The fact that you have some tingling is a reassuring symptom. Typically numbness occurs on the lower when either a injection or or the removing of the wt injured the nerve that runs threw your lower jaw. If its severed you will never get feeling back. If it was compressed or grazed during surgery you have a great shot in it repairing the nerve connections. That's the tingling feeling your getting. Did he take a CAT scan? Not a pano a real cat scan in his office prior to extracting your wt?

Flkeylargo,

What does "wt" mean?

Why would a dentist do a cat scan for the removal of a tooth or two? That is an over kill of radiation, don't you think? Is that common practice where you work?

Bryanna

Thank you for the reassurance. I have my follow up appointment tomorrow and will find what is going on. I have recovered a lot of feeling in my chin/lip. Lip is still tingley but I can feel pain when I bite it (which happens often because these dentures do not fit correctly). When it was numb, I wasn't aware I was biting the inside of my lip.

I did not have a Cat Scan prior to the surgery. He did a digital x-ray (not sure what its called, but it is on a huge TV screen while I sit in the chair...scary).

I hope he can tell if the bone grafting is working. I'm hoping I can get two implants in the lower bone in July.

Part of me regrets my decision to remove my teeth. But after reading the good information on this site, I think I probably did the right thing. Most of my teeth had been root canalled over the years and had crowns. I got opinions from 4 different dentists and Periodontists before making the decision to remove them all. Wearing a denture is terrible and I feel depressed that I will have to live the rest of my life with this. I wish I had the money to afford multiple implants so I could eventually get rid of the denture. But that isn't possible. I have no insurance and had to take a loan for the work I've had done so far.

Sorry for the long post,
Jane

Hi Jane,

Adapting to a new denture will be challenging. Everyone has their own story about this journey and most people find ways to deal very well with the denture as time goes on. It is important that the denture fit as well as possible and that should be a priority for your dentist to see that he does that for you. Some people have little to no problem right from the beginning and others need many adjustments during the healing phase.

It really will help you feel better mentally if you remind yourself from time to time that you have removed the infected teeth for the betterment of your overall health. That thought is an affirmation that you have done something positive and in spite of the challenges ahead, you are so much healthier for making this choice. As you heal, things will settle down and you will feel better and better about your decision.

Please let us know how your dental visit goes today...
Bryanna

Appointment went well. Oral Surgeon said I'm healing very well and had a nice ridge formation (have no idea what that is, but he seemed pleased). He said he was glad the dentist was making a new denture and requested I wear it for a few days and let him see it before I made any adjustments. I said I would. He said I had good bone and thought I would be ready in July for implants. He explained different options, but I got confused and he said he'd go over everything in detail in July. My impression was that he thought I could work with two implants on the bottom and seeing if I could live with the upper without implants.

He knows money is a problem for me and also explained that they now have generic implants which cost about 1/4 of the price of regular implants. He did stress that he has not used them and cannot assure me about how well they work. He compared them to generic drugs which work well in general. But he did not have experience with them.

My numbness is almost gone. He was pleased to hear and said the laser treatments might have speeded up the healing. He was sure it would have gone away on its own without the laser. He showed me, on my x-ray how my nerve runs in my bottom jaw. He said he would have to work around it if I got implants. The nerve is close to where the implant would go. He explained about placing implants at an angle to avoid damaging the nerve. He said he'd take new x-rays in July to reassess where to place the implants.

All in all, the visit went well. I always feel good when I see him, he seems very confident and helps me relax. My regular dentist is another story and I want to change dentist but she's making me a new denture at her cost (which she keeps reminding me). Part of the problems I've had with the denture is that when it was first put in, it was too loose and kept falling out. It also was too long and I would get an ear-ache each time I opened my mouth. It hit on the nerve by the hinge of my jaw. So, she cut the dentures but cut them too short. So theres no suction and they keep falling out. I haven't been able to chew anything. I do not want to work with her after getting the new denture. If she has to fix it to take the implants, I don't trust she knows how to do it. She seems unsure of herself which doesn't help me feel better. We'll see what happens.

Thank you for your support, it helps so much. I don't know if I can save up enough money for the implants but I hope I can do something.

Jane

Hi Jane,

Well from your statements about your visit today with the oral surgeon.... I think I like him He sounds very caring, confident, concerned about the fit of your denture and likes to have his ducks in a row before proceeding .... all of which is very, very good!

I appreciate his offering the generic implants as he is trying to make it more affordable for you. However, since he is not experienced with using them and since your mandibular nerve may pose some complications with the placement of the implants.... I would seriously consider going with the regular implants that he is most experienced working with.

It is good that you have a nice ridge formation as this means that your denture will have something to hold onto rather than the bone being flat. Dental implants can be put in at an angle.... however this can be a little tricky when fabricating the denture.

I have to tell you, it is not typical for an oral surgeon to be so concerned about the fit of the denture as they generally focus on the surgery and leave the restoration portion up to the other dentist. However, he may be concerned because of the lousy fit of this first denture and how she chopped it up in adjusting it. Implant dentures are more complicated... perhaps he is concerned about the fit of that one too but may not want to step on her toes and tell you his concerns.

Did your dentist refer you to this oral surgeon for the extractions? Have you expressed your concerns to him about your thoughts on her making the implant denture? He may be inclined to refer you to someone else if you express those concerns to him. Just a thought......

Glad the numbness is getting better. You will get through this okay.... you really will

Bryanna

Thank you again! Yes I think the OS is a bit of a perfectionist and wants to make sure the denture fits properly to assure success with the implants. That is my impression. He is very careful about not being critical of my dentist who I found out of the yellow-pages as I had no way to find a dentist. We moved and didn't know anyone to ask.

My regular dentist did not recommend the OS originally. She recommended a Prostdontist? I stated that I was nervous about removing all my teeth and would feel better using an Oral Surgeon. She then recommended two doctors and he was one of them. He made me feel comfortable, although I liked the other man also.

The regular dentist has an odd way of relating and I find myself uncomfortable with her. She hardly speaks or comments and I never know if she has even heard what I said. I also get the feeling that she really hates dentures and gives me a feeling that the problems I'm having, I deserve for doing this. I could be wrong, but she says things which are disturbing...like, 'well this is the way dentures work, you'll just have to accept that.' When I said I can't bite on anything, even a soft piece of bread, she said "I've never know anyone with dentures who can ever bite again.'

'What!', I said, there are millions of people walking around with dentures who eat. She didn't answer.

She took an impression last week for the new denture. She only did the upper. I thought I'd have the new dentures last week but she said the lab wanted a wax impression. So she had me try the wax on the upper and kept asking how it felt. She had me smile and marked the upper teeth. She said it would be back from the lab next Tuesday. I asked why the impressions were only done of the upper, not the lower and she didn't answer. I said, 'you are going on the assumption the lower is correct.' She just said,' hum.'

So who knows. I just know my mouth hurts and I keep biting the inside of my bottom lip and cheeks. I feel like I have sores developing from the biting. I've complained to her about this repeatedly. It is so painful to try to chew anything because the dentures catch the skin inside my cheeks and bottom lip. I have no idea what is causing that except that the dentures are too wide, but not sure.

I guess she feels she's paying to replace the uppers, but doesn't want to pay for both. But, I would think the bite couldn't be corrected with doing both. Very frustrating dealing with her.

Thank you for the support,
Jane