This is the testimony of our patient, Peter.
Peter just turned 50. His teeth had always been problematic to him. This was not helped by the fact that he simply couldn’t remember the last time he had a ‘pleasant’ experience with a dentist. Of course, Peter had had fillings over the years, several root canals and even a handful of extractions. Ultimately the deterioration of his dental health (gum infection and four broken teeth) had started to give him headaches and pain while he ate. He met with and ‘interviewed’ three dentists, who all agreed that the way forward was expensive, complicated and involved either 4 on one or 6 on one implants. None of the three dentists he spoke with gave him confidence, so another year passed without a solution for Peter due to uncertainty and covid lockdowns. Peter wrote this letter to us, with the intention that we share it, so other people like him would see it and take a step ahead to change their lives forever.
This is his story.
“Having lived on the Costa del Sol for close to thirty years, the name Crooke unconsciously put me off for a while. However, having read several testimonials and online details of the surgery they offered, I kept coming back to them until finally, I pulled the trigger (poured a drink and made a call). From the initial examination (totally free) to the final procedure, the entire team in their clinic has been exceptionally professional, courteous and conscientious.
My patient coordinator was my point of contact and she went out of the way to ensure that things were explained – before, during and afterwards, even to the point of checking in on me the day after surgery. I required a root scaling as the first procedure which I was dreading. The last one I had, left me on painkillers for MONTHS! The young ladies who performed my root scaling over two separate days were excellent. My faith in the dental industry was slowly being restored.
Felix was very good at dental work and again took the time to answer my many questions. His assistant was also very patient with me.”
“Dr Eduardo Crooke performed the implant placement the implants and as to be expected by now, was professional, considerate and fast. Surgery: Removal of 7 teeth including all wisdom and placement of 4 implants. Immediately after surgery, I had the sensation of the new implants meeting together when closing mouth – this is just an illusion of feelings from your remaining teeth being ‘moved’.”
“I started surgery at around 12:15 and it lasted close to 1.5 hours. Over the next week, the gums continued to heal well. The bottom left jaw remained clean whilst the lower right showed a little white substance on top of the gum which I kept cleaning off. Aside from slight tenderness on the gums, everything else remained very comfortable. One or two of the stitches/threads came out, but as there was no bleeding or sign of an issue, I did not contact the dentist.
Dr Eduardo Crooke performed the implant placement the implants and as to be expected by now, was professional, considerate and fast. Surgery: Removal of 7 teeth including all wisdom and placement of 4 implants. Immediately after surgery, I had the sensation of the new implants meeting together when closing mouth – this is just an illusion of feelings from your remaining teeth being ‘moved’.
I started surgery at around 12:15 and it lasted circa 1.5 hours. By 20:30 the same day I could feel the tightening of the gums where the stitches were. In real terms, still no pain just a different ache to that of my jaw. Over the next week, the gums continued to heal well. The bottom left jaw remained clean whilst the lower right showed a little white substance on top of the gum which I kept cleaning off.
Aside from slight tenderness on the gums, everything else remained very comfortable. One or two of the stitches/threads came out, but as there was no bleeding or sign of an issue, I did not contact the dentist.”
“The following week, the temporary crowns to be removed and the teeth tested without anaesthesia for pain and sensitivity. We arrived on time and were in good spirits as this was scheduled to be a quick in and out visit of about an hour. Felix and his assistant explained that they would ‘pop out’ the temporary crowns, run the sensitivity test and then reaffix the temporaries.
Getting the teeth out turned into a little adventure as the cement did not want to break and a small hammer was required to release the bottom arch. The sensitivity test was over within seconds and they moved onto the upper arch. The sensitivity test was done on my upper jaw and I was diagnosed with the need for 3 or 4 root canals.
Oh, the joy of joys! This was scheduled for the following week. One of the things I found that I suffered from most – suffered is the wrong word – niggled me most was the following days when my mouth was sore from being open for extended periods of time and the injection sites which ached for a few days each time. Hence the decision to put off the aforementioned root canals for another week.
I had been ill-prepared for today’s visit and felt worse for wear by the end. In an attempt to explain my nervousness about visiting dentists, I sent a YouTube clip of Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier in the film Marathon Man to my patient coordinator to show Dr Felix. It sums up my overall feelings prior to visiting the dentist. The anticipation is often worse than the treatment. Unfortunately, some of the treatment lives up to the anticipation. I understand that sometimes, we have to go through certain procedures in order to improve things for the future. It doesn’t mean that I have to enjoy them.”
The whole week since my last visit has been remarkably painless. My only issue is being overprotective of my crowns. The cement used to replace the crowns was not as strong as the first time and I ‘feel’ that I can feel the difference.
We stopped for a snack on the way home as we were starving hungry. This could have been a bit of a mistake as although the clue/cement had cured and some of the crowns moved due to the gums not being completely tight on the teeth following the insertions. I would recommend waiting at least 24 hours before taking a bite out of anything substantial because pushing your new teeth back into place is not a pleasant experience. It’s not painful, but you do visualize the dollars signs flashing just in case you have to have the crowns refitted.
So, here we are a few days after the final teeth have been placed and my mouth is starting to work out where it needs to be. Due to the number of teeth in my mouth my jaw had to ‘relearn’ how to chew. As another week has since passed, my jaw/teeth/chewing motions have regularized, and this will no longer be necessary. An interesting side effect of this entire procedure has been that since my overbite was slightly increased, my bottom jaw has also moved forward a little. This has caused my ‘double chin’ to slightly disappear due to the new alignment.”
