Fill report for fill #3

[GregNE]

Well, it has been almost a week (filled June 11), so thought I would give a report on my latest fill at OCC. I needed a fill for a couple of months, so was anxious to get it done.

I drove from Omaha, made a business stop in Salt Lake City, and then went on to Las Vegas. Harrah's gave me a comp coupon for 4 free nights at Ballys, and another coupon to get $100 cash from the casino, so I took them up on the offer. I needed a few days to myself after a nine week stint working on the East Coast. I ended up losing $90 of the $100 by the fourth day, so, I was able to leave Vegas in good spirits.

I have been staying in National City at the Super 8 for all my fills, parking at the border, and doing the walk across then a taxi. Well, this time I was daydreaming, and missed the parking exit. It is truly the last US exit, and to my knowledge if you miss that exit, there is no proper way to turn around and avoid crossing the border (I might be wrong about that). So, I figured, I can drive into TJ, and did.

I did not know the way to the clinic, because I never really paid it much mind, so I spent about 20 minutes looking for the building. Finally, I saw the Lucerna, and stopped to ask directions. They were very helpful, and gave me a map of TJ and circled the location. Once I had the map, I realized I had driven past it 3 times, but, now I know where it is.

I found a parking spot just a few hundred feet from the clinic, locked up, and went in. I had a 10am appt, but was told Dr. Romero was on his way. I talked with several patients waiting to be called back for their surgery, offered my encouragement, and socialized. Well, Dr. Acosta came out and said he would be doing my fill.

I mildly expressed my concern, as I felt Dr. Romero's experience was invaluable, but I was okay with Acosta. He was very cautious, verified I had 6.6 cc, and filled me to 7.0. He told me my band was totally occluded (closed) at 7.0, and backed me down to 6.8. I told him I wanted a more aggressive fill, and he went into a discussion about complications of being closed off and facing a risk of frequent PBing and possible slippage. I expressed to him my concern that I just traveled about 2000 miles, and wanted to make sure I had good restriction.

We agreed to do the 'toast' test, with a barium study right after I tried to eat the toast. He filled me back to 7.2cc, and went to get my snack. Well, 4 pieces went down with no problem. To my surprise, Dr. Romero came out, and said "are you ready to take a look?" I was very relieved. He had me drink the barium, and we found out not only did I eat the toast easily, but it also had already made it past the band. Dr. Romero asked if I could stay in TJ for a few hours, and have lunch. I agreed, and he filled me to 7.9cc.

Well, I saw the Zoom teeth whitening special, and asked if the dentist was busy today. She wasn't, and I got right in. Well, I have white teeth now, actually 8 shades whiter than before. I am blessed with very good perfectly straight teeth, so it's great to have that Hollywood smile now. The price was $299, and I got a free cleaning too since Zoom recommends getting the procedure done after a cleaning. The going price in my city is $700-$800, so I got a bargain, and they did a great job! It took about 2 hours, and was a little uncomfortable, but instant results sure make it worth it.

I then went to lunch around the corner from the clinic. I decided to try the tuna salad served on lettuce, as I could not have any tomato sauce or other foods that can stain teeth for 48 hours. The whitening process makes the enamel susceptible to staining for a couple of days, and I was clearly warned. I was able to eat about 1/2 cup, then pb'd part of the meal.

I returned to the clinic as asked, and got my third needle poke of the day. Dr. Romero decided to take my level down to 7.6cc, and that is about perfect right now. I have good restriction, and actually have dropped 10 lbs in the last 6 days. I drove to Austin, TX for a business stop, then to Dallas, then to Oklahoma City, and finally home.

I told Dr. Romero that Dr. Acosta needs a little more practice with fills, and he replied "I know". Now, Acosta is doing fine in my opinion. He already has done more fills than many US doctors, and he is cautious, has the right technique so he doesn't lose the saline like most US doctors do. But in my case, a third fill with a VG band is a bit tricky. I needed the experience of Romero, and perhaps Dr. Acosta also needed that experience. I would have no concern getting a first fill from him, or a fill in a 4cc band. And, to repeat myself, he already has more fill experience than most US docs.

I know this is a very long post, but I have gotten quite a few private messages from people telling me they like reading the details I provide, and that they learn a lot from what I write about. So, for those that enjoy lots of detail, here it is. If you don't like detail, at least I don't post topics very often.

Best wishes to all.

[FurEllie]

Thanks for the report, Greg

I've thought about doing Zoom but friends here in the states have had bad sensitivity problems. I can only use Whitestrips for a few days and then my teeth hurt for several more Have you tried other whiteners and if so, what was your experience?

Right now my fill at .8cc is doing fine so hopefully the new Dr. will get lots of practice before I need another one. But I'll still track down Dr. Romero just to look at his cute face

[GregNE]

Thanks for the report, Greg

I've thought about doing Zoom but friends here in the states have had bad sensitivity problems. I can only use Whitestrips for a few days and then my teeth hurt for several more Have you tried other whiteners and if so, what was your experience?

Right now my fill at .8cc is doing fine so hopefully the new Dr. will get lots of practice before I need another one. But I'll still track down Dr. Romero just to look at his cute face

I had some sensitivity problems too, but only while the light was on my mouth. It disappeared right after. But, if sensitivity causes you tooth pain, you are right to think twice about it. The minor discomfort I had was directly in the nerve of one tooth. I have the trays from my regular dentist, but I was not good at keeping a schedule to use them. They may become my once or twice a month booster though.

[NoWorry]

I know this is a very long post,.

Thanks very much for all the detail. It is invaluable to those of us travelling behind you.

[Donna34]

Thanks Greg, for your report. WOW 7.6cc's! That's a lot. But it sounds like you really know your VG band, and seems that all is going well! That should be an encouragement to some of the people on here who have concerns about the VG band.

The whitening sounds like a real deal! I've always wanted to have my teeth whitened. However, my front 2 teeth are capped, and I'm thinking you can't whiten them. Do you know if that is true? Or will the Zoom whitening also work on caps? Glad you had a good trip, and a great loss while gone!

Thanks for sharing!

Donna

[coloratura]

Thanks for the report, Greg

I've thought about doing Zoom but friends here in the states have had bad sensitivity problems. I can only use Whitestrips for a few days and then my teeth hurt for several more Have you tried other whiteners and if so, what was your experience?

Right now my fill at .8cc is doing fine so hopefully the new Dr. will get lots of practice before I need another one. But I'll still track down Dr. Romero just to look at his cute face

I used to work for a dentist and found out that the reason your teeth are sensitive after whitening is that the peroxide makes your teeth more porous. Naturally, with the pores open, your teeth are more sensitive to air and cold/hot liquids. The remedy for it is to use a flouride rinse, which closes the pores (which is why it helps prevent cavities). If you are doing home whitening, you can just alternate whitening and flouride rinse every other day until your desired whitening is accomplished.

[FurEllie]

I used to work for a dentist and found out that the reason your teeth are sensitive after whitening is that the peroxide makes your teeth more porous. Naturally, with the pores open, your teeth are more sensitive to air and cold/hot liquids. The remedy for it is to use a flouride rinse, which closes the pores (which is why it helps prevent cavities). If you are doing home whitening, you can just alternate whitening and flouride rinse every other day until your desired whitening is accomplished.

Great info, I'll try it with the white strips first - if that works I'll take the Zoom plunge.

Now if we could only get Dr. Ortiz to do Lumineers - I'd be all over that

Thanks!!!