Getting Screwed

Well yesterday was "phase 2" of my dental implant saga, and I certainly "got screwed".

Actually what they did was punch a little section of my gum out, drill a hole, drive a titanium screw into the hole, and cap the hole thing off. So yes, while my bones may turn to dust in a few hundred years, in my casket you will find one perfectly preserved titanium screw among the dust that remains of my body. Immortality of a sort I suppose.

The procedure itself went well. I think I was in and out in less than an hour. Afterward I had some pain in where the screw was placed, but it wasn't anything that some Advil couldn't help. Since I had so much bone to work with and since stitches were not required, I didn't need to be put on a post-procedure anti-biotic. I'm fine with that, as I've always felt that the less medication used, the better.

What's next? Well the bone tissue in my upper jaw needs to grow around the screw so that it is completely permanent. After that they will secure a porcelain molar over the screw and I will be done. That I think will come in a few months. Up immediately next is a check-up with the Periodontist on Friday the 23rd to make sure that all looks well.

This whole thing started with a crown that I had cracking, resulting in an infection in the root of the tooth. I had the option of getting bridge work done, but that would have ended up destroying three teeth and the bridge work would not be permanent. I wanted something that would be fixed more or less forever, which led me to the decision to get the dental implant. The worst part, so far, was the extraction of the cracked tooth root...I think the procedure took something like 45 minutes of the Periodontist digging around to get all the fragments and gobs of infected tissue out and placing the bone graft in my jaw.

Did I mention that my insurance covers none of this?

So there you have it, I really am screwed. I wonder if this will set off airport metal detectors? That would be pretty cool.