Advice on dentures?

Hi. I am 33 and have really bad teeth. I had calcium deficiancies with all 4 of my children and then lost my 7 month old son to pneumonia and went through a few years of total neglect on my teeth due to severe depression from losing my baby which I was under a doctors care for. Went to Afdent today and I go in July 2nd to have ALL 24 teeth pulled and the bone palette on top filed down some. I am getting immediate dentures top and bottom. I am scared and wondering what to expect and how it is to cope. Will eating and talking make me look like a fool? Do they fall out easy? And I have never really seen anyone with full dentures. Can you tell when their the top of the line dentures? Or do they really look real? Hopefully this brings my self esteem back cause I honestly haven't smiled in over 8 years, not once. Any advice would be great. Thanks so much :)

Advice on dentures?
You really need to put all of this into perspective. Right now your real teeth are not healthy and they are holding you back from enjoying life and probably they are affecting your overall health. Having them removed and replaced with decent dentures will put you on the road to better health and well being.


The decision to get dentures should not be taken lightly and you have to expect there will be many adjustments- both physical and emotional. Yes, you will be losing a significant body part and you will be learning to use a prosthesis to replace that part. People close to you will notice the difference but they will not judge you poorly because of it. People who do not know will probably not know any different.


Dentures take time to get used to. Partly because the removal of your teeth is traumatic- it is surgery and surgery requires time to heal. The dentures will feel very foreign and very bulky at first but with time you will overcome those issues.


You will need time to re-learn all the things you normally do with your mouth - talking, eating, smiling, laughing, kissing, drinking. It won't happen over night but suddenly things will be right again. Be prepared to spend a lot of time at the dentist to get things just right and to make sure you are not in pain.


Take it a day at a time.





Sandy





feel free to contact me off the board if you want- I have had my dentures for almost 7 years.
Reply:Don't worry, hon...it will feel sooo much better once you have your full dentures. You'll get used to them pretty fast, believe me! It does take a little getting used to...and if you are getting immediate dentures, then they may be a little loose at first once the swelling goes down. I won't lie to you, it isn't easy to eat with them at first....you'll rely on milkshakes, pudding and scrambled eggs for awhile!! (at least I did) It's ok...again, just keep trying to get used to them and in no time they'll feel like a part of you! And yes, they do look real! My own doctor couldn't tell that I had full dentures...and he was looking in my mouth! LOL!
Reply:I got full dentures 15 yrs ago when I was 22yrs old. I also had really bad teeth, so had not allowed myself to smile much, which is really hard for a generally happy person. I had my teeth extracted under general anaesthetic which was good for me. I was in alot of pain for a few days, I liken it to child-birth, you're in a whole lot of pain but it doesn't last for too long and the pay-off is great. I, like you, got immediate top and bottoms. They did hurt, sitting where your teeth have just been removed, but this pain will go away. After the swelling of the gums has gone down your dentures will need to be relined so they will be a snug fit again, so they shouldn't fall out. Have you ever worn a retainer? Dentures stay in the same way, suction and saliva. If you are worried about eating out and looking like a fool, try practising at home with a similar type of food beforehand. I found whole apples were, and sometimes still are, hard/painful to bite into. Now I just cut them into bite-size pieces and they're fine. Chewy candy will stick to them so go carefully. Nuts, etc can be a pain when the bits get under the dentures, that may be because I haven't had mine relined in quite a few years. I hope I haven't scared you, that is certainly not my intention. It IS worth it.





You say you have never seen anyone with full dentures, I'm thinking you probably have but you just couldn't tell.





Good luck with the whole experience, I hope you are smiling again soon.