I spent all afternoon on 1/18/2024 at Nova Southeastern University’s Dental School in Clearwater, Florida. Such wonderful people. I saw L, Vito (Brazil), Sushma (India), Godlive (Haiti), Linda (India), and Dr. Chirag Panchal (India). I saw at least another half dozen dentists including the head of the International Dental Program.
If I could jump, I would have jumped out of the dental chair when the head honcho told Vito that what I need are two more Implants on the bottom. He had twice previously said no to that because the government grant wouldn’t cover it. I havew the two outer Implants, with six holed between them
But today, with all my International friends huddled around, he presented a plan. HOORAY!!!!!!
Vito presented my Treatment Plan to me, and I approved it. They began with Dr. Chirag Panchal from India extracting the tooth where the crown broke off a month or so ago. It was painless. Not easy or without a lot of pressure, but painless.
I’m on a liquid diet for 48 hours. Biting on gauze pads. Got quite a headache.
My gum seems to be healing perfectly from the surgery on Thursday. I get off the liquid diet today and get to have some soft food.
On Thursday 1/18/2024, Vito and the supervising dentists gave me a Treatment Plan orally, but it wasn’t presented chronologically. They explained by tooth.
APPOINTMENT 5 — I anticipate that the next visit (Monday the 29th) will have them removing some (ultimately all) of my existing crowns on upper teeth to see underneath to determine if those teeth can be repaired. If they can be repaired, they will do so, and I will get new crowns. If they can’t, they go on an extraction list.
APPOINTMENT 6 –I believe they will then do additional repairs and place new crowns. They will identify holes that will need Implants.
APPOINTMENT 7 –Next up will be surgery to remove all the teeth that failed the crown removal inspection. There will likely be several. I think they will put me to sleep and remove all of those at one time. I’ll then need two weeks for healing.
APPOINTMENT 8 — I anticipate the next appointment will be an initial appointment with a senior Dentist who does Implants. Once he or she gets the lay of the land, I will be scheduled for the Implant Surgery.
APPOINTMENT 9 –The next appointment will be the Implant Surgery. This recovery took a while from when I had my first two Implants done five years ago.
APPOINTMENT 10 –Once healed, I go back to have the Abutment and Artifical Replacement Tooth placed.
APPOINTMENT 11 –Vito and Sushma will then do impressions and order the Dentures.
APPOINTMENT 12 –After the Dentures are manufactured, they are placed and adjusted.
APPOINTMENT 13 –If I am unable to remove them (as I have no use of my left hand), a permanent All-on-4 Denture will be manufactured for the bottom and placed.
APPOINTMENT 14 –Then they’ll have to revisit what to do on the top. This will involve multiple dentists (not students) and the head of the Dental School.
APPOINTMENT ?? AND ?????? — I have no idea what will come next. Because of the inability to use my left hand, I am not at all opposed to having all remaining upper teeth / crowns extracted and four Implant Posts placed during the Extraction process.
I estimate APPOINTMENTS 5 to 14 will take until August 2024.
What was quoted at $56,000 will cost nothing but a lot of gas.