Hi Jon,

I feel so bad that you are having to put up with such nonsense. Just because you have chosen to receive your dental care at the dental clinic does not in any way mean that everything should not be fully explained to you prior to consenting to treatment.

The acrylic teeth will be ok ....... that is what is used most often. Porcelain teeth are more costly and only used if the person is willing to spend more for them. The long term wear ability of either material depends on the person's bite and if the appliance fits well into their occlusion then either choice would be ok. The one issue that I would stress to you would be esthetics. If you are concerned about the "natural" appearance of the teeth, then you need to stress that concern making sure that you have been heard. If esthetics is not a major concern for you, then don't worry about it they will look fine. Don't worry about the material of the teeth..... it's the least of what is going on!

As for being put to sleep.......... again, they should have been very specific with this issue and asked you about all of your concerns with it. The IV meds used in dentistry of this type will induce a "twilight" sleep which is different than the heavy general anesthesia meds used in a hospital setting for other types of surgery. The twilight meds allow the patient to become very relaxed and have no recollection of the procedure. Some people do fall asleep, but it is not exactly medication induced it just happens due to being in a very relaxed state. You are still given adequate amounts of novocaine to numb the areas of your mouth that are being worked on. Once the surgery is done, most people are easily alerted and fully conscious within a few minutes. There are no lingering affects of these meds like general anesthesia.

However, whatever your previous issues were with anesthesia of any kind, it is important to convey them to the oral surgeon prior to him giving you the twlight meds in your IV.

Jon, it is so important that you go into this feeling positive about the outcome. The doctors have not been accomodating to your questions and concerns, but that doesn't mean you stop expressing them. If this is the path that you need to take to get your dental work done, then make your thoughts be heard irrelevant of whose toes you may be stepping on. The outcome will be ok....... it's just getting to that point that is unnecessarily stressful. Believe me, what you are experiencing is common practice for dental schools all across the country!! But it will be ok!!!

Please keep us posted on how you are doing! Try not to worry, it will be ok!

Bryanna