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!