Starting the Journey and Taking the Plunge

Just getting started my journey. No molars on the bottom left and one left on the bottom right. We decided the best option was to try and save the teeth. The impressions were taken today and the bill was shown.

I met with Laura and Dr. Johnson yesterday to get an updated treatment plan. I first met with them in February 2021 after deciding I needed to do something about my teeth and accepted my fate of dentures. Covid was a blessing, and I loved wearing my mask. When the mask mandate started being lifted, my husband began looking at me awkwardly when I opted to wear mine still. My tooth (#4) started becoming an issue and is extremely painful and I can't avoid it forever. I didn't think I wanted to go back to Avenue because I thought I was paying for the vanity and it makes me feel beyond guilty to take this plunge. Even writing this causes me to cry because this will take away what I can offer my kids and family for years. So... I saw another dentist who didn't focus is cosmetics. He referred me to an oral surgeon and said it wouldn't be a good implant and to just do a bridge. The oral surgeon said he could do an implant but it would just be a post. I asked if I did go that route if he could do an implant for my missing tooth at #12. He said no he wouldn't do the implant because of spacing. The extracting and implant post was quoted at $3,500 and I have gotten the other bills yet for the referral and consultation. I did not want to pull more teeth and walk around for a year or two before it was fixed with 50-100 appointments. So I told my husband to call Avenue. I met with them yesterday.

We discussed options. Dr. Johnson patiently answered all my questions. He was very honest about what could be done even though I didn't like everything he said. He can't save 2 teeth. I him say over 70% decay when he was calling out all his fancy words. I was so embarrassed but he was so happy I was there and it made me feel so much better. On to the treatment plan (as I remember and according to the bill):
Exam, xray, and wax up
3 & 7 root canal and build up
2 Extraction
4 Extraction, bone graft, and membrane
4 &12 Implants, implant crown, abutment
Crowns 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
Temporary Lower Partial Denture

Grand Total $33,903, with the insurance I save $1,449.92, bwahaha I wish dental insurance actually covered stuff. I spent $1,350 for the visit yesterday which included the exam, x-ray, and impressions. They said it will take $1,080 of the total price. Not sure about that math, but I was so emotionally over it all I wanted to get out of the office. I think my price tag is going to be $31,373.08.

What this timeline looks like. I come back to the office next Friday. I will get temps. I think (this is where it gets fuzzy) I am going to have a gap in my back teeth. Or maybe I was worried about it and they said no gap. Either way, he said I would have a smile I would be happy with. He said while I wear the temps he wants me to be as picky as I can be so we can make the permanents beautiful. I will be wearing them for a minimum of 2 weeks and up to 2 months.

I went in on Friday and left with the acrylic temps. The pain over the weekend was unreal and no pain medication we’re prescribed. I cried all weekend partly from pain but mainly from regret. I hate how the temporaries look. They shrink in like a hamster and the bite is far off. They’re so far from what I consider a pretty smile. My teeth pop through the mold on 6 teeth.

I arrived and was given two oral sedation pills. I was worried the oral wouldn’t last long enough but they said they’d give me more if I woke up. Well I woke up, they did give me one more. I was starting to freak out and asked how much longer. They said an hour and I requested another pill. Request denied and it SUCKED for the last hour. Not sure this office is as supportive as I need of severe anxiety mixed with severe dental anxiety. He only prescribed an anxiety pill for the “main” appointment and no other ones. I thought he knew I’d need it for a while, even for cleanings. I have an appointment later today and wasn’t sure I wanted to do an update with nothing “good” to report, but realized this in between struggle might help someone else. He wasn’t able to place one of the implants and said he’ll do a bridge instead. This is super frustrating as I was billed for an implant and it is one of the reasons I wanted to “do it all at once”. They didn’t do the extraction of two and will place a crown. This increased the bill by another $1,000.

My husband keeps telling me it will be ok but I hate my teeth. I thought I would at least enjoy smiling. But the gums on the top are so crooked and there is a recessed gum on the bottom front tooth. This is extremely painful. I thought these would be fixed, but nope. I even specifically asked about the receding gum on the front bottom tooth because it prevents me from biting into foods. So it’s 33k for most of my dental, not all. It makes me feel like I was “sold” or got a sales pitch. They got the money and don’t care now. I know that’s not true. The doctor was sad that I hated the teeth so much and even checked in on Saturday.

I am sure I won’t have these overwhelming feelings of regret when the pain subsides and the finals are on. But I am so nervous that I am going to hate everything about the permanent ones because the temps are so far from what I want and ill fitting.

To recap, the procedure itself was awful and I would not do it again. The pain after is awful. The acrylic temps are awful. The anxiety is awful. And the bill is awful.