As a nurse at Longborough Dental Practice I have had experience of Dental Implants but now I have a new perspective; experience as a patient!
On the day of my treatment everyone wore a gown, as they do in an operating theatre, and even I had to have a sterile drape over me and wear a funny hat and glasses. I had seen implants placed before and knew the procedure well, but it’s a bit different when it's you in the hot seat. I have to admit it did make me feel a little nervous!
I was made very numb so it didn’t hurt as much as I feared it might even though the surgery required took some time. Because my tooth had been so badly damaged it broke into pieces as the root was being removed and came out in fragments. This was the hardest and longest part of the procedure, for the implantologist. I, on the other hand, was quite happy lying under my 'comfort blanket' chatting away to him while he was struggling with my tooth. I chatted the whole way through, (when I had a chance to) as I wanted to know everything about the operation!
It was a pleasant surprise that what followed was the most gentle and quietest drilling I’ve ever seen or heard in the dental chair. I could have fallen asleep, if I had not been so intrigued by what was going on. Quite soon after this, the implant was screwed into place. After the tooth had been removed it had been discovered that I had some bone deficiency, so at this point I had a bone graft (using some of my own bone fragments taken from the drill). Very interesting!
The implant itself is a titanium rod that, once drilled into the bone, effectively acts as a new root and has a prosthetic tooth attached to it (see the diagram above). I'd had impressions taken a few weeks earlier and these had been sent off to a lab. A temporary crown had been made and this was ready to go straight on to the implant. I was almost done!
More about my treatment to follow.
Lisa
Qualified Dental Nurse, Longborough
Implants are not suitable for everyone. You will need to have healthy gums and be in good general health. You also need enough jawbone to take the posts and support the replacement teeth (complications arise where there is bone deficiency). Treatment involves undergoing surgery twice or more over a period of several months. Patients must also be prepared to maintain very good oral hygiene and visit their dentist regularly. Ask for a consultation with Dr Wadia.
No comments:
Post a Comment