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.
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