Good evening Minions. Recent events have awakened horrible memories and I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight unless I share them with you. Oh, the pain and the misery. Tonight I share the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced. Scarier than living in a haunted house. Scarier than sleeping in a haunted hotel. No, this experience trumps both in terms of sheer terror.
Tonight I tell you the story of the time…
…I had to undergo three surgeries for a dental implant.
(Ok, I know some of you might be put off by that build-up and delivery, but stick around. It truly is terrifying.)
The story begins when I was 10 years old. A routine visit to the dentist revealed that your beloved Scarydad had a unique genetic defect in that one of my baby teeth did not have an adult replacement. The teeth on either side of it grew in a V and this lonely lower central incisor floated in between.
The dentist told my mom there were not many options. The tooth below was missing, so to attempt braces would be to try to realign my entire bottom jaw. We could pull it out and I could have a nice gap there forever, or we could just leave it there and perhaps it would just stay, as it was lodged in there pretty well. We went with option 3.
When I was 28 or 29, having all but forgotten about my tiny but still present magic tooth, one of my victims gave a violent start as I attempted to feed. The shift impacted my teeth and knocked the little one loose.
After all these years, I was going to have to deal with this. And worse, it was right front and center of my mouth, so one way or another, it had to be replaced. And even worse, at that time I didn’t have dental insurance, so actually dealing with it was not a viable option. I set upon a time in which I had to be careful of every bite I took, lest I be left gap-toothed.
I lived like that for several years until I finally had everything in line to get it taken care of. Finally, I went in for x-rays and set an appointment and it was time. They set the IV and I squeezed a ball and a what seemed only a few seconds later I woke up in the recovery room with a mouth full of stitches. As soon as I was fully awake, they let me know that the implant was unsuccessful.
You see, most people who get implants get them for teeth that were already there. So there’s a hole in the jaw where the tooth used to be and they just sink the titanium into that hole. In my case, there had never been a tooth so they had to make one. As they were drilling, they came across a small space where the bone was soft; perhaps the reason why the tooth never grew in the first place. So, since the soft bone couldn’t support the implant, they scraped it out and filled the cavity with bone graft material so that it would harden and we could try again in the future.
I spent several days on heavy pain medication and liquid diet, with the ends of the stitches stuck between my teeth. We scheduled the second surgery for 6 months later.
They set the IV and I squeezed a ball and a what seemed only a few seconds later I woke up in the recovery room with a mouth full of stitches. As soon as I was fully awake, they let me know that the implant was unsuccessful. Again.
The bone graft hadn’t strengthened enough to support the implant. So this time, since I was under anyway, they cut further down under my lip and chipped a piece of bone from my chin which they then bolted onto the front of my jaw with little titanium screws.
I spent another several days on heavy pain medication and liquid diet, with the ends of the stitches stuck between my teeth. We scheduled the third surgery for 6 months later, then we let it go another 3 or 4 months before I sat in the chair again.
They set the IV and I squeezed a ball and a what seemed only a few seconds later I woke up in the recovery room with a mouth full of stitches. As soon as I was fully awake, they let me know that the implant was actually successful this time. After a period of recovery I got a little metal cap, then my crown.
All that for one measly little tooth.
I tell you this story tonight because toothiness is on my mind. In true Scarydad fashion, nothing is easy when it comes to my teeth. I had a slight toothache so I went in to see my dentist. He recommended I go ahead and get a crown, as this tooth has been repaired in the past but kept giving me trouble.
So, I sat in the chair as he numbed me with Novocaine and began the process. Almost immediately the pain was so intense I wanted to scream. He administered 4 or 5 more injections but nothing relieved the pain. I have an appointment for a root canal tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime, my tooth as well as multiple injection points are letting me know that sleep will not come easy tonight.
Thanks for sharing your story. I can relate, as i had all my teeth pulled or cut out 2 years ago. I was what he called partially sedated and was in and out during the surgery. Of course, the in moments were when teeth would shatter or they were pulling so violently it woke me. Since, my gums have closed, i picked and worked all the “debri” from my gums, and the holes closed nicely while i dousted Ora-Gel and hydro, milkshakes and apple sauce for weeks. However, i have developed a severe case of TMJ since i cant yet afford the dentures, and the VA will cover it. I still have to eat soft foods and miss my grilled meats badly. The dentist told me this should get better when i get some dentures to re-align my jaws. My private insurance will pay half, so pretty soon i will be going in to have the goo mixed up for at least a top plate.
I’ve had many root canals, and all of them ended with the tooth being pulled a few years later. The worst was as you mentioned, in the very front. I could feel those needles going into my nose cartilage. With so many problems, I finally decided to just have them all pulled and end the increased occurances of abcesses. I know i made the right decision, but it has been a hard row to hoe for years, and hopefully will be over soon. Thanks for the story, Scarydad!
Wow. That hurts to read. Hope you get your dentures soon so you can enjoy a good steak again!