Retainer and bone graph question?

2 days ago i had an operation to ad bone where i am missing teeth, then in 4 months they are going to put in false teeth.





now befor this operation i had a ratainer, if i put in my retainer now it would shuve up in to the new bone and that would hurt a lot.





so my questions are thus


do i still need my retainer?


will my teeth try to move with out the retainer to stop them?


should i have asked the doctor about this befor i left the hospital?


should i call the hospital monday?

Retainer and bone graph question?
By retainer, I am going to assume you possibly mean that you have a removable partial denture. In any case, your old "retainer" will not fit properly because the added bone has changed the shape and thickness of your arch. Considering that you just had a surgery to place the graft material (bone), you will be sore in the surgical site, and placing your "retainer" on the area will naturally cause it to hurt. The discomfort you are experiencing from the surgery should subside in about 7 days. You probably had stitches placed, and the doctor that did the surgery will probably need to remove them and do a wound check, also in approx 7 days.





The fact that you had a bone graft done, I am also going to assume that you will be having implants placed into the graft site in 4 months. The answers to your specific questions will follow:


1. I would keep your "retainer" for now. After the swelling goes down, and the surgical site heals, it might still fit. However, if after you heal and the denture doesn't fit well, don't try to force it into fitting. You could cause damage to your bone graft by putting too much pressure on it.





2. Your teeth should not move in any significant way during the 4 months of healing.





3. I'm not sure about what information your doctor gave you before leaving the hospital, or if you asked him or her any questions. A few things may have happened:





*your doctor may have given you written instructions about what to expect, but you may not have noticed the form.





*if you were sedated for the procedure you may not be able to recall the instructions you were given, but regardless you should have written instructions. I've noticed when I have sedated patients for grafting or implant procedures they have a tendency to stuff everything into a bag and forget about it. Check in anything you may have brought home from the hospital. (As a result of this very problem with paperwork, I now have patients come in for a an appointment before the procedure just to complete all the consent paperwork and answer any questions the patient might have).





3. I'm not sure if you should call the hospital or not. You should look around to see if you have any written instructions. If you can't find anything, my next suggestion would be to call the doctor that did the procedure. As a final resort, if you are having problems you should then call the hospital.


Doc Brown
Reply:I wouldn't worry about the retainer this early post-op. wait until you see your doctor (in 5 days or so??) before you put pressure on the graft area.
Reply:i would go ahead and call on monday just to be safe u never want to take a chance with your health



Philosophy