
When I had my followup, they took xrays and Dr. Anna came in to look around. I also told her about the TMJ pain I was experiencing. As she was looking she made and a few faces and said she didn't like it. Apparently my bottoms were not shaped well and needed an alignment so she wanted my bridges to be remade. The problem was though that my plane was leaving later that night. So the lab tech guy came and they discussed. They decided that they would remake my bottom bridge and then just work on the top rather than remake that one too. 2.5 hours later and boom my bridges were complete!!
For my top bridge I had experienced some weird peeling on my top right front tooth previously. But honestly, I actually liked that so I am glad I didn't get a whole new top bridge. The peeling caused the tooth to be a little less "perfect" shape and makes it look more natural. So they just filed in down to prevent more peeling. They also added more "gum" to the top to close off the gap. It feels fantastic!
For my bottom bridge, a few things need to be done hence them just remaking them. My right side, back of my bridge was too far into my tongue area. This caused a bigger gap and also a ledge that I was terrible about playing this. So when they remade them they fixed that. Also my bite was a bit off on my bottoms. This is what was causing me the TMJ pain!! Apparently while I healed my bridges shifted slightly and caused my bite to be off. So Dr. Anna was explaining how my back teeth on my left were actually not even coming together and touching. This put all the pressure on my back right causing my jaw/ear TMJ pain. Since they remade the bottoms I have experienced ZERO pain! and I also notice that I chew on both sides of my mouth rather than 1 side.
I do have an appointment with a local dentist for next week though. Just like before I quickly had 2 access holes either push in or fall out. This happened before I even flew out that night. Luckily neither are scraping my tongue to it isn't desperation. This is also the dentist I plan to get my next 6 month cleaning from. Then in 1 year I will go back to Golpa.
Overall I am so pleased! my gaps are all closed, my pain is gone and my smile looks great! I couldn't be happier! I am attaching some updated pics of my smile for those that are curious.
When I had my followup, they took xrays and Dr. Anna came in to look around. I also told her about the TMJ pain I was experiencing. As she was looking she made and a few faces and said she didn't like it. Apparently my bottoms were not shaped well and needed an alignment so she wanted my bridges to be remade. The problem was though that my plane was leaving later that night. So the lab tech guy came and they discussed. They decided that they would remake my bottom bridge and then just work on the top rather than remake that one too. 2.5 hours later and boom my bridges were complete!!
For my top bridge I had experienced some weird peeling on my top right front tooth previously. But honestly, I actually liked that so I am glad I didn't get a whole new top bridge. The peeling caused the tooth to be a little less "perfect" shape and makes it look more natural. So they just filed in down to prevent more peeling. They also added more "gum" to the top to close off the gap. It feels fantastic!
For my bottom bridge, a few things need to be done hence them just remaking them. My right side, back of my bridge was too far into my tongue area. This caused a bigger gap and also a ledge that I was terrible about playing this. So when they remade them they fixed that. Also my bite was a bit off on my bottoms. This is what was causing me the TMJ pain!! Apparently while I healed my bridges shifted slightly and caused my bite to be off. So Dr. Anna was explaining how my back teeth on my left were actually not even coming together and touching. This put all the pressure on my back right causing my jaw/ear TMJ pain. Since they remade the bottoms I have experienced ZERO pain! and I also notice that I chew on both sides of my mouth rather than 1 side.
I do have an appointment with a local dentist for next week though. Just like before I quickly had 2 access holes either push in or fall out. This happened before I even flew out that night. Luckily neither are scraping my tongue to it isn't desperation. This is also the dentist I plan to get my next 6 month cleaning from. Then in 1 year I will go back to Golpa.
Overall I am so pleased! my gaps are all closed, my pain is gone and my smile looks great! I couldn't be happier! I am attaching some updated pics of my smile for those that are curious.
HopefulAng's provider
Replies (5)
May 24, 2018
I am very interested and really wondering what this cost?
So you had complete upper and lowers?
Thank you for any info. Looks like you had them drill implants then snap teeth in, also do you have to take out everyday?
Thank you again for your time
Just amazing the difference
Good for you!!!
So you had complete upper and lowers?
Thank you for any info. Looks like you had them drill implants then snap teeth in, also do you have to take out everyday?
Thank you again for your time
Just amazing the difference
Good for you!!!
May 24, 2018
All on 4 is different than snap in dentures. It is much more of a permanent solution that is not user removable. The cost with Dr Golpa and company ranges from $29,500 to $31,000, depending on if a special is going on and if hotel room is included. For more details on the differences, just Google all on 4 vs snap in dentures. Generally speaking, all on 4 is more expensive and gives more chewing power and ability and the bridges are made from a tougher, more resilient material that lasts longer.
May 24, 2018
Thank you , can’t believe all the post.
Was there financing available even with Shakey credit?
Was there financing available even with Shakey credit?
May 25, 2018
Yes, smcinaz is correct. All on 4 or in my case.... All on 5. :) permanent solution and they honestly feel like my own teeth. They are removed once a year for cleaning by the dentist. Since I went to Golds in Vegas, I received my permanents next day rather then temps.
I did financing through SoFi lending because they offer a low rate medical loan that can be extended for 8 years.
Even though it is expensive I can tell you first hand that it is the way to go in my opinion. Thank you for all the nice compliments too!!
I did financing through SoFi lending because they offer a low rate medical loan that can be extended for 8 years.
Even though it is expensive I can tell you first hand that it is the way to go in my opinion. Thank you for all the nice compliments too!!
May 26, 2018
So you’re one of “those” patients that keep us in our chairs for 3 hours because the labs doing a rush job. LOL
I’ve found dental wax works perfect in the access holes! Happy to hear you no longer have any jaw pain.
;)
May 30, 2018
hahahaahah Luckily I was the last appointment of the day so I didnt have to hold anyone up! :P
I got my access holes refilled yesterday by a local dentist so hopefully I will be good for awhile. :)
I got my access holes refilled yesterday by a local dentist so hopefully I will be good for awhile. :)
June 11, 2018
One more question, did you get the zirconia or the nano ceramic?
June 13, 2018
It is a special material that Golpa uses. My guess they are a nano ceramic because they are lighter weight than zirconia and also do not clank like zirconia.
June 14, 2018
I’m so excited to have joined this party late enough for the nano’s. When I first started researching this, everyone was using zirconia. I love the way they feel in my hand. When I held the zirconia, I thought that they were way too heavy!
UPDATED FROM HopefulAng
6 months post
Office Follow-up Next Week!
I am a bit behind schedule but I am scheduled for my follow up at Dr. Golpa's office next week in Las Vegas! Everything has been pretty good so I don't expect anything crazy from my follow up. I am excited and hopefully that the gar between my gums and bridge can be closed up a bit on my bottom right. I also think I may need a bit of a bite adjustment to help with my TMJ but other that that things have been going so well.
My bridges are a part of me. I forget that they aren't mine. Many people around me have seemed to forgot and new people have no clue that they aren't my natural teeth. Still the surgery was the best thing I have ever done for myself!
My bridges are a part of me. I forget that they aren't mine. Many people around me have seemed to forgot and new people have no clue that they aren't my natural teeth. Still the surgery was the best thing I have ever done for myself!
Replies (5)
May 11, 2018
Have you noticed any changes in the shape of your face since getting the surgery?? Has the shape of your face improved because of the implants vs before the implants??
May 12, 2018
Not really. My lips changed slightly. Above I specifically posted before and after of my face shape. Do you notice much difference?
May 12, 2018
I didnt notice much of a difference, but a great smile makes all the difference. I ask because my back teeth are missing and it causes my face to sink in and look drawn. I hope once I get the implants that will change and puff my face out some so it doesnt look so sunken
May 12, 2018
They don't replace all of your back teeth; 28 is what you get, last time I counted.
May 13, 2018
GREAT! Thats more than what I have now, so thats fantastic LOL:)))) I'm sure that'll help with the shape of my face too
May 13, 2018
Only 28,but I can't imagine having more.... These fill my whole mouth! Anymore and it would be too much for my mouth.
May 11, 2018
No free car service for followup appointments, so we'll have to get ourselves to the office.
We'll see you there, Ang, on the 16th.
Have a nice trip!
We'll see you there, Ang, on the 16th.
Have a nice trip!
May 12, 2018
I wonder why it's so easy for some, yet soooo difficult for others?
Darnit
Happy for you, but sheesh it's been a rough ride for me.
Darnit
Happy for you, but sheesh it's been a rough ride for me.
May 13, 2018
Yeah I am not sure. I know it's not a one size fits all procedure so maybe that's it?
May 13, 2018
Only 28,but I can't imagine having more.... These fill my whole mouth! Anymore and it would be too much for my mouth.
May 13, 2018
Oops this was in response to oreogal and smcinaz.... Copying and pasting below.
May 13, 2018
It's not the number but the size. I've always felt they are 1 size too large for my mouth.
August 23, 2018
I look at the before and after pics on other people and some look good and others look too big for their mouth. I can’t decide because of that. Do they adjust the way they look based on what they like and want for you or what you, the customer wants? Well, yours looks nice and thanks for posting your story!
August 27, 2018
yes they definitely will make adjustments. During my consult we discussed what I wanted, shape, size, color etc. I had pics of what my teeth looked like before. I also brought in pics of my daughter's smile and a few photos of teeth I liked from online. I can honestly say they nailed it to the pics of my previous and my daughter's pic!
UPDATED FROM HopefulAng
4 months post
Update Time! :)
So I am almost to my 4 mouth post op mark! Things haven't changed much since my last update. I am very well adjusted to the bridges at this point. I typically forget that they are not my teeth. Sometime my implant areas get achy but nothing too bad.
I do still experience symptoms of TMJ now and then. I actually have an appointment to see a sleep specialist next week, because I am noticing that I am clenching down on my bridges extremely badly. I do weat a night guard that Golpa made for me that is made of clear, hard acrylic. My clenching and grinding is so bad though the guard is no longer clear everywhere from the grinding down of the acrylic and I have cracks straight through it. When I have a bad night, that is when I experience the TMJ pain and implant location pain. Neither pain is unbearable and nothing that some Advil cant help. I am hoping that the sleep specialist can figure out a resolution. I am so nervous that I am hurting my implants or bridges with the clenching or that I may break it. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen!! :)
Any day now I will be planning and booking my trip to have my check up with the Golpa's office in Las Vegas. I am hoping to make follow up appoints in the DC office once it opens up!!
All in all.... I am so thankful I am not in the daily pain from abscesses and infection that I had before this procedure. I am thankful, I can eat what I want without pain. I am thankful that I can smile again.
I do still experience symptoms of TMJ now and then. I actually have an appointment to see a sleep specialist next week, because I am noticing that I am clenching down on my bridges extremely badly. I do weat a night guard that Golpa made for me that is made of clear, hard acrylic. My clenching and grinding is so bad though the guard is no longer clear everywhere from the grinding down of the acrylic and I have cracks straight through it. When I have a bad night, that is when I experience the TMJ pain and implant location pain. Neither pain is unbearable and nothing that some Advil cant help. I am hoping that the sleep specialist can figure out a resolution. I am so nervous that I am hurting my implants or bridges with the clenching or that I may break it. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen!! :)
Any day now I will be planning and booking my trip to have my check up with the Golpa's office in Las Vegas. I am hoping to make follow up appoints in the DC office once it opens up!!
All in all.... I am so thankful I am not in the daily pain from abscesses and infection that I had before this procedure. I am thankful, I can eat what I want without pain. I am thankful that I can smile again.
Replies (5)
March 8, 2018
I, too, do the clenching snd get the soreness from it. Not so much while sleeping any more as during the day from normal activities.
March 10, 2018
I saw another post if yours where u said about the surgery about being tied down and playing on your phone etc .. wtf I thought you were out of it during this
March 10, 2018
Scaredbeyond, everyone reacts differently. When I had my surgery, they gave me two pills in the waiting room. About 5 minutes later my dentist and a chairside assistant started walking me to the surgery room. I don't remember getting there. I know I had an IV because I took the bandaid off at home. I don't remember them starting it. The next thing I knew I woke up on my sofa at home hours later. I have two faint memories: I heard someone tell me to bite down; and I remember being in the car on the way home. Both memories last only a moment. It was the best surgical experience I have ever had.
March 10, 2018
I talked to a guy who had it done last week at golpa , he said he was up the whole time for 6 hrs watching them I was like omg
March 10, 2018
You mean hotel room, right, not home? Cause if you only remember being hine, I think they overdid your meds! Lol.
March 10, 2018
It's bs. First of all, it doesn't take 6 hours and, second, no one stays awake and remembers it all after being dosed with iv midazolam.
March 10, 2018
@smcinaz yes, that's what I remember she said. I completely understand being bored while being sedated, and you have your mouth wide open, people working on you, like what is anyone to do? @scaredbeyond who in the hell ties people down to get surgery? Where in the hell did you read that?
March 10, 2018
I agree! If you are still conscious but woozy, it's like twilight. Memories fade in and out, so recall isn't precise
March 10, 2018
@smcinaz I think you and I have the same mindset ;) I feel where you're coming from. And I agree, it's not brain surgery, it's dental implants and may take 2-3 1/2 hours start to finish with extractions, so I have no idea what this "member" is talking about. And No one after being sedated will recall every freaking detail in a surgical event, unless you're not really sedated at all.
March 13, 2018
@scaredbeyond yes they did strap me down for a bit but that was for my own safety. It wasnt bad honestly and actually a little funny. They did it because I would stop moving and my restless leg syndrome kicked in and at one point I think I was confused and tried to take out my iv in my hand. So it was warranted to strap down my hands. :) You are definitely out of it but in and out of conscious. The point that I was on my phone was right before the sedation really kicked in and before they began. I don't recall a whole lot from the surgery except for little dream like sequences like waiting up and them telling me to stop kicking my leg up and down and to put it back on the chair. hahaha I don't recall them actually working on my mouth or having their hands in my mouth. I don't know how anyone would be able to remember the whole procedure so I think whoever told you they did may have been exaggerating or may just think they do.
March 10, 2018
Lmk when you make your followup appt and maybe I can time mine to be about the same since you are only about 10 days ahead of me. Then we can compare notes and experiences.
To scaredbeyind: I believe she wrote that she was in and out and did some odd stuff during the conscious sedation including the cell phone stuff.
To scaredbeyind: I believe she wrote that she was in and out and did some odd stuff during the conscious sedation including the cell phone stuff.
March 12, 2018
It's weird they say your out of it but not out if it , I don't understand how you can be there that long holding your mouth open and not gagging or get sick etc freak out try to get up or whatever
March 12, 2018
Because many people are fairly awake most or all the time, they just don't remember much or most of it later.
March 31, 2018
How did your speech evolve? Are you bother by the top bridge’s inner rim while pronouncing “s” and “t” sounds ?
April 2, 2018
My speech was pretty good in just a few weeks. I did a lot of practice by singing out loud in the car. the inner rim was the biggest adjustments but hasnt been bad at all. At first I had the feeling of being "tto full" in the mouth but it definitely improved over time.
How did you manage about transportation? And if you don't mind sharing the cost of that?
We don't have either, so had no idea what I was looking at.
Thanks Ang. Keep smiling! :)
The last visit ( where the night guard tray was stuck in my mouth) really did a lot to my body. The TMJ has caused my muscles in my jaw, neck, shoulders and back to feel like they are always contracted (spasm like).
My jaw continues to lock.
A cartilage flush has been recommended, botox shots and then when I can have new bridges made he (specialist) wants me to wear a different sort of night guard.
So in a nut shell... life has been hard.
I have a headache every minute of the day and I am popping pills like they are my best friend.
So much more than I signed up for.
Interaction with the office is lacking.
The chiropractor has helped me immensely. At least I can now function. I have no luck with CBD, I have tried.
My TMJ is awful since all of this. I think it's only fair people know both the good and the bad.
There are risks with any surgery, but this has been much more than I bargained for.