Hi Catra,

I will post your questions and answer in bold letters.

<<1. The bridge feels heavy. This honestly feels better today than yesterday and I am wondering if maybe it just feels that way because the gums are so sensitive from all the work done...or if it's something I should be concerned about. This is just the temporary one...so they told me at the dentist's office that it won't feel as natural as the permanent one once they put that in and that I may be feeling awkward because they HAVE changed my bite significantly with the bridge. Makes sense I guess...just curious if that "heavy" feeling is normal...like something is pulling down on my gums?>>

YES, THIS HEAVY FEELING IS NORMAL. YOU SAID THIS IS A 7 TOOTH BRIDGE. COULD YOU TELL ME WHAT TEETH IT IS REPLACING AND WHICH OF THOSE TEETH ARE MISSING?

<<2. On either side of the bridge it feels like the teeth are hitting the outside of my mouth. That doesn't sound right...it's the INSIDE of my mouth but on the outer part just above where my upper lip is. Do you think this is just from swelling and will go away in a few days? I have a VERY tiny mouth so I guess I'm just worried that the bridge may be a little large for my small mouth. Probably just worried about nothing but no one really answered this question at my dentist's office.>>

THERE CAN BE SOME DISCOMFORT LIKE THAT FROM INFLAMMATION. BUT GENERALLY TEMPORARIES CAN BE QUITE THICK AND A BIT BULKY... DEPENDS ON THE MATERIAL THAT WAS USED TO MAKE THEM. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT THING TO MENTION TO YOUR DENTIST WHEN YOU GO BACK TO HIM FOR THE SECOND APPOINTMENT IF IT IS STILL BOTHERING YOU BECAUSE HE CAN HAVE THE LAB MAKE ADJUSTMENTS ON THE BRIDGE SO IT IS LESS BULKY.

<<3. They did a bunch of drilling yesterday while I was there to adjust the bridge where my lower teeth were hitting it. Since then it feels like the entire bridges has shifted there the top of the bridge on the back side has moved up into the contour of the roof of my mouth. At least...that's what it feels like when my tongue runs along it and there is increased pain in that area. Plus, when I tried to clean in there like they showed me with floss in between the teeth at the top by the gums...there's on place where the floss and pick won't go through and it did yesterday at the dentist's office. So would it really shift like that or are the gums at the top of the bridge/roof of my mouth just hard and raw and sore from all the work that was done? I tried to look with a mirror but I just can't see anything well at all. I think I'm just paranoid...but would also like to point out that while it felt better after they did the drilling with my lower teeth barely touching the bridge after they were done...it's now MORE comfortable and the lower teeth don't touch at all. So it's not necessarily a bad thing because on the one hand it's more comfortable bite wise and on the other I'm having pain in the gums back there at the rood of my mouth and top of the bridge.>>

IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO CLEAN IN AND AROUND THE MARGINS OF THE BRIDGE. HE MAY HAVE CLOSED SOME GAPS THAT WERE ALONG THE GUM LINE ON THE PALATE AND FACIAL SIDE. THIS WOULD MAKE THE BRIDGE FEEL TIGHT ALONG THESE AREAS. IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE BRIDGE TO FIT ALONG THE CONTOUR OF YOUR GUM LINE BUT JUST AS IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO USE FLOSS THREADERS TO CLEAN THERE ALSO. IF THIS BECOMES VERY SORE AND/OR SWOLLEN, THEN SEE THE DENTIST. IF THE ISSUE IS DUE TO SOME INFLAMMATION FROM THE RECENT DRILLING AND IT SUBSIDES, THEN YOU WILL BE ABLE TO USE THE FLOSS THREADERS. NEVER FORCE THE THREDDERS INTO THOSE AREAS. FOR NOW JUST BRUSH WITH A SOFT BRISTLE TOOTHBRUSH ANGLED ALONG THE GUM LINE TO KEEP THE PLAQUE DOWN.

<<4. Where the eye tooth was extracted...it is black all around the top of the bridge. There's clearly a big hole there but when I floss/use the pick they gave me between that tooth and the teeth next to it, it's all black and oozy. No pain though or bad taste...just black and oozy. There was a LOT of decay in that tooth because of where it was and it had many cavities that were filled over 10 years ago. Does this sound normal and is there anything I should do to take care of it and clean it besides what I am already doing (brushing, flossing, mouth rinse)? It's odd because unlike when I had the four teeth extracted a couple months ago, these teeth have something placed over them so the wounds are not open in the same way the others were and I can't flush them out in like I could the others. The tooth that was broken and that they pulled the rest of looks fine and you cannot see any difference in the gums over that tooth than the rest...just where that eye tooth was which was in really bad shape. If the back pus continues to seep out...should I go back to the dentist. They had to see it yesterday when I was there and they didn't say anything about it or about caring for it differently.>>

THE EYE TOOTH AREA... IF THERE IS ANY "PUS" WHAT SO EVER, YOU NEED TO SEE YOUR DENTIST. HOWEVER PUS IS NOT BLACK... IT IS WHITE OR YELLOW AND SOMETIMES MIXED WITH BLOOD. WHAT I THINK YOU MAY BE DESCRIBING IS DARK BLOOD FROM THE BLOOD CLOTTING. BECAUSE THE BLOOD HAD NO PLACE TO DRAIN AFTER THE EXTRACTION, WHAT HASN'T BEEN ABSORBED BY THE BODY IS JUST SITTING UP IN THE SOCKET WHICH IS OKAY FOR NOW. IT MOST LIKELY WILL DISSIPATE ON IT'S OWN. BUT IF YOU THINK IT IS INFECTION... THEN SEE YOUR DENTIST.

<<5. Obviously I have soreness and tenderness in my gums and face after having all this work done. At what point will it be normal for this to die down...a week? Two weeks? Just curious more than anything else so I can know if I should be worrying as time goes on. I cannot use ice packs so I think I just have to deal with the puffiness and swelling without much to help calm it down.>>

THE SORENESS AND TENDERNESS WILL SUBSIDE WITH EACH DAY SO LONG AS THERE ARE NO COMPLICATIONS. I THINK YOU ARE OVERLY WORRIED ABOUT THIS AREA OF YOUR MOUTH DUE TO THE EXTENT OF THE PROCEDURE... WHICH IS TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE. HOWEVER, I SUGGEST THAT YOU NOT OVER DO TRYING TO CLEAN THIS. JUST BRUSH AS THOROUGHLY AS POSSIBLE AND IN A FEW DAYS OR SO ATTEMPT TO USE THE FLOSS THREDDERS AGAIN. IF THEY STILL DON'T FIT BUT THE GUM FEEL GOOD AND THE SORENESS IS LESS, THEN JUST CONTINUE ON THAT PATH UNTIL YOU SEE HIM AGAIN.

<<6. When biting into food there is a definite pressure. I am fairly certain this is normal given the way a bridge works with it being over several teeth and all. Does it ever go away or do you just get used to it? Is it less once the permanent bridge is put in vs the temporary I have in now.>>

FEELING PRESSURE WHILE CHEWING IS EXPECTED. THIS SHOULD LESSON OVER TIME AND THE PERMANENT BRIDGE MAY FEEL SIMILAR AT THE ONSET BUT LESSON AS TIME GOES ON. KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS AREA OF YOUR MOUTH BEEN TRAUMATIZED AND THAT YOU ARE NOW MISSING AN INTEGRAL PART OF YOUR DENTITION ...THE EYE TOOTH. THE EYE TEETH ARE CONSIDERED THE CORNERSTONE OF THE ENTIRE BITE, SO WHEN THEY ARE REMOVED THE BITE COMPLETELY CHANGES. IF EVERYTHING IS MADE PROPERLY YOUR BITE WILL BECOME STABLE AGAIN.

<<7. I talk with a slight lisp now with the bridge in. I assume I just have to get used to the feel of it and then that will go away. Is that normal or should I be worried that maybe it's not the right fit for me.>>

YOU SHOULD DISCUSS THAT WITH YOUR DENTIST AT YOUR NEXT APPOINTMENT BECAUSE HE MAY BE ABLE TO ALTER THAT. THE LISP INDICATES THE THE TEETH ARE NOW LONGER OR SHORTER THAN YOUR NATURAL TEETH WERE. KEEP IN MIND THE DENTIST IS TRYING TO FIT THESE TEETH INTO YOUR EXISTING BITE WHICH WAS PROBABLY NOT THAT GREAT TO BEGIN WITH. SO SPEAK WITH HIM ABOUT THAT AND SEE IF HE CAN ALTER IT FOR YOU.

Hope these answers help a bit!
Bryanna