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.

The process is long but so worth it!

Sunday, after church, we stopped in a restaraunt to get a bite to eat.  When my family and I sat down you will never believe who we saw?  Dr. WIlliams.  What a treat.  He has not had the chance to meet my family and they were so thrilled to meet him.  Olivia was just gushing how much she was so happy about my progress with all the dentistry work.  My family is really starting to see the changes, not just in my mouth but also my stress level has gone way down. What a blessing.

Lately I feel like my job is to hang out up at Suwanee Dental, LOL. I have been back and forth to see Dr. Golick this last month for so many things to get ready for my implants next week.  We have lasered my gums, we have whitened my teeth ( I will not even tell you how many shades lighter they are) and we have cleaned, cleaned and cleaned my gums.  But, oh so worth it.  If I didn't get anything else done with my teeth I would be happy.  I can't tell you how much better they feel.  How much easier it is to eat and not always have that aching feeling in your mouth.

But, next week is the  big day!  I get those implants started and well, I am sure I will not be able to talk too much for a bit.  But of course I always think the worst and it seems that it is not as bad as I build it up to be.  One day I went home and just knew my mouth was going to hurt for a week but by the next day I was back to normal.  It is really starting to take the worry out of going to the dentist for sure. Their new techniques and medicines really help ease the pain and worry. So going to the dentist can be fun and exciting.  I know it was for me when they whitened my teeth.  WOW.

Well, I will update after the big surgery next week and I want to thank all the staff at Suwanee Dental.  They make you feel special and cared for every time you go in.  They are the best in my book.

Barb King

Update

This past week I went in to have DR. Williams give me an idea of the work they would be doing. I was asked to select a set of teeth that appealed to me and the color. Wow! What an opportunity! I feel so blessed. I will be gone for a month. My husband and I will be doing mission work in England. So when I return and Dr. Williams returns from his mission trip it will be full stream ahead. Yeah! Appreciate so much this opportunity to have my teeth fixed by someone so capable!