Top 10 Things You Never Want to Hear the Periodontist Say

1. Hmmmm....let's figure out what to do.
2. I've never had to take out one of these that I put in.
3. I thought this would be much easier to do.
4. I think we need to leave the implant in.
5. I at least got the implant to move a bit.
6. I am going to call Dr. Mazur.
7. Oh, did that hurt?
8. This is going to take a while to heal.
9. Hmmmm...that's interesting.
10. If anyone ever had any doubt that bone integrates to the implant, here's proof.

Ok- so I had my appointment to have the implant removed yesterday. The suggested procedure was that they would go in, screw it out, fill it with bone graft, and stitch me up and send me on my merry little way. It sounded good to me...

So, I get in there... they get me numb (that's always fun). While I am waiting to be numb, Dr. Gomes says that he has never had to take an implant out before, or at least one that he has put in while he's been here. Says he has taken ones out before, but they were not well done. That's a great way to start the day. So anyway, he starts trying to unscrew the implant out, and it's not going anywhere. All I feel is intense pulling on my jawbone, all the way from my ear. So he stops for a bit, tries something else for a while and its still not coming out.

He tells me that he was at least able to get the implant to move a bit, so maybe the best thing is to leave it in, and pack some bone around it and then have Dr. Mazur use the angle abutment. He's afraid to do the other option for taking it out because that means drilling out the bone around the implant and then losing bone where there isn't much anyway. So, he says he's going to go call Dr. Mazur and see what he thinks. Now by this time, I am in pain from all the pulling, prodding, retracting, etc of course. Yeah, I'm numb, but nothing really numbs bone I don't think. And while I am waiting for him to come back from talking to Mazur, the song "Let It Be" comes on over the radio... and at that point, I am thinking that's pretty good advice! So, Gomes comes back in and says that Mazur wants him to take it out. So we will try to take it out. yay.

So at that point, he renumbs me and starts drilling around the implant but decides he's not going to go all the way up so he can try to save some bone. So after he drilled out enough to get a better grasp on the implant, he decided he was going to just try to loosen it up by wiggling it back and forth and right and left. And it actually works! It loosened up enough he could get it to screw out and then the implant was out. YAY. It's always interesting when your dentist is amazed by what he is seeing... there were still pieces of bone on the implant when he got it out and he was impressed by how the bone actually integrates with the implant. Fun times I tell you. But it was kind of cool to see. So the good news is that my body seems to integrate that cadaver bone pretty well! YAY!

So he packed me full of more bone grafting and stitched me up and sent me on my way. And then the fun began.

I did not have a good afternoon... it was worse than the first round when comparing initial pain. I think all the pounding, drilling, etc with the bone is a bit more traumatic to your body than just removing a tooth like they did the last time. Last time, they didn't mess with the initial structure much so it was not too bad. I think if you have ever had a broken bone, that's probably comparable to the pain from yesterday. But I am much better today. Still swollen a bit, and still tender, but not really in pain. A bit tired again today...but I took today off too, so I think I'll be good. I have been flipper free for 2 days- decided that was not a good idea to put it in after the surgery yesterday. I'll go back in a couple weeks for stitch removal (right before my sister's wedding! I thought she'd appreciate that. No stitches hanging out of my mouth for the wedding pics. :-) ) It will probably be a couple months before we go put the implant back in- got to give the bone enough time to heal. And at that time, Gomes will probably be in Indy... so we will have to wait and see how that plays out! Hopefully he will come back up here to do it for me!

I should know more in a couple weeks... try to pin him down to some dates when he takes the stitches out. I'll keep you posted...