How are you doing? - Kiwi Farms Wellness Check

[PetiteFeet]

SOOOO my question is to the fine folks here, does anyone have any experience with dental implants? Would it even be worth it if I don't go out much and am an older patient? I made a fakie for the eyetooth that is imperceptible when I put it in and works perfectly for cosmetic use, and the molar is furthest back in my mouth so I don't even care about it - I just want real information before plopping down ~$10K for grafts and implants. Plus the pain factor, like is it even really worth it? TYSM in advance and hope you are all staying warm and safe during this awful weather.

Anecdotally, but my mother had all but four of her teeth removed, got dentures and then eventually got permanent implants.
While I come from a nordic country with free healthcare, dentistry is not covered at all and my mother had to pay out of pocket for around 18k dollars. This total was a reduced cost, too, because she went to Hungary to get the dentures and the permanents. This was also spread over a longer period of time with recovery from gingivitis and the dentalwork required, and because of corona it took even longer.

My mother originally did not think it would affect her much to lose her teeth and get dentures, she had had ugly teeth my entire life up until that point, as a former smoker and a frequent tea drinker she had a lot of staining and so on. She eventually found out the indignity of losing her teeth and even with the dentures, she felt like less of a person.
She didn't dare to smile when her granddaughter was visiting because she felt like an old crone despite being in her 60s.
I cannot overstate how much her mental health suffered until she'd finally gotten her permanent implants installed.

The pain she went through was a mixed bag. The gingivitis itself was nasty and the healing period was a lot longer than the dentists estimated due to her physical health, but the teeth getting pulled, the healing from that and the healing from getting the implants were negligible compared to the gingivitis. She was fully under for all of her surgeries because her fear of dentists is very bad.

If you asked her personally, she would tell you the journey was worth it, that the cost was manageable compared to how much her self-esteem has flourished. That dentures absolutely fucking suck and that people can't tell she has implants, but you could most definitely tell that she had dentures even if she didn't forget to put them in before leaving the house.

Tooth health is nothing to turn your nose at. It's incredibly important, both physically and mentally, because oral health has a major impact on the rest of your body. Infections can go into your bloodstream and give you heart problems.
So if you can, I would urge you to get your teeth fixed no matter the cost. Dentures are serviceable but I'd say it's a very case by case thing whether or not they work out for you. A good dentist will get you dentures that look close to, if not better than, your natural smile. It will definitely have an effect on you.

 

[long waters]

I have no idea about implants, but about this statement:

After the extraction, that changed to, "Your teeth will shift over time so you'll need to look at an implant for that tooth as well."

I think it's very true that teeth shift over time. This is unavoidable. I had braces as a kid but stopped treatment a bit earlier than I should have. Over time, one of my teeth shifted and got misaligned pretty badly, making it really hard to clean behind it as it was overlapped by other teeth. I ended up getting it fixed as an adult way later.

 

[nycifer]

Work week is not starting off hot, as I am accurately predicting. I'm having pendulum swings of existential crisis so that brings in periods where I'm just randomly mixed between mad and depressed. A customer really saw that when I just threw down something when they asked me to help unlock something. I work in a ghetto store so a lot of shit is obviously locked up, but that's besides the point. Thankfully he wasn't the kind of customer that radiated entitlement and asked me stupid things like "what's your problem?" or something. He was actually polite, asking me things like "long night?" and saying stuff like "you don't have to tell me". I helped him out, gave a light apology and sent him on his way.

But I'm just working and having thoughts about why the fuck am I here, what the fuck am I doing with myself anymore, can I even do anything better than where I am, are the people in my circle the right people I want to spend my time with? Just so many questions and more. I'm just mostly mad at myself and it is amplified if something stupid happens which later tonight, I know I'm going to be pissed off because the shift before me are full of dumbfucks, mostly foreigners who can't fucking read or stack worth a damn, but champion themselves being on the phone and being loud in the break room.

 

[General Disarray]

So if you can, I would urge you to get your teeth fixed no matter the cost.

Yeah I read up a little, and I have one of those collagen plugs to preserve the socket for the molar, and I go back in 3 weeks.

I'll have them go ahead and make a treatment plan. I'm also going to have a conversation about their staffing, since I had to schedule my extraction for when one of the docs who does those kinds of things was in-office (which I thought was odd). If I'm gonna have major oral surgery I want to ensure that I can see someone ASAP if things go tits-up!

Not worried about the costs, mostly concerned about the pain and inability to eat Ah well, very high calorie Boost is always in the house.

Thanks for the input, I just needed a little push to do the right thing and plow through this (the sooner the better!)

 

[Otterly]

Thanks for the input, I just needed a little push to do the right thing and plow through this (the sooner the better!)

I’d agree with petite on this - the face will change shape if you don’t have teeth actually in the sockets because the bone and tissue atrophy. I have an older relative going through this and she’s lost a lot of confidence.
Bone grafting and implants will likely give you the best result. If you smoke, stop, and if you’re diabetic, get your blood sugar under a rule of iron before the surgery.

 

[hotpocalypse]

It builds character

The only way to get better is to fuck up your way to the top. I used to be called an idiot all the time. I still get called an idiot, but now i get to call other people idiots as well

I do feel like I've grown during the time I've been there so far! 4 months to go.
I hope one day I'll be in the position to call others idiots

 

[hotpocalypse]

Hey, as long as they aren't doing anything worse than calling you an idiot. Depending on the field, much harsher tones are the standard when talking to a newbie.
You're gonna do great, just keep at it.

Thank you Tbf I am a bit sensitve to being told I'm fucking up. But being at the internship has helped somewhat in building up thicker skin I think

 

[souschef]

I do feel like I've grown during the time I've been there so far! 4 months to go.
I hope one day I'll be in the position to call others idiots

Just keep moving, as long as it's forward

 

[PetiteFeet]

mostly concerned about the pain and inability to eat

You'll be able to eat yoghurt, soups, icecream and other similar foods so don't worry about that. You could probably even have congee with some shredded chicken or other protein you enjoy after a week of initial healing.
The pain will be manageable, at least I hope american dentists are as keen as ours to help their patients manage pain. A couple of paracetamols every few hours was what my mother was on not long after she came back home from her first surgery.

 

[Caddo Cobgang]

briefly woke up extremely dizzy at 3am, doctor put me on blood pressure medication, literally felt like i was dying, there’s a genetic history of it in my family but i just started the med as my doctor was scared, messaged the office this morning and was advised to stop until the doctor can get back to me on monday but fuck if it doesn’t make me scared to fall asleep a bit

mental wise personally i continue to avoid the use of normalfag social media as much as i can, i honestly feel my tolerance for bullshit is at and all time low for that, but there’s a disconnect between retards on the internet and society, at least on a local level, me and my dad are trying to figure out how to do shit as my mom recently had a brain tumor removed and has been quite bound to her bed since, it fucking sucks but i suppose it’s inevitable that your parents will run into issues like that in their 60s

 

[Banquet Meal]

its too cold...seriously. its 10 below zero, and my stupid arm hurts...MRI came back as basically the tendons in my arm have healed but they are deformed, so i guess im fucked. no fixing it all from a fall that honestly wasnt even a huge deal, except for me sticking my arm out so i wouldnt hit my face.

im pretty depressed about it...the pain medication helps, but that is turning into another issue that i never anticipated...the whole situation is really bullshit. i just wish i wouldnt have fell, i tripped over my kids wheelchair, and then got my foot caught in my pajama leg, and that was it. so stupid and clumsy.

 

[stick]

briefly woke up extremely dizzy at 3am, doctor put me on blood pressure medication, literally felt like i was dying, there’s a genetic history of it in my family but i just started the med as my doctor was scared, messaged the office this morning and was advised to stop until the doctor can get back to me on monday but fuck if it doesn’t make me scared to fall asleep a bit

Take caution today. Get up slowly, drink a lot of water, eat something salty. If your doctor decides to put you back on blood pressure medication it might be a good idea to buy a blood pressure monitor to check if it dips too low. They're not expensive. The arm cuff ones are usually more accurate than the wrist ones.

Sorry about your mom, also. It's hard watching your parents get older.

 

[General Disarray]

I’d agree with petite on this - the face will change shape if you don’t have teeth actually in the sockets because the bone and tissue atrophy. I have an older relative going through this and she’s lost a lot of confidence.
Bone grafting and implants will likely give you the best result. If you smoke, stop, and if you’re diabetic, get your blood sugar under a rule of iron before the surgery.

No diabetes here, advised them I have rheumatoid arthritis managed with ibuprofen. I've restricted my smoking from a pack a day down to about 3 to 5 per day (a couple of puffs then extinguish) as my NY resolution is quitting. I'm pleased with how less often I find myself really craving one. Keeping them in the garage helps as I am lazy lol. The cold weather is a boon as well, no way am I going out there! I should pick up drawing again, keep my hands busy.

Ibuprofen is also managing the extraction pain quite satisfactorily so I should be able to weather the process painwise. I don't do opiates, make me ill. I'd like to do both grafts at the same time since they're on the same sides. I'll report back after my early Feb. followup. Thanks for your input!

 

[Endless Blabbery]

I'm bored. Like, perpetually bored. I sometimes find something to obsess over for a week or two, but the minute it goes away I just feel empty. It's been like this since COVID-19, honestly. Just doing the same goddamn thing every single day, and even if I add variety by going outside, asking people to hang out, doing exercise, reading about some random sperg online, it's all the same to me. Possible self-diagnoses are OCD, ADHD, "high-functioning depression," etc. but I don't know, I'm just bored.

Spoiler: Further context

Coming back to this, I thought that I had talked about my recent eyesight problem.
My vision has been worsening over time, which is reasonable considering I barely go outside and I'm glued to the screen 24/7, but I had been disregarding it for a few years now.
I did do a final exam, passed with a "meh" grade, and I started feeling "bored" again.
I've endured stress symptoms pretty much all of my "conscious life": feeling like I need to pee 24/7, feeling bloated, headaches, slightly blurry vision, neck-muscle and general muscle stiffness, nightmares, auditory hallucinations, etc. What I didn't think is that, several years later, this "slightly blurry vision" problem would bite me in the ass now of all times.

---

This perpetual boredom has severely hindered my academic progress: I sometimes get excited and study "a lot," e.g. just enough to get a passing grade, but I genuinely study like two months in total per year. I've dealt with ADHD and OCD symptoms for a long time now, and at the risk of sounding repetitive, I just lack a purpose.
So after the final exam, and coincidentally, as I started feeling "bored," I began to have vision problems, like overnight. It was weird, but I just assumed it was a ionic issue (maybe stress, and the thiamine I had been taking for about two weeks prior, had depleted my magnesium reserves?) so I bought supplements, such as magnesium chloride flakes and potassium citrate (I take thiamine, and potassium and magnesium are cofactors that would've been depleted otherwise; I don't take B-complex, however). Of course, that didn't help.
I would get really painful headaches, stemming from the pulling of my eyes; my vision would get blurry, regardless whether I was looking at my screen, a distant tree, or at myself with a mirror. Maybe if I stop looking at the screen as often, or if I drink or eat this or that, it'll go away! Nothing helped. I was kind of hopeless, honestly. I mean, I do have an appointment with the eye doctor about two weeks from now, so it'll eventually be fine—but the pain was unbearable.

Hey now, I didn't say you're hopeless.

Thanks, man. Sorry, I got into a self-hating bout last night.

A short conversation completely flipped the subconscious script and, somehow, my vision problems are "gone." Like, overnight. What's funny is that as I was feeling unmotivated a few hours ago, my vision turned blurry instantly. Shit is fucking weird, man, I don't even know what to say. My subconscious speaks to me in a not-so-cryptic manner, but I fail to listen.

 

[DavidS877]

SOOOO my question is to the fine folks here, does anyone have any experience with dental implants?

I have one finished last year. I had the 4th tooth from the back on the upper side have serious problems around 2000. Got a root canal and then after 2 or 3 crowns there was no longer enough left. Luckily my 'normal' dentist likes to do most stuff in-office, harder cases he will outsource but he was able to do it all in-office. The extraction and placement of the bone graft left me feeling like someone punched me in the face for a few days. Also don't eat on the site, I blew a stitch or two but didn't cause any problems other than getting the usual "don't do that". The "bone graft" is just bone dust(sort of) that they shove in the hole. Then months later they installed the implant which had some pain as the gums healed. And months later then the implant crown which was uncomfortable for like a day. The biggest issue is the time as it takes months between each step since the bone needs to heal, first into the graft and then into the implant itself needs to heal and then they can put the crown on it. He did check to see if he could do a "direct load" where the extraction, bone graft and implant were done the same day but I didn't meet the requirements so that added a few months.

I'm happy with it. Nothing really to say after all that. It's done, it looks right and chews normally.

 

[Banquet Meal]

if you’re diabetic,

sorry to butt in, but i had a question...a while back, my dr said that i have type 2 diabetes...but the a1c number was like BARELY over anything, so should i even worry? i pretty much brushed it off because of everything else going on, but idk. i feel so run down all of the time.

 

[Friend of Dorothy Parker]

sorry to butt in, but i had a question...a while back, my dr said that i have type 2 diabetes...but the a1c number was like BARELY over anything, so should i even worry? i pretty much brushed it off because of everything else going on, but idk. i feel so run down all of the time.

So are your numbers diabetic or no? I mean, are you in disagreement with your doc's analysis? And personally, I'd say (disclaimer: not diabetic and no meaningful experience with anyone who is) that if you're anywhere near the edge it's good to take very seriously. There are lower levels considered pre-diabetic that are also too high, so if you've crossed the diabetic threshold, it's a real thing.

 

[Betonhaus]

I might actually move out soon, the only reason why I have even stayed this long is because I was not looking forward to trying to find a place, but our political differences are significant (namely, I keep my opinions to myself and my partner literally cannot shut up about them and gets mad if you disagree) and there are a lot of points towards being on my own..

I suspect my partner will miss my media server far more then he will miss me.

On Sunday he heads out to Mexico to go on a gay beach thing with friends, and I'm seriously thinking I can move out and get paperwork in order before he gets back home, everything I need I can fit into my car and I can make arrangements to sort out things like internet and the spare tires at a later date.

 

[Banquet Meal]

So are your numbers diabetic or no?

it was 7, which is like right on the edge, i guess?
i probably should. im not even sure what i should do, except stop drinking coke all day, which ive done for the most part

 

[Friend of Dorothy Parker]

I might actually move out soon, the only reason why I have even stayed this long is because I was not looking forward to trying to find a place, but our political differences are significant (namely, I keep my opinions to myself and my partner literally cannot shut up about them and gets mad if you disagree) and there are a lot of points towards being on my own..

I suspect my partner will miss my media server far more then he will miss me.

On Sunday he heads out to Mexico to go on a gay beach thing with friends, and I'm seriously thinking I can move out and get paperwork in order before he gets back home, everything I need I can fit into my car and I can make arrangements to sort out things like internet and the spare tires at a later date.

Didn't you do this a couple (?) years ago?

Are things bad, or are you blindsiding him and leaving him to come home to an empty place? Seems rough, unless it's been discussed, it's horrible, or for some reason it's not safe to do in person.

it was 7, which is like right on the edge, i guess?
i probably should. im not even sure what i should do, except stop drinking coke all day, which ive done for the most part

My extensive 10-second research says that over 6.5 is diabetes, so not really on the edge with 7%.

A1C results​

The following ranges are used to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes:

• Normal: below 5.7%
• Prediabetes: 5.7% to 6.4%
• Diabetes: 6.5% or above

(that's from the CDC website).

But also saw that a single test isn't dispositive, so get yourself back in for another one! Surprised your doc didn't sound the alarm - I think they usually start clanging when someone gets even within sight of a pre-diabetic level.

And back to the generic CDC overview:

If your result shows you have prediabetes:​

There's good news. You can take steps right away to reverse prediabetes or to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. Talk to your doctor about how to get started. They'll likely recommend you repeat your A1C every 1 to 2 years.

If your result shows you have diabetes:​

Your doctor will give you instructions how to manage your condition with lifestyle changes, and may prescribe you medicine. Most people with diabetes have their A1C tested at least twice a year. You may need to check more often based on your management plan or other health conditions. Ask your doctor how often is right for you.