06-23-2026 — Dental Pain in the wallet

Howdy all. Another lovely spring day here. Started in 50s, and may get to 70. No more rain for at least today and tomorrow. I wish I was doing as well as the weather.

Sunday, I was sitting here at this desk, nodding off from a lack of sleep (which continues) and noticed a slight “discomfort” on the right upper jaw. Hmm, what could it be? Well, the bicuspid (tooth number 5 for you dental enthusiasts), was felling like it was moving. But not like the cap was moving, but like the entire tooth, deep into the jaw, was moving. Of course, I then proceeded to touch with my tongue. Hey, that’s a normal reaction from an idiot.. And yes, that was what was causing the discomfort. Not so much pain, but just not feeling right. My ASSumption was that it was loosened a little from all of the impressions the dentist and assistant had done when getting number 6 ready for its temporary crown.

So, being the highly intelligent id-jut that I am, I touched tooth 12 (the bicuspid on the other side of the upper jaw) to see how it felt. Um, it felt super loose at the cap, but no movement in the jaw. Like it was so loose, I was certain I could tap it with a finger and it would fall off.

I called and left a message with dentist office to try and get an appointment for Monday.

They called back promptly Monday morning (yesterday) and I was there at 1:30 pm. Yep, #12 fell off as the dentist went to see if it was loose. UGH.. Turns out this is the cap just put on back in February, 4 months ago. They had said then they hoped it would last for 2-5 years. Not quite. And, worse, the remaining stub of a tooth, above the gum line, was in the cap. Nothing to add a new cap on to. Time for an extraction / implant for it. Fortunately for me, it was already a root canal tooth so there is no pain from it.

And then the other side. UGH. Xrays were done on both teeth. Number 5 was/is an implant already. The Xray seems to show the screw of the implant firmly planted in AIR. There should be bone in the grooves holding it in, like a screw is held in wood. Thus, it does feel abnormal.

The dentist gave me a referral to the oral surgeon we used for the prior needed extraction/implant, and I scheduled for July 3rd. So number 12 will be initially handled then with the extraction and likely bone graft insert and implant screw.

At the same time, a consultation for what to do to number 5 will happen. This is where it gets more interesting.

I did some research on when the loose implant was installed and on why they may become loose.  It is amazing how well google works in their AI mode.  It was like having a conversation with a dentist that will actually try to answer all questions.  

First, I found an old email from February 2014 saying I was getting the implant to number 5.  In follow up emails I said the dentist was surprised during extraction to see the tooth had two separate roots.  This is a bicuspid.  Per the dentist I am seeing now, that tooth usually has the two roots merged in a skinny cone shape.  Mine are a V shape.   On both bicuspids. This makes things a bit more difficult for both extraction and implanting.

Anyway, a likely cause for the implant becoming loose is simply aging. As we age the sinus membranes are thinning and possibly for me, there is a low grade infection that is eating at the bone.  The implant is running out of jaw bone between it and the sinus. Of course, Google had lots of big fancy terms to explain that, but I went with my simple explanation. 

The implant post is now close to the sinus and will need to be removed gently.   Then, very likely, a sinus lift will need to be done at same time as bone graft material added. That is after the infection area is cleaned out and treated. And, once again per Google, Medicare won’t pay for the Sinus lift. Nor is UnitedHealthCare dental plan likely to cover it.  

Three to Six months after this, a new implant can be inserted. And then, another 5-6 weeks before a new crown can be added.

These are some of the terms that I simplified into my explanation.  Peri-Implantitis . Maxillary Sinus.  Sinus Pneumatization.

I have had issues with my sinuses and with “dry mouth” since an episode in 2011 when I had some sort of issue with my throat, that spread to the entirety of the inside of my mouth. I went from white nodules in the back of my throat causing hoarseness and pain, to the entire mouth becoming inflamed. I went to the local 24 hour doc-in-a-box where they tested for strep and other things, and could not give a cause. But they did give me prescriptions for antibiotics, antihistamines and antibacterials. The whole inside of my mouth, and the tongue went black and peeled off leaving a very sensitive surface. Even drinking milk was painful. And I still can’t handle hot sauces with vinegar as an ingredient. Anyhow, since then, I’ve needed sinus spray daily to be able to keep the passages clear enough to breathe.

This is just my speculations, based upon Google’s answers. I will certainly bring most of this up with the oral surgeon during consultation.

I may just leave the empty spots in the teeth. Hey, it is not like they did much work anyway. They did not line up well with the bicuspids on the lower jaw, and none of my upper teeth, other than the molars, actually touch the lower ones. My “bite” has always been very cattywampus (wonky?) as nothing aligns where expected.

Well to end on a happier note —-

Deer world, Enjoy Life