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About to say goodbye to my old top teeth... yikes!

A

annabanana

Junior member
Joined
Jul 15, 2010
Messages
8
Okay, I have been reading these forums on and off for the last couple of weeks and I am sooo glad that I found them! This site has been a great source of information and support, and I feel better knowing I am not alone in letting my dental phobia get the best of me for so long.

I am scheduled to have all of my upper teeth removed on Friday (3 1/2 days away!!) and get an immediate upper denture. The plan is for me to get a root canal and a couple crowns and then a bridge (bridges?) on my lowers when I have the money, and eventually implants on the top if I can ever save up for those.

I have had terrible teeth as long as I can remember, and I am nearing 30 now... I have a severe overbite and crooked teeth that have become really yellowed and some are even rotting out of my mouth. I know I will be happier when I have a "normal" smile (for the first time in twenty years!), but it is still scary stuff!

I have a couple of questions I thought I'd ask in case anyone has any experience or input they can share. I am working on reading through all the journals and postings but there is just SO MUCH information. Not that I am complaining at all though =P

1. The dentist will also be filing down and reshaping some bone during my procedure to lessen my overbite slightly. (I am probably not explaining this well, sorry for that!) Has anyone had this done? I am just wondering what kind of impact this might have on the amount of pain, swelling, and recuperation time I may have after.

2. I have a terrible gag reflex, so bad that he had to put me under to take my top impressions. He said there was simply no way I was going to be able to get through the impressions unless I could tame my gag reflex, and there just wasn't time for me to practice enough before I needed the impressions. Will the denture be as bad as the impressions were, gag-wise? Any suggestions here at all?

3. I am reading a lot of stories about people getting to pick out the shape and color of their teeth for their dentures. I didn't get to do this! Am I the only one? Is this something I should be talking to my dentist about? I know they aren't supposed to be worn forever, but I'll have them for a minimum of six months and possibly a year or more if I am understanding correctly. I want to like them!

Oh my goodness, sorry for the length of this post! I am just full of questions and nerves as the day of my procedure sneaks up on me! There are so many more details I could go into but I will save them and maybe write up a journal when I have all this time at home healing!
 
Hello! I can't really answer your first question, since I didn't have that done. Question #2..I don't find gagging a problem at all with my upper. The denture feels a lot smaller and less bulky than the thing they make an impression with!
Question #3..my dentist said the shape of the teeth would be based on the size of my mouth..but I did get to pick the color. However, I had ALL my teeth out and upper AND lower dentures. Since you are just getting an upper they would match the color to your remaining teeth so it would look natural.

Good luck! It really isn't all that bad. Just takes patience and practice. :XXLhug:
 
Hi annabanana:)
I have no doubt you'll be JUST FINE, but you probably know that already from all the reading you've been doing in here - we all go through weeks of terror leading up to the big day, and then say "hey, why didn't I have this done years ago?"

To answer your questions from MY perspective:
1. I haven't had bone removed, but my partner had an overbite and buck teeth and had this procedure done in 1955!!!!! (He's 75 now, so was 19 at the time) I asked him how much he suffered, and he said he had 2 weeks off work, and after 2 days of laying around he spent the rest of his 2 weeks travelling to Sydney (we're in Melbourne, Australia), so while his memory of 55 years ago is a bit fuzzy, he can't have suffered too much!

2. I can just about equal you with gag reflex. I can't even gargle without gagging, and 6 weeks ago I had all my lower teeth out. I gagged with those impressions and I'm still getting used to the lower dentures. (Of course, the dental technician told me it's all "psychological" - ha, I asked him what HE would do if someone came into his house and shoved their fingers down his throat, because that's what it feels like! However, I had my top teeth out in 1964 (yep, we're OLD people, my partner and I, lol) and I also gagged all the way through the impressions. My dentist just held my forehead and calmly told me to breathe in through my nose, and while it didn't stop my gagging, it did help. (I was terrified I was going to throw up all over his new shoes!) So you can imagine my fear of actually getting the denture. Well, I got it and he let me put it in, and of course, I gagged dreadfully, but again he told me to close my mouth and breathe through my nose. I spent the next hour unable to speak - as long as I kept my mouth closed and breathed through my nose, the gag reflex was under control - but over the next few hours I was able to open my mouth slightly and mutter a few words. No dinner for me that night! But the best thing I did was to NOT take them out that night, and when I woke up next morning the desire to gag was completely gone. I've now had upper dentures for most of my life and I ' not even aware they're in my mouth.
However, I personally would advise - and this is purely choice, not written in stone - to be prepared to go without dentures for 6 weeks after extraction, particularly when it comes to the uppers. The gums are going to be a little swollen for a few weeks, and putting a denture in will cause some discomfort because the gums want to swell and they're restricted. When I had my uppers out, my dentist refused to even take impressions for 6 weeks until my gums were back to their normal shape, that way he could be sure the suction on the uppers would be tight.
Now, with my lowers, I did the opposite - and have regretted it ever since. I had the impressions done before extraction, then didn't want to even LOOK at the denture after surgery so left them for a few days, then they wouldn't fit over my gum so I returned for adjustments, then my gums settled down and the denture was loose, which meant going back for a reline or using goo. That's not such a big problem with lowers which don't have normal suction anyway, but for uppers it can be a problem because as your gums settle, they'll lose suction.
3. I never chose the colour of shape of my teeth, my dental technician knew what size my teeth were, and what colour they were (or would be if they were healthy), and made them accordingly so they'd suit my face. I've been very happy with his choice. But some people do prefer to choose, so that's something you really need to talk to your dentist or technician about. But I would also advise you to listen to him as well, because it's easy to want something you think will look great, but just won't suit your features, and most dentists are experts in this area.

I hope some of this helped, and if you find you're still having gagging problems I have another few hints that might be of benefit. :thumbsup:
 
TerrifiedWoman - thank you for your reply! What you said about picking my teeth shape and color out kind of makes sense; I would imagine they are more capable of picking out the size and shape that will fit my mouth than I am, haha. As for the color, I suppose I may look silly if they don't match at all. Hopefully they went a shade lighter than my lowers if I'm lucky ;)

SandySea - I really hope I am like your husband and I recover quickly! I am hoping to start a vacation about two weeks after the procedure, and I'm crossing my fingers that I will be back to normal enough by then to enjoy it.

Hearing your gagging stories half scared me and half helped me, lol. I like your advice about being sure to leave them in to sleep even if they do seem to be gagging me that first day. I plan on coming home and passing out for awhile when I get back anyway, so if they bother me at all I hope they are better when I wake up. Positive thinking! I don't have problems with gargling and can handle x-rays and lower impressions and things, so maybe I am not as bad off as I feel sometimes? I think a lot of my gag reflex comes from a bad experience I had with upper impressions the last time I went to the dentist - about 15 years ago. (yikes!) :censored:

I will take your comments into consideration about not wanting to wear the teeth for the first six weeks or so. Unfortunately, I am supposed to be out of town for part of those six weeks, so that may not be an option for me. The dental team seemed to think I'd be able to go back to work/school with my teeth a few days after the procedure, so I am hoping after two weeks I'll be somewhat human again, even if only on soft foods. I will talk to them about whether taking them out when I can would be advisable.

And I am glad to hear you were happy with your dentist-chosen teeth. As I said above, I think my dental team is probably more adept at choosing what is appropriate for my mouth shape and face than I would be. I might be tempted to order Julia Roberts teeth out of sheer excitement, without thinking how ridiculous they would look with the rest of me. ;D
 
Good luck. I didn't choose mine either, I have upper and lower partials. The dentures do take while to get used to but it gets easier each day :XXLhug:
 
annabanana, see, you will get differing stories here. I totally disagree with Sandy about not wearing them. I've had mine 13 days today and have worn them from 7am to 10pm every day with no problems at all. Never had pain and very, very little swelling! I went out to eat today! I think it all depends on the person. ;)
 
Thanks for the luck, Chrissie! I will take all I can get!! I keep telling myself to remember that it WILL get easier, because I am afraid I may get caught up and forget all of that when I need to remember it most :(

TerrifiedWoman - I am glad to hear that you have been adjusting so well. And that you were able to go out to eat on day 13!! Yay! :jump: I am trying to eat everything that I think I will miss now in preparation for the big day, lol.

I have a crazy high tolerance to pain (or so I am told, anyway) and I am hoping that works in my favor. Either way, I enjoy hearing so many different stories... I feel like the whole denture adjustment period is a big mystery, but no matter which way it goes, I won't be totally alone in my experiences!
 
I am trying to eat everything that I think I will miss now in preparation for the big day, lol.

I did the same thing! LOL! I'm suprised I didn't gain 20 pounds in the six weeks I had to wait for my extractions appointment.
After extractions I ate very soft foods the first three days..then I decided I was going to starve and tackled mac and cheese..which went so well I moved on to raviloli. That was soon followed by meatloaf and beef stroganoff. Now I'm eating pretty much anything I want except really HARD food. Haven't attempted those yet..but will soon. (I've got both upper AND lower immediate dentures!)
 
LOL TerrifiedWoman...

I am actually TRYING to gain weight pre-procedure, but I haven't had much luck. It is a great excuse to pig out on desserts and fattening foods I'd normally feel guilty about eating! :devilish:

Your post gave me some great food ideas! I had mac and cheese pinned down as my first "real food" to try once I am feeling up for it since I loooove the stuff. I was thinking salisbury steak or something similar would be a safe bet for stage 2 also, lol. I just wonder how long it will be before I can bite into a slice of pizza or a sandwich... I am making myself hungry now, oops.

I am totally open to hearing anyone's thoughts on foods to try and foods to avoid... I know everyone can be different, but the more ideas I get floating around, the better!!!
 
I love any sort of pasta, and those are all easy to chew the first couple of weeks. Potato salad was one of my first more solid foods as well. Also love those easy to fix "Pasta Sides" you can buy at the grocery store..they're made by Knorr. They come in lots of flavors. Had some of the beef flavor last night.
Every time I go to the grocery I eye the frozen pizzas. Perhaps this coming week-end I'll give one a shot. Probably start with a simple 'three cheese' one and progress to my favorite..ham and pineapple.

Okay..now I'M hungry! Going to go eat a brownie with a scoop of ice cream! :giggle:
 
TW :)
Isn't it great that we DO all have different experiences and opinions?
One of the reasons I regret having my lower dentures made before extraction is that they wouldn't fit over my gums (which weren't all that swollen but any surgery is going to cause at least a little swelling), and anxious to get them in and start eating, I had the dental technician make them a bit bigger - and now they're too big and need to be re-lined. I seem to remember someone (who shall remain nameless, lol) having their uppers slip down a few times - which is what naturally happens when the gums start to shrink.
But whether we get immediates and need a re-line later, or wait 6 weeks and get a perfect fitting all depends on personal choice and circumstance. At least, as you say, anna has the benefit of everyone's different experiences, which without this board and everyone's contributions none of us would have.
As for food, I'd like to add mince meat rissoles with chopped onion, lots of hearty chunky home-made vegetable soup, casseroles and stews (i made all these a few days before surgery and froze them in small containers so they just needed heating), and I agree with TW about pasta - LOTS of pasta, yum yum - ravioli, spaghetti, lasagne, hmmm making myself hungry again too. I also ate lots of watermelon (had to cut it into pieces first but it's really got for re-hydrating you) but what I really missed was chocolate so I got Maltesers - you can just pop them in your mouth and they dissolve without needing to be chewed!
 
Yep Sandy, we all have a different experience. How could we not..all our mouths are different. And yes, I did have that one experience of my upper deciding to take a plunge to visit the lower at a rather unfortunate time. :giggle: I think that's the one bad thing about going with immediates. They have to make them to fit you when you still have teeth..and obviously once those teeth are AWOL your gums are going to get smaller as everything heals shut. But I wouldn't trade the hassle of going for adjustments for anything because there was NO WAY I was going a single DAY without a full set of teeth in my mouth. :censored:
I will admit the stories of folks (who shall remain nameless :giggle: ) being unable to wear their lowers more than ten minutes freaked me out prior to my extractions....but thank the good Lord that hasn't been my experience at all. My lowers hop in my mouth every morning and happily sit there snug as a bug until bedtime.

Now can we stop talking about food? I'm gonna gain ten pounds reading this forum! :giggle:
 
Haha TW, touche!
But before we get off food, I also wanted to add salmon patties - boil up some potatoes, strain and mash them, mix in some salmon, then fry them. Yum. And eggs are great too - scrambled or omeletted.
Hey, plenty of yummy soft foods, I may NEVER have to get used to my lowers, LOL.
:giggle:
 
mmm..love salmon! Was actually thinking of that for dinner today!

annabanana is going to be wondering if all we people ever do is eat! :ROFLMAO:
 
You guys crack me up! I am sure you do much more than just eat, lol. You also post here! :p Duh!

(Kidding!)

I am still enjoying reading the forums and learning a LOT. I am counting my blessings that I do not have to get lowers to match my new uppers -- it seems like that makes things ten times harder to re-learn.

You all have given me some good ideas for foods to get started with, by the way. Thanks!

In less than 48 hours I'll be home with my new smile! I can't believe it! :yay:
 
You guys crack me up! I am sure you do much more than just eat, lol. You also post here! :p Duh!

Yes..but we're eating while we do it. :ROFLMAO:

Good luck!! :)
 
I getting jealous of the chewing frenzy going on here. I'm on day 2 with an upper denture so I'm only eating things that just slide down. ;D
 
Yes..but we're eating while we do it. :ROFLMAO:

Good luck!! :)

TerrifiedWoman, I LOL'd when I read that. You are all making this so much easier knowing I am not the first to go through this, especially since you all came out of it smiling! (Literally *and* figuratively!)

satala said:
I getting jealous of the chewing frenzy going on here. I'm on day 2 with an upper denture so I'm only eating things that just slide down. ;D

I will be jealous with you in just over 24 hours... Soon you will be the one talking about all the things you are eating and *I* will be the jealous one! How is everything going on day 2? You are alive and well enough to be on the computer, so that alone is reassuring to me, lol. Hope all is well!


I can't believe it is less than two days away, I am getting so anxious now! I can't decide if I am more scared or more excited!!

:hidesbehindsofa:
 
Good luck for tomorrow Annabanana :)
 
Good luck. I hope everything goes smoothly!! I am due to get an upper partial sometime this year or next......will be asking all you "old pros" for advice!!!
Sending good thoughts and positives vibes your way,
:hug2:,
Jen
 
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