@hlp123 @loribmt I knew Lori would give you a lot of information, and her knowledge is invaluable. I did have the "flipper" she described for my front teeth that were extracted after I had failing root canals under a bridge and getting an abscess in the jawbone. I knew I was in trouble when my tongue pushed into a soft spot in the roof of my mouth that was in the hard palate part. Then I checked and sure enough, I had a blister above the tooth on the outside of the arch that I had missed, a sign of an abscess. Because it was a bridge anchored to each tooth under it, it held the tooth in place even though all the bone around the root was eaten by the infection; and otherwise, that tooth would have fallen out. I thought it was sinus problems and allergies causing the discomfort, and it happened kind of fast in between my 6-month checkups. It sounds like you have some good questions for your surgeon, and dental health is very important for your overall health.