Smile stories
The tooth I lost in my forties, and the taco I ate the day the new one went in
“I kept waiting for the bad part. It never came.”
Cared for by Dr. Maya Castillo 
Shared with Marisol's written consent. Healing times vary — her implant integrated over four months.
Where it started
A cracked premolar — an old root canal that finally gave up — came out on a Tuesday. For most of a year, Marisol chewed on one side and covered her mouth when she laughed with her grandkids. She put off replacing it because the word "implant" sounded like surgery, and surgery sounded like weeks off work she couldn't take.
The visits
The consultation undid most of her fears: a 3D scan, a clear picture of the bone, and a schedule that fit around her shifts — the placement itself took under an hour on a Friday morning, and she was back at work Monday. The strangest part, she says, was how boring it felt: "I kept waiting for the bad part. It never came." Four months of healing, then the crown.
Life after
The new tooth doesn't come out at night, doesn't click, and doesn't ask for special treatment — she brushes it like the rest. The day the crown went in, she drove straight to her favorite taqueria and ordered the barbacoa she'd been avoiding for a year. Her grandkids got the giggling grandma back.
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