Hi Fridy,

I really don't mean to alarm you or cause you any further stress. I know this has been a huge undertaking for you, but your concerns about what is happening are very warranted. I sincerely doubt that you will get much positive healing and in fact the gum tissue may continue to recede as the inflammation decreases.

The jaw bone has receded greatly over the 20 year stretch since those teeth were removed. The amount of gum tissue shrinks to accommodate the recession of bone leaving the remaining gum tissue frail and thin. It is not a surprise that the lateral implant is visible because there is not enough bone or gum tissue to cover the implant. Dental implants require adequate healthy bone and gum tissue to successfully integrate. Otherwise, the implant is basically just sitting in soft tissue and it will eventually become infected and/or fall out on it's own. If that implant was embedded in jaw bone and there was ample gum tissue to cover the bone, as there needs to be, it would not be visible at all. This situation is not going to change for the better because the bone nor the gum tissue have any natural means for substantial growth.

I understand why you sought the care that you did. However, your dentist should have informed you of the huge risks you were taking and the likelihood of these surgeries not being successful. Did she inform you of those things prior to the onset of any of this dental work?

Here is what often happens in cases like yours. The dentist convinces the patient to continue waiting and to continue doing surgeries to "correct" the "in-correctable" anatomical defects. As the time go on with one failure after another, the patient either gets fed up and/or the dentist at some point informs the patient that "their body rejected the surgeries and implants". They make it seem like they did everything they could to make this work, but YOUR body rejected all of the efforts. Unfortunately, the end result will be difficult to restore dentally, even with a partial denture or a permanent bridge, due to the numerous surgeries over a long period of time.

Usually this back and forth dentistry goes on for several months or even years before the patient or the dentist concedes that it has to stop. At that point, most dentists will not feel obligated to reimburse the patient any of the money they spent on this arduous and expensive dental venture because they believe the patient was in compliance with all of the treatment. The dentist is then most likely able to convince the patient that the reason for the "failure" had nothing to do with the dental work that was provided.

In my opinion, it would be wise and well worth your time and money to consult with a different dentist. One who is forthright with the factual information as I have provided for you here pertaining to the reasons why dental implants are not likely to be successful in your case.

I'm so sorry you are going through this. I hope you will find my information to be helpful to you in one way or another.