Hi Bryanna, when you say the more the bone fills in, the lower the gum will be, I want the gum to be higher. The other eye tooth is higher and they matched in appearance when the impression was made. Maybe this is what you meant since you said it will recede. The gum now looks boxy and does not have the moon shape arch on top...and the fake tooth does so points over the gum a millimeter above. One thing also is that my palate is still sore and the area is yellowish from the bone powder still there. The flipper is very irritating so I am hesitant to wear it, I would like to wait a few more days until there's less pain, more healing. No rush, I guess as long as I don't care esthetically.
My dentist told me that the tooth cannot be filed. The funny thing is that when I tilt it, the tooth fits in beautifully but then the flipper isn't tight in my mouth (the wire hanging!) so I can't wear it that way! I just wish it looked right from the beginning. I hope the gum starts taking the arch shape, does it know to do that by itself? I am sorry to bug you with all this, I just am really thrown by this experience, the cost, the other problems they see, may need more extractions on old root canaled teeth...it just is all happening at once. But if you can answer the first question about the shape, I'd appreciate it. Is it normal for it not to fit the shape of the tooth when the patient first gets it? I am sure it WAS the shape of the original tooth but now it looks like a big buck tooth. One more thing, do they ever remake these if the patient just doesn't feel right, even giving it a chance? I mean legally, are they supposed to for no fee? I also don't see why he said it can't be shaven...I know they can adjust something but what, if not the shape? I am so lost with this!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryanna
Hi sandy,
With regard to tooth #2 area.... in about 3 months, have an xray taken of that area to determine how the bone looks and if there is any sign of a bone spur. The bone takes months to fill in and unless you are having pain there, it is just too early to tell if there is something that needs attention.
With regard to #11 .... the dental lab cannot fabricate a tooth on a partial to resemble (exactly) what the other teeth look like. The fake tooth may indeed look too long compared to the other ones but the gum in that area will shrink somewhat as the extraction site heals. According to your posts, you didn't have a gum graft, you had a bone graft. These are two completely different things. The bone graft has only minimal effect on the shape of the gum as it is really meant to fill in the bony socket and encourage your own bone to fill in as completely as possible. The more bone that fills in, the lower the gum will heal along the gumline leaving it with a more natural appearance. However, months down the road your permanent implant crown may be slightly "longer in the tooth" than your adjacent teeth. Without the graft material, you would have lost at minimum 50% of your bone level at that site once the area healed. This would have resulted in a caved in appearance of the bony ridge and a very high arc along the gumline. So the graft will help to minimize that "arc" in the gumline but not eliminate it completely.
If you feel that the fake tooth is causing too much pressure along the gum in the site of #11 then one of two things may be happening. One is the flipper may not be seating all the way down and needs to be adjusted or the tooth is too long and it needs to be filed down a little bit. Adjustmens can be made to the tooth or any other part of the flipper without ruining the integrity of the appliance. Sometimes just the minimalist adjustment does the trick!
The flipper will feel like a mouthful until you get use to it. But the pressure feeling should lessen with each day of wearing it. If you find that any tooth or area becomes very achey or painful, then the flipper definitely needs an adjustment.
As far as talking with it, again your muscles have to get use to it being there. Your tongue is not use to sharing the palate when you speak or eat but if it fits well, your tongue will adapt to it being there.
I know this is hard..... and it seems like it's just never ending!! I wish there were any easier way......... ~'.'~... hang in there!!
Bryanna
|