When I first blogged about my dental implants, I did so largely to let my family and friends know what was going on, as they all knew I was doing multiple trips to the dentist; but I labeled it More Than You Ever Wanted To Know as I did not figure it would be that popular a post for many. Little did I expect that it would draw me quite a few visitors that arrived through search engines, as people looked for information on either dental implants or dental flippers. I’m therefore going to try and update what is happening with my mouth so that people that may be researching can find more details.
Last week we traveled into Vancouver in order that I could visit the dental lab to have my teeth colour matched. In the past when I have had flippers made, including the one I am wearing now, the dentists have done the colour matching in their offices using a set of individual denture teeth that are each one shade darker than the next. Implants are a much more permanent and long lasting option, with the crowns that will be screwed onto the implants lasting approximately 20 years before they must be replaced. Dr. Ajar had informed me that I would need to go into the lab in Vancouver in order that they could colour match me under various lights, as the colour will look different under florescent light, incandescent light, outdoor light, bright sunlight, etc.
I was to have visited the lab several weeks ago, and should have had the crowns installed two days ago. When I did not hear from the lab to schedule the colour match appointment, I had the dental office inquire, and it was revealed that there were delays as a part needed for my crowns had to be ordered from Sweden. There was therefore no rush for the colour matching, and in fact they still did not have the part when I did go in last week.
The technician that examined my teeth did not use various lights as I had been led to believe, but rather had a ring light that appeared to be a full spectrum light. She also had two molds of my upper mouth. One which had pegs sticking out from the location of each implant, each one matching pegs that had been screwed to my implants during the molding. The other mold had the pegs and even the gum removed, and the gums had then been rebuilt using a pink waxy material. She did examine my mouth more, as she said the gums will have retreated a bit more as they further healed.
I have worked hard on getting my teeth cleaner and whiter than they have been in years, and it showed when the technician could not match my teeth from the initial set of shades, and instead had to pull out a small set of extremely white samples. She let me know that she was not matching the surface stains nor the enamel, but rather the dentin underneath. She then took out a piece of paper, drew several large teeth, and shaded with pencil different portions of each tooth to match my teeth, marking each shaded portion with the number of the corresponding colour she had matched. The end result will obviously be quite different from what I am used to; on all my flippers each tooth is one solid colour.
The visit ended with me using my fingers to pry my mouth open as wide as possible in all directions, showing both as much gum and as much teeth as possible; while the tech held the shades she had chosen next to my teeth while she took pictures.
The next step is a second appointment at the lab this coming Tuesday. They told me that the crowns will already be finished at that point, and this is to ensure they match. On the slip they gave me, the upcoming appointment is referred to as a “stain appointment”. I’ll provide an update on that visit.
