Quick Thought

Today I was driving and looked up at my teeth in the rear view mirror. They are the temporary ones, but a likeness of the real deal. I thought of all the people in this world who would love to have a competent professional like Dr. Williams do their teeth and it made me feel so humbled to have this amazing privilege. I am really looking forward to the 18th when he puts in the permanent teeth. Knowing his work, I know they will be wonderful.

Last Thursday a week ago, Dr. Wiliams took his day off and spent it doing my extreme dental work. Yes, I was in the chair for 6 and a half hours. I wondered after wards if my mouth would permanently be the size of Julia Roberts! :) But It was worth the temporary discomfort and I will add that Dr. Williams does the best job of injections ever--hardly feel them. And he spent 6 and a half hours non-stop giving me the best of care and dental work that would have been hard for me to ever manage financially. What a blessing! He removed old crowns and prepped me for 3 bridges and did other dental work. So now I have a mouth full of temporary teeth and I'm looking forward to the 18th when the beautiful permanent teeth will be fitted. Hello other dental and medical providers--here is a doctor who gives back in big ways. Not a day goes by that I don't think how blessed I am to have the absolute best dental care possible. Five stars for Suwanee Dental Care!!

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.

Ready For The New Smile Test Drive

I see our Deserving Divas coming into the office on a regular basis now as Dr. Smith and Dr. Golik work on their special areas with each Diva. The progress of each is amazing and it was so good to get a great big hug today from Shefjie! She is looking soooooo, Good!

Soon, when we get back from our mission trip to Kenya in June, it will be time for our next Deserving Diva, Nancy Reaves, to see just what her new smile will look like. She has been diligently wearing a TMJ mouthpiece, called a Neuromuscular MORA (mandibular orthopedic repositioning appliance) for the past six months to "prove" that the new bite position which we diagnosed in the beginning will actually be comfortable to her and allow her jaw muscles to function at optimum health and wellness.

We will have a laboratory "mockup" of her new smile at the new bite position. Remember, she had a very collapsed bite, a deep bite that gave her a "grandma" look, a look as if she had no teeth at all. Her wrinkles in her face when she closed her teeth together made her appear a much older lady than she actually was. Now that she has been wearing her TMJ appliance, she not only feels better but she looks better. Not only are her headaches gone....so are her "age wrinkles"!

Yes, Nancy is in for a big day, a test drive of her new smile. Stay tuned for some reports on just how well she likes what she sees.