A MUM claims dental implants left her face with the “worst bruising ever” – leaving her looking like “a monster”.
Jessica Macko had been getting work done because an eating disorder she’d had when she was younger had “eroded” all her teeth.
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The 44-year-old decided to have all-on-four dental implants earlier to fix her ongoing dental issues.
The procedure involves inserting a set of four dental implants replace a whole arch of “loose, rotten, missing or failing teeth”.
While she had been warned by doctors about bruising, the stay-at-home mum admits she did not expect the pain to be so “brutal” nor the bruising to be so severe.
The model posted a video of her face four days after the treatment, stating she looked like a “monster” and asking for others to reach out to her if they had ever had a similar reaction.
The “horrific” deep purple bruising began at her neck and chin and spread across her face, getting worse hour by hour, even reaching up to underneath her eyes.
Now two weeks later, the bruising and swelling has gone down considerably.
I had no idea the pain would be that bad before I had it. I did not understand the brutality of it
Jessica Macko
Despite her reaction to it, the mum-of-three said she would still recommend the procedure, believing her extreme bruising to be a unique case.
Jessica, from San Antonio, Texas, US, said: “The doctors did say I’d have some bruising.
“The day after I had the implants put in, my face swelled up humongously then the bruising started the day after that.
“I got quite scared. It just kept getting worse and worse every hour.
“It looked like I had a Rorschach blot test on my face, like the inkblots.
“I tend to bruise badly but I’ve never experienced anything like that before.
“I’m an artist so it was kind of cool to watch, but it was horrific because I’d never seen bruising like that on anyone’s face.
“It was on my chin and my neck, they were the most swollen and then it spread up and hit my nose and my under eye. It covered pretty much my whole face below my eyes.
“It hurt so much. For them to take out like all your teeth, I guess it just causes a lot of trauma but I had no choice because I was just having constant dental pain.
“I had no idea the pain would be that bad before I had it. I did not understand the brutality of it.”
Jessica’s dental problems began when she was younger due to an eating disorder.
I could not sleep at all or eat, I would just cry at night
Jessica Macko
Jessica said: “I like the cosmetic result but for me it was medical.
“When I was younger I had a bad eating disorder that eroded my teeth.
“Thankfully I’m healthy now and I’m better, but part of getting the new teeth was my healing process.
“My teeth were all pretty much failing due to some health issues and I was in agonising pain.”
How can eating disorders affect your teeth?
ACCORDING to the Oral Health Foundation, eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder can all have an impact on your oral health.
“Potential negative effects of vitamin and nutrient deficiencies can cause the body to shut down and not function properly and that will also be reflected in the mouth,” it explained.
It said oral signs of eating disorders include:
- Enamel erosion
- Dry mouth
- Enlarged salivary glands
- Cracked,dry lips
- Mouth sores
- Tooth decay
- Sensitive teeth
- Bruising and/or injury to the mouth
Those who purge through vomiting can also erode tooth enamel through excessive contact with stomach acid.
If you need support for an eating disorder, visit Beat.
You can chat to experts via web chat, email or phone, access peer support groups and get advice on how to get treatment.
For the all-on-fours dental implant procedure, dentists, inserted two screws in Jessica’s top and bottom jaw to anchor rows of teeth in.
“The first week I could not sleep at all or eat, I would just cry at night,” the mum recalled.
“I went immediately back to my doctor when the bruising turned up.
“He explained that it was always a possibility and said he’d even seen one person with it worse.
“I’m also anaemic so that could cause bruising to be worse and obviously because it is just such a big trauma to the area, it’s not unheard of.”
Despite the bruising, which she believes may have been worsened due to her anaemia, Jessica has no regrets about the surgery and would encourage others to get it.
Jessica said: “It’s gotten a lot better now. I went to MAC and got makeup to cover the bruising. I think by the end of the month it should be fully healed.
“My advice to others thinking of getting dental implants would be that it is such a great option, it helps so many people and I’d definitely recommend it and that my case was just unique.
“I’d 100 per cent recommend the surgery.”
Online, Bupa UK describes the treatment: “Smile in a day treatment is a long-lasting solution for replacing loose, rotten, missing or failing teeth with a full set of dental implants in one day.
“The technique is usually used for people with little or no teeth and it’s an alternative to the traditional placement of multiple dental implants, or a full set of dentures.
“A set of four to six dental implants replace a whole arch of missing teeth and are usually fitted all in the same day.
“You might also hear smile in a day treatment referred to as teeth in a day, full mouth dental implants or All-On-Four dental implants.”
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