Dentures!

[Patsy]

7 years ago at the age of 53 I plucked up the courage to visit the dentist after many years as one of my front teeth felt slightly loose and was causing me a lot of pain. I knew that rest of my teeth were in a pretty poor state and for years I've not felt comfortable smiling in photographs and avoiding eating toffee, nuts, hard rolls etc but could live with that. The dentist took a look at my teeth that day and told me, there's nothing that can be done to save them and you'll have to have a full set of dentures, he was brutal in his delivery and told me cause I was nervous I'd need to be sedated...I left his office in total shock, not only feeling totally not ready for dentures, by this time the toothache had disappeared of it's own accord so I never returned. Since then my teeth became worse, a couple fell out (luckily not in obvious places) they became looser, thankfully didn't get any more bouts of toothache but I muddled on the best I could. Early this July the literally took a turn for the worse over night and I knew..ok now's the time I'm gonna have to get this sorted. I went to the dentist but because I'd not been for 7 years they'd removed me from their patient list and of course I was NHS. They told me that they weren't taking on any NHS patients at the moment and the waiting list is 6mths to a year! I even offered to go private as I have savings and they told me there was also a long waiting list. The receptionist suggested that I look up to see if there are any surgeries taking on nhs patients and to ring them up . I did that and the first two I rang were recorded messages saying there's a 6 month waiting list but the third one someone answered the phone and could offer me an appointment the next month. I have a horrible 3 month + but to cut a long story short I've been fitted with what they call immediate dentures which allow you to have something to wear on the day of the extraction and for a few months before your mouth has settled to a state where you can be fitted with permanent dentures with a more bespoke fit. I had them done on Monday, early days, but I have to say I'm struggling. I mean don't get me wrong they look great, but they're unstable and I can't use adhesive for 2 weeks cause it upsets the healing process, and they rub quite a bit so I'm on liquid/soft diet and many painkillers. I just cannot wait to get them out of my mouth at night...and my god I look about 90 years old without them in...very depressing. Anyone here admit to dentures? If so how did you get on..thanks x

I've got partial dentures due to not getting all my second teeth. I still had three baby teeth at 40!!! the dentist said I had Hypodontia.

 

[Patsy]

I'm getting a range of emotions from positive to despair. Right now I'm thinking that I may've well bought some teeth from a joke shop for the good these are at the moment. I was told that it would take 6 months to be able to be fitted with permanent dentures but 'cause I still work, and my job is customer facing I didn't feel able to go toothless for so long hence agreeing to go for "immediates". From what I've been reading people have had far far worse problems than I've been having so far but the fact that they're only functional on the basis of how they look is obviously not ideal - I've got a life to live. After being in the doldrums for over three months I wasn't expecting it to be an instant fix and that I'd be straight back to my bouncy old self, though I did dare to dream a couple of times. I will have to tell my boss I'm gonna need a fair while off work as the tooth routine is not compatible with an 8 hour day at work. Having to eat like a baby, taking the teeth out to rinse them cause food is trapped on, in and under them, trying to get them in the right position where there's nowhere private to do this, the fact I sound like a ventriloquist's dummy when I try to speak. So ok I could go into work, toothless and masked up and try and find a corner where I can sup a meal replacement shake or a yoghurt and of course I'm feeling as miserable as sin right now and still suffering with a bit of pain, though funnily enough today I haven't felt the need to take any pain killers (yet). I do have a follow up appointment lined up in the next 2 weeks but I'm still waiting for comfirmation of the date..obvs things will be clearer after that. My main problem is with the lower set..the uppers are much better they seem to want to stay put, but the bottom ones feel like they're floating around despite pinching my gums and causing pain. If I try and eat with them in the movement from the lowers disturb the uppers so I'm in a proper pickle. Any liquid with the same consistency as water is fine, but anything thicker is a problem. Thankfully I can still swallow tablets ok. Of course even though I feel hungry my appetite is shot to bits and I cannot afford to lose any more weight I'm a size 8 as it is!
The other thing is I'm dreading catching a cold with this lot - Coughing and sneezing doesn't bear thinking about! I wish my friend could be more open with me, it seemed one minute she had protruding, crooked and discoloured teeth to having a set of perfect teeth and eating and talking and doing everything normally, yes she did have the work done during covid but even so a bit of insight would help...not just you'll be fine, it's nothing!

 

[Patsy]

I’ll admit to it!

I tripped over in 2017 and, because I was carrying something, I had no time to put my hands out to “save” myself. I hit the road face first and the brunt was taken by the top of my mouth. Result? I put my top teeth through my bottom lip and the top front teeth were knocked backwards. I rang my dentist as I was in Yorkshire at the time, but due to leave that night, and he told me to go to his surgery the following day.

When he saw them he confirmed that they would have to come out. Two of them were still “squiffy” but not as bad as the other two so the really damaged ones were removed. I went back the following week for the other two to be extracted. I had a temporary plate after a few days because the four that I lost were already crowns which were on pins into the jaw which is why they bent rather than snapped off. My son did some shopping for me because I stayed in until I got the temporary plate. The dentist did say I could have false ones pinned into the gum again, but I opted for a plate after what happened to the others although I’m not planning to face plant a road again - hopefully. Once everything had healed I got the permanent plate and have never looked back. Initially I lisped for a couple of days but now you’d never know that I wear a plate. The colour is matched perfectly with my bottom teeth and the rest of the top ones. I’ve never had an issue with eating anything and they’ve never fallen out or dropped down when I talk. I did buy some fixadent but have never needed to use it. I remove the plate when I clean my teeth and I sleep in it. Teeth in a glass by the side of the bed doesn’t appeal to me.

Even though I’m now approaching a 4 stone weight loss since February, the plate is still as secure as it’s always been which surprised my friend because her sister’s plate got loose after a weight loss.

My dentist is private and the total bill was £2000 but I got some of that back because they put in a claim under their insurance.

It is early days for you merryone, so hopefully your mouth will soon heal completely and you’ll be in the same state as I am …… happy with your teeth.

When I got my first set I was advised not to wear them at night due to the risk of getting Thrush.
Mine are left in the bathroom at night.

 

[Ant7t]

I've got partial dentures due to not getting all my second teeth. I still had three baby teeth at 40!!! the dentist said I had Hypodontia.

If you read my previous bit about my dentist visit. She actually thought I still had my baby teeth, coz they were so small. She said that to me.

 

[Patsy]

If you read my previous bit about my dentist visit. She actually thought I still had my baby teeth, coz they were so small. She said that to me.

Mine were definitely baby teeth. I had x-rays and no wisdom teeth or any other teeth were in my gums.

 

[Toril]

When I got my first set I was advised not to wear them at night due to the risk of getting Thrush.
Mine are left in the bathroom at night.

Thankfully I’ve never had thrush, with or without dentures. My gums were stitched after the extractions so maybe that made a difference. The only time I remove my plate in “public” is at the dentist. No one else has ever seen me without my top front teeth, not even my partner.

 

[merryone]

Still plugging away with these blasted things! The main annoyance I'm feeling today is going back to the eating, obviously I'm gonna be on a liquid/soft food diet for a couple of weeks, but as I mentioned earlier anything that's of a thicker consistency than water, seeps under the dentures, gets stuck to the fronts of them, so I have no option but to remove them and rinse them off and of course give my mouth a good rinse. The idea is to start of with the soft stuff and then progress to foods with slightly more substance and practice chewing. There's no way I can reach that stage if I can't even eat a yoghurt or a bowl of soup without this rigmarole. It's bad enough having to do this in the comfort of my own home and I really cannot see this fitting into my daily work routine when I return. I can't be popping off to the toilets fiddling around with my teeth, there's just too many people coming and going - I would be mortified and I very much doubt that the sight would do them a lot of good either. I'm supposed to be back to work this Weds, but I've told my boss that this won't be happening and he's covered my shifts, and said he'll contact me later this week to discuss the week after. I would definitely prefer another week after this as a cushion so to speak, and of course by then I should've had my follow up dental appointment which hopefully could solve some of the problems/niggles I've been having. I'm sitting here typing right now with the teeth in, yes they feel a bit scratchy but bearable but I'm already getting anxious knowing they're gonna have to come out come lunchtime. I am of course still struggling with speech, because you need to open your mouth more to form certain words, when they dislodge your dentures is quite disconcerting to say the least and hampers my progress no end. I'm guessing it's gonna be all about the glue, when I'm able to use that, but I've been reading up and have heard a lot of stories saying they're not very effective...obviously I won't know until I try.
Over the past 3 months or so I have literally lost interest in everything and if I'm honest most days I don't even bother getting dressed...I really have to push myself and of course I'm only chatting to friends online right now as I'm not ready to see anybody yet.

 

[merryone]

The only positive I can feel right now is "Yes, I finally faced up to it" and not only that I went through the procedure without any sedation and though I'm not in a good place by any means at least I'm on a road that has the potential to improve my life. Had I left it, things would 100% get worse and I'd forever have this procedure hanging over me

 

[merryone]

Very much looking forward to my check up with the dentist where hopefully some adjustments can be made in order for them to be more than just "decorative" I had the work done exactly a week ago in fact I'd be going through the treatment now as I type. I was told that a follow up would be made for me for a couple of weeks time and that they'd email me with date and time. Still waiting but I shall chase it up if I haven't heard by the beginning of next week. There's no point trying to rush it through as they said 2 weeks for a reason I guess. Whilst it's lovely not having to go to work, it's depressing too knowing it's because it's not viable at the moment. Today my overbearing feeling is that I've simply replaced one set of problems with another. My rather "guarded" friend who also fairly recently had dentures fitted and has had absolutely no problems contacted me yesterday to see how I'm doing. I told her my woes and she was very sympathetic. I asked her whether she also had same day dentures and she said yes. Big difference though is that although her teeth were awful to look at, they were still functional and I do know that she had regular dental check ups over the years therefore her gums would probably be in a much better state than mine. I also asked her whether she had just a top set or both 'cause of course if she has top only then that would totally explain why she's had such an easy time of it in comparison - She hasn't seen the message yet so I've not had a reply but I would be really interested to know. Managed to go to the weekly pub quiz last night and it went without incident thankfully and my team mates told me that they looked "amazing" - Just wish that everything else would fall into place. Feelling pretty damned low today...Thanks for listening folks x

 

[miss molly]

How are you doing Merryone. Hope you are feeling a bit better.
If you are not up to going back to work get a Doctors sick note. I used to feel guilty about staying off work but every other Tom, Dick or Harry would stay off if they broke a nail. Don't let your boss pressure you. I would go back when everything has settled down (if you can afford to/get sick pay ect) and you are able to eat/drink comfortably.
Also my mantra is only tell people what you want them to know. I bet in a few months nobody would notice the dentures unless you tell them you have dentures.
Take care x

 

[Vienna]

Mr V had his full upper set replaced with dentures and much of what you`ve said and experienced is exactly what he went through too. I know it`s difficult and uncomfortable but as mentioned earlier, time and patience is the key.
He`s had 3 sets of dentures for various reasons ie poor fit, discomfort and on one set the teeth themselves looked too long for his now shrunken mouth. He`s now done approx 2 years with the dentures and once his gums fully healed and finished shrinking he found life a lot more comfortable. He can now eat almost anything, the teeth look far more natural than earlier sets and after trial and error he`s found the ideal fixative to stop food getting under his plate. He wasn`t suitable for implants plus a full upper set would have cost a fortune and at 73 he simply couldn`t cope with the receding gums and pain of trying to keep his own teeth any longer;
Hang on in there, easier said than done I know but it`s the only way I`m afraid and never ever be afraid of returning to the dentist to have your dentures tweaked as often as you feel the need to.

 

[merryone]

Thanks for everybody's good wishes, nothing's changed as it's early day but I have been signed off from work for a couple of weeks. My main concern is that fact that I do work and and it's in a customer facing role. My boss isn't putting pressure on me, he's being really understanding which is great, but I can't help feeling pressure as I'm not retired and will still need to work for another 7 years before I'm able to claim a state pension. I really don't want to wish my life away so I feel it's something I have to prioritise in order to make progress. I do only work part time but they're full days meaning meal breaks are a part of my day and as I've said they're not practical for me at work. I may be able to stagger my return and do shorter shifts that mean I don't have to eat at work. I mean I could return toothless and say sod 'em but of course I am embarrassed to be seen without my teeth in. I doubt if anyone would care and I'm sure I'd get nothing but kindness and support however I'm totally not ready to take that step. My mind's been all over the place, I mean should I have got this all sorted out years ago when I was initially told my teeth were beyond redemption? I really can't answer that. I mean I've had a pretty "liveable" few years since that time and tbh honest not smililng in photographs and having a few food items taken off the menu didn't really cause huge problems for me. It has always in the back of my mind that the day would come and I totally recognised when it did. I went out yesterday just a quick trip to the shops with the dreaded teeth in, and I had to ask a shop assistant where something was, thankfully they did understand me but it was very awkward trying to speak and they did slip a couple of times but thankfully there was no disasters. When I got home I just couldn't ****** wait to take them out and relax. Thankfully I have been able to "gum" some nice food, but I wouldn't wish this Shite on anybody!

 

[merryone]

Unfortunately it's still a tale of woe. I had my follow up check up and was given the go ahead to start using a denture adhesive. I think it may be making a very slight improvement but I'm beginning to wonder whether that's a combination of wishful thinking/imagination. I think the problem is is that my gums are so uneven that the glue isn't coming into contact with them sufficiently to get a really good grip. I'm still having to really steel myself to insert them and it's still taking a couple of attempts to get them in place and a good few minutes thereafter to get them "settled". I do have another appointment booked for the week after next. The dentist told me it was too early to do a proper reline but she did file them down a little so they didn't dig in quite so much. The improvement was slight and they're still rather uncomfortable to wear for prolonged periods of time, so after a few hours I'm literally itching to remove them. I have another week where I'm signed off work but I feel that I'm gonna need at least one more. I hope to discuss my return to work with my line manager in person so next week I shall send him a message and try and get something organised. I think I'm gonna have to be eased in gradually as if I'm going to return "teeth in" I'm gonna need to time to make sure I've had something substantial to eat, and of course be able to get the teeth in and settled before I set off. Under normal circumstances my early starts are 7am and for me this isn't viable right now with all this going on. I have to face facts that I could well have to return to my regular hours masked and toothless until something can be done to sort this all out. I know I can be a pessimistic beggar at times but I did have a strong feeling it was not gonna be plain sailing!

 

[donna255]

Could they not just move you temporary to behind the scenes until you get your proper dentures?