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By Brandi Taylor, Jax Implants & Dentures Patient
I will never forget the day I found myself back in the dentist’s chair because two more teeth had broken. Another infection had brought the familiar pain back, and after my exam, my dentist looked at me and gently explained that we had reached the end of the road. At that point, removing my remaining 21 teeth and choosing either dentures or dental implants was my only option.
The news hit me like a ton of bricks.
I was already in pain, already exhausted from years of dental problems, and the idea of implant surgery felt impossible. I could not imagine willingly signing up for more pain, more procedures, and more fear. So I chose dentures. I told myself I would make them work. How bad could they really be? I was about to spend the next six months finding out.
For many denture wearers, dentures work wonderfully. People adapt to them, embrace them, and move forward with grace and confidence. I was not one of those people.
I will never forget coming home after two weeks of healing. My dentist was six hours from where I live, so when I finally returned home, I had to face something I had been dreading: taking my teeth out for the first time in front of my husband.
He is an incredibly kind man and never made me feel anything but loved, but the way I saw myself without teeth was something I could not seem to overcome. No matter how much I tried to tell myself that dentures were just teeth, the emotional impact was much deeper than I expected.
Over those six months, my mental health slowly took a beating. The bulky feeling of the dentures, the constant battle of trying to keep the lower denture in place, and the soreness at the end of every day wore me down. There were hot spots, painful sores, rubbing, gum fatigue, and frustration.
Eventually, my frustration became bigger than my fear.
That is when I started researching dental implants.
I knew that if I was going to do something that scared me this much, I needed to find the right people. I wanted a provider that focused heavily on dental implants, had years of experience, had an in-house lab so my smile was not being outsourced, and most importantly, had a team that was kind, compassionate, and willing to understand how afraid I was.
I found that at Jax Implants & Dentures in Jacksonville, Florida.
Because I live in Michigan, they arranged a Zoom consultation for me. I met members of the staff and spoke with the doctor, who patiently answered every question I had. I remember ending that call shocked by how comfortable I felt. How could I possibly feel this confident about such a huge decision after a Zoom call?
Then I walked into their office in person, and every feeling I had during that consultation was validated.
They understood my fear. They educated me. They walked me through every part of the process. They never made me feel silly for being afraid, and by the night before surgery, something remarkable had happened.
I slept.
Fast-forward nine months, and my life looks completely different.
Dental implants gave me the ability to eat what I want again. They gave me teeth that stay securely in my mouth. They gave me a smile I am proud to show people.
But that is not the most important thing they gave me.
Taking care of my implants every day started spilling into other parts of my life. I began taking better care of myself. I started paying attention to what I ate, moving my body, caring for my skin, and making time for things that made me happy.
I started finding reasons to smile again.
Somewhere between adulthood, responsibilities, stress, and slowly losing my original smile, I had also lost pieces of myself. Getting dental implants became part of finding those pieces again.
Today, I invest more time in myself because I have learned that investing in yourself is not selfish. It changes the way you show up for everyone around you.
I am a happier mom, wife, friend, sister, and daughter because I am happier with myself.
My dental implants did not just give me new teeth.
They truly gave me a whole new life worth smiling about.
To learn more about dental implants and how to improve your smile, reach out to Jax Implants & Dentures at (904) 853-3038 or visit us at www.jaximplants.com.
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