Saturday, January 28, 2017

With This Many Crowns, I Should Be a Princess

The saga of dental difficulties relating to the replacement of the bad crown on one of my upper incisors is finally, mercifully, almost over!  

It all started in 2012 ... yes, five years ago.  (I told you about it at that time in THIS post.)  Summary of the saga is:  faulty crown extracted, bone grafts (twice) trying unsuccessfully to get a good substrate for dental implant, crown prep for three-tooth bridge with a not-so-awesome temporary, one gum graft, and a lot of healing time allotted in between procedures.  In addition these difficulties, last summer I left the dentist that has been caring for my teeth for 30+ years.  Her practice grew too large and impersonal, and I felt like a source of income instead of a patient.  It was time for me to move on.

Fast forward to October of last year:   Went to my periodontist for an evaluation and asked him for a recommendation for a new dentist.  Without hesitation he had a suggestion ... told me that he thought that it was a great match for my personality and that I would be happy there.  Turns out that I am happy ... very happy, as a matter of fact.

Dr. Dana Culda practices general dentistry, and specializes in prosthodontics and cosmetic dentistry.  She evaluated the condition of ALL of my teeth, and came up with an awesome plan.  In addition to finishing the bridge on the one side of my upper arch, she recommended that I crown the three teeth on the opposite side.  Her recommendation was based on the fact that those three teeth had decades-old composite fillings whose margins were failing, which led to decay in places that no amount of dental hygiene could prevent.  Doing all of this work at the same time would result in the best possible aesthetic outcome.  My husband and I talked it over, and we agreed to proceed with Dr. Culda's plan.

This is the model of what my teeth will look like when they're all finished.  Even though it's a lot of work, and expense, I'm really excited to get on with this.



Yesterday was the big day ... a VERY long appointment to prep my teeth for their new look!  Here is the bed-head, no make-up, unedited Before photo ... the first time I have showed this ... and the last look I had at that stained temporary bridge on the left and my natural teeth on the right.



This morning, my mouth is sore but fine.  Dr. Culda is a perfectionist, and she took incredible care to make sure that each tooth was prepared perfectly, that impressions were perfect, and that my temporary teeth are as perfect as possible.  Want to see?  (Scroll down and prepare yourself for another bed-head, no makeup selfie.)

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I love this more than I can adequately express in words ... even though my upper lip and nose are puffy and sore, it's an incredibly-huge improvement!!  

In three weeks, I have an appointment to try the final bridge and crowns.  I can't wait to finally be finished with this ... especially because having beautiful teeth again is going to be the amazing outcome!

20 comments:

  1. Wow, what a difference. Hopefully this is the end of your teeth troubles.

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    1. This is definitely the end of the troubles for these teeth! I had no idea that this odyssey started five years ago till I searched for the blog post about it. Truth be told, I'm thankful that it dragged out so long, because I wouldn't have the incredible result that I anticipate from this awesome new dentist of mine.

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  2. OH my what a huge and beautiful change! You must be so happy! And how nice to have teeth that will be stable and healthy for years. BIG congratulations!

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    1. Happy, happy, HAPPY!!! Good things come to those who wait, and I certainly waited a LONG time. I love this new dentist and I have no doubt that everything from here on out will be awesome.

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  3. Good for you, it looks beautiful. Or I should say, You look beautiful. I changed dentists a couple years ago because I also felt they were always trying to sell me something. I appreciate a smaller office where they only want to take care of my teeth.

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    1. Thank you!!

      Sounds like you and I went to the same former dentist, 3000 miles apart. I appreciate the fact that she was successful and could expand the way she did, but it happened at the expense of the personal service that I used to love. I hung on longer than I should have ... and I doubt that they even miss me.

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  4. Girl!!! That is a million dollar smile if I ever saw one! Congratulations to you! Beautiful work!!

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    1. Not exactly a million dollars, but it felt that way when I handed over my credit card. :)

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  5. How exciting...even the temporaries look great! So happy for you! You'll be smiling all the time!

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    1. Dr. Culda took so much care to make sure that my temporaries were as perfect as could be, even though I'm probably only going to have them for three weeks. I say "probably" because she has reserved the right to reject the permanent bridge and crowns and send them back to the lab if she tries them and doesn't like how they look or fit. That's MY kind of perfectionist!

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  6. OMG. You poor woman! that must have HURT!!!
    I'm scared to death to go to the dentist.
    I don't trust most of them.
    I had one who wanted to do a root canal when he thought I had dental insurance but changed his tune as soon as he found I didn't!
    I changed dentists and had problems with her too!
    But I'm super happy for you to see the great results you got and the fact that you found a wonderful dentist!
    I love a perfectionist!
    :D :D :D

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  7. Good for you for going ahead and having it all done at one time. There is nothing better than having teeth that you don't mind showing when you smile! We have a wonderful dentist that makes you feel like he has all the time in the world for you--what a difference from the one we went to before.
    You will be so happy once you have healed completely and your mouth is no longer sore. Blessings- xo Diana

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  8. Bless your heart, what you have been through I'm so sorry. Brave beyond words and yes a beautiful change ♥

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  9. What a difference! Wonderful. I have decided that a good dentist is priceless. I also have some old fillings that are deteriorating and I need crowns on them. I love my dentist. He takes his time with all his patients and I never feel like a $ to him! You look amazing!

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  10. OMG, what a difference! I bet you're excited to get your new teeth!! They look amazing. I have a mouthful of gold crowns that were so expensive I hope they last until they die, because I can't afford to get them redone. Our dentist in the city felt the same as you - just a money grab. I let them go for the two years when we moved out here, but now I've found another dental office in a small town that seems a lot more personal, and they actually try to save me money - bonus! lol

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  11. You look fantastic! I bet you are sore but it was worth it. I have a few more fillings to get replaced and I think a root canal on the horizon, ah well at least we can get them all fixed. Thank you for the comment on my blog about the March.

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  12. A beautiful new smile and it makes all the difference in one's outlook on life. It's wonderful to find medical folks one can trust...rare as well.

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  13. Congratulations! I hate the dentist but I do go faithfully. I just had my first surgery and bone added for an implant. I hope there's enough bone in three months, I didn't know that might be an issue.

    You look fantastic.

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  14. I am so thankful I live in an era of good dental practice. Cannot imagine the horrors of dentistry in the Wild West! I have veneers on my 4 front teeth and when one broke my dentist actually sent me to the lab where the new one was made so the technician could paint a color match to my other 3 veneers. A good dentist is priceless and costs a boatload of money. Your smile is beautiful.

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