Replacing worn parts

As with old cars, we aging humans often need parts replaced. So it was in 2003 when, at age 53, osteoarthritis in my right hip finally caught up to much earlier athletic years. The option at that point was to live out life in pain with pills or exchange it. I'm thankful I chose replacement.

And now, as with many baby boomers, it's teeth wearing out. I suspect too few visits to the dentist left what remain of my rear upper chewing teeth in pain and needing replacement. Well, if I still want to continue to chew on into my 70s.

Since eating is one of the few pleasures that linger into old age, my choices were limited to living with rapidly failing molars, pulling every tooth and replacing them with dentures, or doing whatever it takes to have worn-out ones removed and replaced with implants.

It's interesting how emotionally attached we become to body parts. There's lament in bidding farewell. That's how I feel about the molars I'll be having removed and replaced.

With dental-implant procedures becoming common nowadays, I thought I'd share my experience of what it's like to have them placed where the originals spent seven decades. Hopefully my experience can help readers considering the same procedure in what to expect when their time comes.

There are many capable dentists who perform implants. I selected Dr. Derrick Johnson of Mountain Home to ensure my ability to chew. The father of grown daughters Maddie and Kraymer was my choice for personal and professional reasons.

Readers know I don't believe in coincidence. So the week I began searching for a proven implant specialist, what should arrive in the mailbox but a color brochure describing Dr. Johnson's Integrated Dentistry, an hour's drive from Harrison in Mountain Home. Everything about the brochure that carefully explained Johnson's impressive national credentials as well as his medically holistic approach to implant dentistry urged me to make an appointment.

The next validation came in learning this specialist was a 1994 graduate of the Ohio State School of Dentistry who was enrolled during the five-year period I directed that university's Kiplinger Public Affairs Reporting Program. What are the odds?

Now 46, Dr. Johnson also wound up in Arizona with a thriving practice in Scottsdale not long after I'd spent three years in Phoenix heading the investigative team at the Arizona Republic. Again, what are the odds?

Dental problems become commonplace for most of us embracing the fall of our lifetimes. I'd noticed my upper left molars were steadily becoming sensitive to heat and cold. I'd lost those same teeth on the upper right side years ago and had been forced to use the remaining left teeth to chew. When those puppies began going bad, the question became what to do. Typical male answer: Do nothing, of course, until finally accepting the discomfort wasn't going to improve through magic or wishing it away.

Walking through Integrated Dentistry's front door, I entered an open, peaceful environment unlike any dental office I'd known. The focus throughout, from the artwork to the music and color schemes, was obviously to put patients at ease. The staff even asked my preferences in music and room temperature.

A facing wall was adorned with large color photographs of Johnson's handiwork on previous patients flashing wide smiles and bright teeth. The digital scan of my mouth was actually completed as I stood in the same room where we'd been welcomed.

The openness extended to the single treatment chair in a spacious room that featured a sofa for family members who prefer to be close by during procedures.

A color panorama on the wall facing the chair was of our magnificent Buffalo National River. What are the odds?

This congenial specialist and licensed pilot sold his thriving practice in Scottsdale seven years ago and moved to Mountain Home to enjoy a simpler life in the Ozarks. Practicing alone, he's fine-tuned his dentistry concept, which connects one's bodily well-being and overall health with the mouth and teeth. Today, he's also broken ground for a second Integrated Dentistry practice in Bentonville.

In consulting before the 40-inch TV screen in his office, he pointed to problem areas revealed by the earlier scan. Then he carefully explained what was necessary to repair and restore my mouth. His plan is to install four implants after removing three upper rear teeth and allowing about three months for healing and for bone to strengthen before placing the implants, followed by crowns. The entire process would require about eight months.

I wasn't overjoyed about losing three more natural teeth. But I also realized they were failing whether I liked it or not. So the wise thing was to move forward with the doctor's plan.

And lo it came to pass I left Integrated Dentistry with Dr. Johnson's prepared plan in place, believing the experience of having four implanted teeth for Thanksgiving dinner would be all I hoped.

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Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at mmasterson@arkansasonline.com.

Editorial on 06/18/2016

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