Hey Folks, Just to add here. In a different life time, I worked as a finance coordinator for a Dental Implant firm. Really crap job. (That was just prior to what I call "Homeless period #1, probably drove me to it). I also have periodontitus and have one tooth just up and taken a walk already.
Cutting to the chase, Dentures and bridges are only temporary solutions. This is because after some years you start to have "jaw bone erosion". With Perio patients it is the reason the teeth fall out in the first place the gums recede and then the jaw bone starts to erode. Eventually the entire jaw bone will start to waste away. I've seen some pretty gruesome x rays.
The solution of course is implant surgery. Which is F-all expensive. But in essence they put titanium pegs in where your teeth used to be and then snap a tooth into place. It allows for the jaw to re-grow around the titanium peg. It is better to do it sooner than later unfortunately. As later then they have cut a groove in the jaw to place metal plates in order to have proper anchors for the pegs. Yes it erodes that much.
I hate talking about this. I hate dentists. I have severe panic attacks in the chair. I hate the pain. I think it's the worst kind. There is a Navy dentist I'd like to meet in a dark alley because of his definition of pain during tooth extraction. Basically one shot of Novocaine and a hammer and chisel. Called me a "pussy". OK sorry for the ramble. But that's the facts as I know them. But if anyone has new and less painful info.....PLEASE!!! up with it.
Wagon
