The Next Step in this Journey

Tonight I am both nervous and excited to be near the end of this journey to have my dental work completed. I have been wearing a TMJ dental mouthpiece for almost 6 months to ready my jaws for the approaching work. My teeth were so worn down that this was necessary to prepare me for the extensive work Dr. Williams will be doing. It is wonderful to think my bite will be better and my teeth built up to a level that both improves function and looks. The work tomorrow will take at least 6 hours so I am psyched up and ready to have this next step done. And to think they are using a day off to come in to do this work for me! I am so blessed and grateful.

It's finally all coming together!

I can't believe it has been  seven months already!  Where does the time go.  I have spent most of that seven months with some extensive dental surgery.  Dr. Golik has been taking care of some bone loss (bone grafts) implants and crowns., All for the foundation of strong teeth, replacement teeth and gums. So it seemed I was having surgery every two weeks.  But it has been worth it!.  Dr. Golik and the team at Suwannee Dental have been amazing.  Every visit, every surgery, every pain they have walked with me.  Their care and support has been amazing.

But, when people ask how it is going and can we see a difference yet?  I haven't been really able to let them see how amazing the end result is going to be. Dr. Golik has been doing so much of the ground work that is necessary before we can get to the fun stuff.  Finally last week I went in for all my impressions for the reveal and next week I will at least get to see a good start of new, beautiful, brilliant teeth. All of it will not be in yet but the crowns will be and that will start the process. 

My biggest issue was all my broken teeth that had infection.  Now, my teeth feel so strong.  All I wanted was to be able to chew and not hurt and I have been so blessed that I have already achieved that goal.  The over the top blessing is I will be able to have these beautiful new teeth, strong gums and a brilliant smile to go with it! The "cherry" on top of the ice cream I can now eat is that I have this wonderful team at the dentist that even when I know it is NOT going to be a fun visit, they walk me through it every step of the way.  How amazing is all this?  For me, a blessing beyond anything I could have imagined.

Next Week

Next week on Thursday, Dr. Williams will give up his day off to spend a good part of the day removing my old crowns and prepping my teeth for major dental reconstruction. For years I have been self-conscious of the way I look when I close my teeth. It looks like my face collapses and I look years older. I have tried to remember not to put my teeth together as you would in a relaxed position. It has been frustrating. And then there was the feeling that it would always be that way. My husband is a minister and we don't have dental insurance or the funds for extensive dental work. Dr. Williams generous offer to fix my teeth is a wonderful blessing. And the added bonus is that my persistent headaches should end. That will be so wonderful! So I look forward to next Thursday. After months of preparing for this moment, the time is almost here. And what I feel more than anything is gratitude. And not only to Dr. Williams, but his entire staff who have been so kind and supportive and helpful. Thank you. Thank you!!

Anticipation!

Almost every day I think of the approaching finish of the dental work Dr. Williams and his great team are doing for me. Anticipation is always part of the joy of a gift, kind of like Christmas when you are a child! Wearing the mouth guard gives me an idea of how it will feel not to experience bad headaches and jaw pain on a regular basis. Building up my bite and adding bridges and other dental work is something I wanted, but didn't believe was even a possibility. In our work (my husband is a minister) we try to focus on others, so it is wonderful to be given extensive dental work that we couldn't afford. It is an incredible gift and I especially want others to know what a giving person Dr. Williams is to the community and what a competent professional he is in his work. It would be great if other professionals gave back as he does. He does mission work as well as this effort to provide dental work for individuals who couldn't otherwise have it done. So as the time approaches to complete my dental work, I am very excited and grateful.