Two weeks later - I'm healing well

So it has been just over two weeks now since surgery, and I have has a check up. All is healing well , and  a stitch has been removed . The gums are healing well, with my one little sore spot finally making its own little fightback and starting to be less sensitive and heal up slowly, Much to my relief, drinking and occasionally eating is pretty much without discomfort now. 

I say about eating, I have eggs and fish most evenings as a meal, just to put something solid but with plenty of protein in my stomach, with the exception of the other night where I had a small cottage pie. OMG, taste and sensation overload or what! As delicious as it was, I am keen to avoid such foods for now for a couple of reasons. First being the discomfort of getting food caught in the little gaps, and the still healing gums. It is quite an uncomfortable feeling to try and get the food particles  back out again, so easier to avoid for a bit longer.  

The second reason being, I am enjoying the weight loss, and this was always part of the plan. I am not feeling ill or weak, and am still getting 1000-1500 calories a day, whilst making sure I get some moderate exercise in where possible, mainly walking or some indoor bike training.  But mainly the primary reason is to keep things clean and easier to maintain for me.

Speaking of maintainance I am brushing now, even the gums, which feels like such a strange sensation. For starters having back teeth is weird, so much more work to do with all these teeth, but I have a second chance here and I am not gonna blow it. This has been a long time in the making and I really want the best outcome possible. Also I can use my water flosser too now. I have never had one before, so this evening will be my first time using one, and I reckon things are gonna get messy.

So there, teeth, all going well. I am back in the chair in two weeks time for the teeth to come out for a scan, and maybe a little gum sculpting too, sounds very exciting doesn't it haha. The scan iis to check all is well, and to plan for the next set of temporary teeth which should hopefully come in a couple of weeks time. I am looking forward to the differences with those, and it is hoped that it might help correct the slight lisp I have developed due to the bulk of the first set of temp teeth. The next ones apparently should be a little more streamlined.

I mentioned weightloss, so a quick update. So far in the past two and a bit weeks, I have shifted somewhere in the region of 18lbs, which I am definitely starting to feel now, The routine of mainly liquids is fine with me, with very little in the way of urges to scoff a load of food down. That said, the thought process is still there and I occasionally see pizza or pastries and imagine what it would feel like to down a few slices. But that is all about self control and willpower. Not to mention changing my relationship with food for the better. Anything is OK in moderation, especially when things are under control, but for not I will stay on the easy path, and reap the rewards of weightloss. 

Definitely no regrets about going through the process with the teeth, and each time I think about it, it feels like better and better value for money. The support has been incredible, both from the dental practise and close friends, so I am sincerely grateful to everyone for their help, and non judgement on this.

Post dental surgery check-in.

So, where do I start? It has been a long week, but a productive one.

I think I covered most of the details in my last entry, but will quickly run through it all again now for those who didn't read that far into the last entry.

On Tuesday 14th Jan I went in for dental surgery in Forest Hill. It lasted approx 10-11 hours, during which time I had 19 teeth removed, 13 implants placed, bone and gum grafts, and quite a few stitches. At the end of which two temporary dental bridges were placed on the top and bottom jaws, giving me teeth again.  I know that sounds a very strange thing to read, trust me, it feels even stranger writing it or actually living it.

First off, the questions. How many of my own teeth do I have left. Answer 0. 

Was I knocked out or sedated for the procedure? No, it was all done under local anaesthetic.

Was it scary / painful. Nope. I was incredibly well looked after throughout. From informing me of what would happen, to what was happening each moment.  Constant checks on my comfort, able to pause whenever I felt the need. Distracted most of the time watching beautiful videos on the TV on the ceiling over my head.

I have been asked lots of questions about the whole deal, but the most important one to answer is WHY? And the answer is simple, oral health. I have gone over ths before but just wanted to reiterate, this is not about vanity or looks. The goal here was to have a healthy future proof mouth, and if that came with shiny new teeth and a good smile, so be it. 

Anyway, onto the here and now.

It has been about five days now, so I thought I would note down what is happening with me, how things are going and how I feel. 

First notable thing is the temporary teeth are 3D printed. It is notable as they are slightly thicker than the final fits will be, so there is a slight sensation of having a full mouth. Of course I have to add that I was missing a lot of rear teeth before, so the feeling of having a mouth full of teeth again is weird on its own. But the thickness is every so slightly noticeable to me. Far from terrible though, so don't think of that as a negative point. 

Then of course there are the gums. They have been through a lot and are a little delicate, but again, we are not talking any great levels of discomfort. Tender in places, aware there are some stitches in them, but again, far from what some would expect to be feeling after having that many teeth removed. Like any oral stitch, they are a bit irritating as it feels like you have a persistent hair in your mouth, so your tongue constantly tries to move it. Which causes a bit of soreness. 

The soreness from constantly prodding and pushing my gums with my tongue is actually the largest source of discomfort for me, and that is all self inflicted, as I know full well that this is what happens, but can't help myself lol. The other sensation is slight pressure in my jaw. Obviously having recently had lots of metal work screwed into the jaw bones this is hardly a surprise, but something I am aware of.  Worth noting here that the sensations I am talking about are nothing a couple of Ibuprofen a day can't take care of. 

I am really looking forward to the subsidence of all the sensations, and the gums being fully healed, however I am coping just fine. There has been minimal swelling and no bruising since day 1, so that was a very pleasant surprise for me, as I was genuinely expecting lots more discomfort on all fronts. 

My palete is a bit delicate at the moment. If you have ever burnt your mouth with food, you will know the sensation, tender and soft, but soon heals up. That is the process I am in the middle of now.

The other thing to address here is food. With that much going on in your mouth, how do you eat? Well, put simply, right now I don't. I have been on shakes and soup since Tuesday morning now. Making sure I have plenty of protein, lots of fluids, and rinse as much as I can to keep things clean. In that time I have lost over half a stone in weight, and have to say I am happy to be achieving some good from the recovery process. I aim to keep on the reduced calories for as long as I can. I have done this before, with good results. Only difference being is that last time I was not recovering from surgery.

This time around due to the healing, I am unable to keep myself active and busy in the ways I have before, which for my mind is quite testing. Whenever I am faced with a challenge, being active and getting out of my own head always helps. Because it is cold out, and I am a bit low on energy, and maybe a little low mood too (its grey out there!), I am struggling a bit to distract myself as much as I would like to. But I am gonna try my hardest over the coming week. 

At the end of next week I go back to work. Which I must say weighed heavy on me for a bit over the past few days. Worried about my speech, and any discomfort I would feel being on the phone all day, I had a few moments where I wondered if I would be able to so soon. But truth be told, I have been speaking "quite well" since the day after surgery, and in general it is improving more and more each day. So in five days time I should be in a much better place, and will address it with work before my return if the need arises. 

Right, as you might be able to tell from the stuttered format of this entry, I need some rest, so am gonna go get some. I have consumed a massive 974 calories today, so am ready to recharge. Hopefully in the coming days I can start being a bit more active again, and feel a bit more like myself, but til then, goodnight, and thanks for reading. 

I will leave you will a big, over exagurrated smile lol

Dental surgery TOMORROW!!

Toofsday is almost upon us, and this time tomorrow, I will be over half way through the surgery, exciting eh!

I did promise to go into more detail about it all so here goes. First some background again.

As a kid I had prep work for braces done, dentist visits were quite a regular thing, routine checkups etc. After having 4 back teeth removed in preparation for braces, it all came to an abrupt stop. I don't recall being against having the braces done, no more than any normal kid that age anyway, but for one reason or another they never happened. And instead I slowly developed very cramped and crooked teeth, with a nice big buck tooth at the front.

As life progressed and I got into adulthood, interest in dental care took a back seat, dental hygiene and wellbeing took a nose dive, resulting in decay, extractions, poor gum health, teeth getting wonkier and so on. I made a bit of an effort about 10 years ago to try and sort things out, but was already very much resigned to the fact that I would never have a toothy smile, never have any confidence in smiling, and would always be self aware when my mouth was open. Not a great feeling, but at the end of the day life went on. 

After many years of not putting myself first, the change of job, change of lifestyle and change of pace has helped me rethink things. Finding myself in a position to do something about my oral health, I decided to take a look at the extremes of making things right. Knowing I have loose teeth, wonky teeth, missing teeth etc, I did a deep dive into what is possible, and what the best outcomes were, and decided on the most extreme. REMOVAL!

Now this decision has not come lightly, and I have consulted at length about the pros and cons of all options. Eventually deciding that the most effective way to do it was to have removals, implants and bridges, to give my jaw and gums the best possible chances for the future. You see this is more about oral health than vanity, but I am not going to say vanity doesn't matter, because when you are spending big money, you want the best you can get. And after looking at practises out there, I really do feel I have chosen the best possible option out there, both treatment and dentist (prosthodontist in this case).

We discussed many options from treatment and straightening, to simple dentures. Single implants, to what I settled on which is All-On-6. The latter feeling like the best solution for a natural looking outcome, which also allowed the best potential for my gum recovery and health. I have visited a number of times now to have examinations, x-rays, CT scan, 3D scan, design consultations, oral hygiene work etc. 

To put things in perspective before I move on, and answer the common question of "are you getting them done in Turkey?" NO!

Even before a single thing has happened, I already realise and appreciate why getting them done in the UK is better. I am fortunate enough to have a expert on my doorstep in Forest Hill, that is a massive bonus already. However, when you see the promises from the online ads for "teeth in a day" in Turkey, you need to ready between the lines, or the gaps in the teeth if you may.

First up, all these appointments and checks I have had prior to surgery... If I was doing all the prep work via email and Teams before a trip to Turkey, how would the examinations take place? A separate trip there and back each time. Even a single trip to do all the scans would be long winded. 

Then the planning and design stage. Again, no face to face discussions, just online chats, images shared, without much opportunity to think of and ask questions. Just rushed and informal.

Then there is the pricing. What I have noticed with the ads is the small print. Prices promising the work to be done at half the cost of the UK. But when you read closer, that is for the work on the day, no appointments before, no consultations, no treatments or examinations. It also doesn't include the price of flights and accomodation, or any additional work needed such as bone grafting. That alone when you look at the additional costs can ramp the price up massively. 

Then there is the next concern, aftercare.

If you have an issue, you have a 4 hour flight back to Turkey. OK you could do a round trip in a day, but how much do last minute flights cost, would you be fit to fly, could they even fit you in? Even without an issue, how are your post op checks done? The plan for me is to have a number of follow up appointments to check how things are healing, how the teeth and implants are settling, addressing any issues. Identifying if there are any little infections that need medication and so on. Again, how is this done from 2,500 miles away?

Next up, there is the teeth themselves. The plan we are going with is to have a couple of sets of temp teeth, to let things heal, make any adjustments necessary, make sure all is well, before the final fitment of teeth. Shape, contour, colour (vampire fangs!! Lol) It is all up for discussion and consideration during the coming weeks and months, as well as on the run up to tomorrow. How does this work when you have to fly to another country? Again from reading the adverts it suggests you will get your final teeth on the day, job done. Just all seems so rushed and uncertain for the sake of POSSIBLY saving some money.

Obviously this is just my take on things, and I am lucky enough to be able to afford to take the plunge and get the work done in the UK.

However if I was not able to afford it in the UK, I am not sure I would want to do it abroad, knowing the differences in approaches taken, and the accelerated timescale of things just to save a few grand. 

So, the details. I currently have 11 top teeth and 8 bottom teeth. I can only bite on one side of my mouth due to lack of back teeth. My teeth are so wonky that my mouth closes further than it naturally would, so my face appears shorter with my mouth closed. My teeth don't simply meet in the middle, the overlap and cross over like meshing your fingers together. As you can see from my last post, the gaps are all over the place. So the goal is to address a number of things.

Firstly, a straight bite, and teeth meeting naturally and evenly. Allowing me not only a big beaming smile, but also a healthier bite, and opening my jaw back up a little when my mouth is closed. 

Next up is the width. At the moment my teeth angle inwards, so instead of holding my cheeks out, and giving me a wide jaw so to speak, everything leans in, leaving my cheeks to collapse in, and narrowing my mouth. So currently I have a short narrow mouth / bite. Forgive me at this stage for my absolute lack of knowledge of the correct terms here, I only hope it makes a little bit of sense. 

The process is brutal, extreme, and not to everyones taste I am sure, but before I go on, please understand that my oral health is poor, and will only continue to worsten without some serious intervention. This is MY choice and NOT simply following the recommendations of a dentist. 

The 19 teeth I mentioned, a few are really loose, a few more quite loose, and eating has become uncomfortable. So they are ALL coming out! Yup, you heard me, tomorrow I am having 19 teeth taken out!

In their place 12 implants will be placed, 6 top and 6 bottom. The gums will be manipulated a little bit to form a workable gum line, then bridges (uncertain of how many yet) will be placed on the top and bottom jaws, with complete sets of teeth. These will be the first set, used to heal around, and form a foundation for the future. The design, colour, and shapes of the teeth have been custom done to best fit my mouth in order to achieve the best possible fit, feel and of course look.

The whole day is booked out for this procedure, and I am sure it is going to be as uncomfortable as it sounds, but I have faith that I am ready for this huge next step.

Once it is all done, the recommendation is no solid food for a week or two, then slowly introducing the softest of foods over the coming weeks and so on. Needless to say there is some weight loss on the horizon, which is much needed, so I get the bonus of losing some weight, so something to smile about with my new smile in due course. This is going to be a great opportunity for me to reset my relationship with food, and quite frankly I am really excited about that too.

The biggest curiousity for me right now is what it is going to feel like having teeth at the back of my mouth again, feeling them meeting together from front to back is bound to feel strange for a while, but I can't wait. 

After tomorrow, there are a number of follow up appointments to check healing, adjust and fit another set of temporary teeth to make sure things are going the way it has been planned, and then finally when all is well, I get my final smile fitment. High gloss, bright white, with vampire fangs, and glow under UV... How about that!!! 

Haha, just kidding, I think the prosthodontist would kill me if I asked for that.

So watch this space, and lets see what happens over the next day, then coming months.

I will leave you with a range of pics of my current fat face, poor grimace, and failing teeth. 

Thanks for reading, til next time. 

Smile!

Ironic title, given how infrequently I actually smile, but that might all be about to change. I have one more shift at work to complete before I take a couple of weeks off for dental surgery. I was in there earlier this week for one last good clean, and spoke to the staff about how I was 80% excited, 20% anxious. Maybe that's nearer 90/10 actually.

In my earlier blog I covered off the basics of what is being done, I will be going into more detail in time, but for now just wanted to mark the countdown to the big day, and the fact that between now there is no more work for me, woohoo! 

This is what we are starting with. It's a bit of a mess and sight not seen by many for a long long time. Now as I have said before this is not an aesthetics thing, well not primarily anyway, but more a health thing first. 

I am hoping to get some more pictures from the dentist, and hopefully some more during too (maybe). But as you can see, they have their work cutout for them, however I have complete faith in them, and can't wait to see the end results. But that is a while away yet. 

That said, the initial day should see quite the change. The appointment is booked for 570 mins, which I am sure anyone who doesn't enjoy the dentist will appreciate is quite a while. 

 Anyway, I just thought I would share that image, to show others what is happening.

Anyway, that's me for now.