Dental Implants, Phase Two

Well, that next step has come already! I'm one step closer to getting new teeth.

And on just a side note, how about a little cruel irony?
 

Now granted it's my two front BOTTOM teeth.

(Side note: And I hope you aren't feeling bad for me. I think it's funny. And hopefully you do, too. There's no problem with laughing at yourself every once in a while!)

Just about two weeks ago was step two. I don't know if any of you ever saw inside my mouth, but if you did, you would've seen that the skin put in where I have no teeth was pretty big. When I would bite down, the skin would touch the bottom of my teeth.

Step one was putting the posts in and cutting down the tissue a little bit.

Step two? Cutting down the tissue a little more. It was an interesting procedure for a few reasons:

• I was wide awake during the whole thing
• I was aware during the whole thing
• Luckily, I was numbed
• Because my chin has been replaced, the nerve endings are all out of whack. The way Dr Egbert explained it: "Normally, we put in the numbing on one end and the other, and it's good in between; but with your nerves in your chin, we had to numb it a couple of times.

I'm basically just a medical basket case, right? But that's okay. If my situation, however rare, is seen again in someone else, hopefully the way I've been treated can be an aid to them.

If my experiences help just one person, whether emotionally, physically, medically or spiritually; whether it's a procedure the doctor has done, something I have said, or the interactions I've had with someone, then it's made the past four years all worth it.

Keep running!