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New Top Partial Denture

H

helena

Junior member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
5
Location
Dorset
Hello everyone

I am new to the forum and have found my way here because of my new partial denture.

I had spaces in my top teeth for years which no dentist ever did anything about. It's actually on my top teeth and is 1 tooth which is 4 over from the front at the left and 2 teeth which are 3 and 4 over from the front right if that makes any sense whatsoever.

I was eating a nut about 4 weeks ago and heard a horrible crack. Later that evening the crown right beside my front tooth came out. I was totally horrified. There was the stumpy bit which the crown attaches onto looking at me in the mirror. Of course my hubby has been trying to make me feel a bit better about the situation by telling me that I look like a pirate and saying pieces of eight! He said at halloween I will look great!!! Oh well, he's just trying to cheer me up.

I went to the dentist who told me that a new crown could not be put in as the stumpy bit had broken so it was now too small. I was told that I needed a partial denture and that it would include the other few missing teeth. He took an impression and to be honest neither my hubby or myself think he pushed the 'impression maker' which looked like a boxer's gum shield up hard enough but we didn't say anything as well what do we know.

I went back again and the dentist put something which looked like rubber or something into my mouth. I wasn't told what it was or shown it but hubby said it looked like the partial denture. Hubby told the dentist that we didn't want the plate to cover the whole of my palet so, with a scalpel, the dentist trimmed it down so that it resembled a similar shape to a very thin gum shield inside the mouth so the plate does not touch my hard palet at all. It took all of 30 seconds and I was sent on my way and told to come back in a couple of weeks when the denture would be ready.

I went back on Wednesday and the dentist put the partial denture into my mouth. It looked beautiful, no spaces and the teeth really looked like my own. Once it was in, neither us nor the dentist could tell which were my own teeth and which were false. That is where the problem begins and I do apologise for lots of typing but I feel that if you don't know everything that happened then its half a story.

The denture was very big when the dentist put it into my mouth. The dentist took what looked like a drill bit and filed away some of it and kept trying it back in my mouth. It got to a point where the dentist said that she couldn't file any more away as it was getting too thin and would snap so she drilled down 2 of my bottom teeth to try and compensate for the false ones on the top. I was told it was perfect and was sent on my way. I was told that I should keep it in and not take it out for a while and that it would take time to get used to it.

The plate stops about half an inch before my hard palet starts (sorry i have been running my tongue round to try and work this out and have no idea what the places are called). I suppose the best description would be if you held the denture in your hand it would be a similar shape to a horse shoe with a few teeth attached. The plastic of the pink part of the denture towards the inside edge in places is very thick and uncomfortable making it difficult to drink. I took a pain pill and it almost made me sick.

The tooth on the left and where the crown was seem perfect but the 2 teeth on the right seem too large for the gap. One of the teeth part covers my existing tooth as does part of the pink plate. I can't close my mouth properly because of this and if I bite, the denture wabbles from side to side as I feel that the 2 teeth are too large as is that part of the plate. It is slight but enough that I cannot bite not close my teeth.

The back plate also seems to be too big for the roof of my mouth. If I close my teeth, I feel it pushing up to where it wants to be and then when I release the bite, it comes back down again. It is slight but really annoying.

Please don't think I am rambling on but I didn't know how to describe it all.

What can I do? I have an appointment with the dentist on Tuesday but have no idea what I can ask for or what can be done. My treatment is NHS.

Thank you for any help
 
Hi Helena,

Don't apologise for the length of your post, it was an excellent description of your problem. If you cannot bring your natural teeth together without the denture being displaced, then it is almost certainly the case that the denture needs further adjustment. It might only need another fraction removing, but unless it is done you will never feel comfortable with the denture.

There are other ways of filling gaps apart from a plastic partial denture. These include metal based partial dentures, fixed bridges and implants. However, under the NHS the cheapest possible solution is all that is generally available.

Best of luck
 
Thank you so much for your reply and thank you for understand why my post was so lengthy.

I am really afraid that when I go back to the dentist I will just be told that it is fine and that I have to get used to it.

I am also finding that when I drink, the liquid goes under the plate but from the front of it by my teeth. I don't know if it is normal for that to happen.

I am horrified at the partial denture anyway and have done nothing but cry. The fact that it all seems to be wrong is making it a lot worse.

helena
 
Helena,
Did the dentist extract the tooth where the crown had been or did he cover the stumpy bit with the denture?
 
Hi :hug2: I have a top partial denture too, and it is very difficult to get used to. Liquid and food will go underneath it, the best way I've found to stop that is to use a fixative. that cures it entirely for me. I felt awful when i first had mine too but it does get lots better once you come to terms with it and get used to it.

Also, if you are not happy with the fit and your dentist is unhelpful I would definitely seek a second opinion. Could you afford to see an independent dentist? They will usually have a lot more treatment options available.
 
No the stumpy bit wasn't extracted, it is still there and when the impression was taken the stumpy bit was taken into consideration.

I was supposed to go back to the dentist tomorrow (Tuesday) but I've come down with a horrible bug so have shut myself indoors so as not to pass it on to anyone. I've made an appointment to go back next week.

Hubby told the receptionist that we feel that the impression wasn't taken properly. It was a new dentist and when he did the impression he didn't put any pressure on it, he merely sat it in my mouth and then took it out again. Any time I have ever had an impression taken for any reason, it always feels like the dentist is going to push the bit that goes in your mouth up through my head. Hubby told this to the receptionist and also that the other dentist I saw when I was first given the partial denture said she couldn't file any more of it away as it would break. She actually filed down 2 of my teeth to try and get the denture to fit but it's still too big. There is a rocking motion going on - the whole thing is not good.

When you say that liquid gets in yours, does your feel when you close your teeth that it is moving up towards the roof of your mouth and then when you let your teeth open it moves out again? I don't know if that is normal but it doesn't feel right.

Thanks for any input
 
Hello everyone

I have been back to the dentist today and was seen by a different dentist. Turns out that the man who took my impression 'left' after only a couple of weeks. When I found this out it did not fill me with confidence to say the least.

Anyway I was told that the dentist today was going to realign the partial denture. She said that it was very thin so she couldn't take a lot off it or it would break. Each time she worked in my mouth it didn't seem to make any difference. She then put something on the roof of my mouth. Hubby said it looked almost like vaseline and then had some drips of a liquid added to it and stirred up. She put it all over the roof of my mouth and it seemed to set very quickly. It went very hard and was pink in colour. Some of it went between my teeth and after that few seconds it took to go rock hard, she had to use a pick to try and get it out but a lot of it remained. It was also all over the back of my teeth and still is I would add. I have brushed and flossed but I can't get it off. Hubby had to use tweezers (not a good idea we know) to get the big lump out from between my teeth. After she had put this 'stuff' all over the roof of my mouth and teeth, she put the plate in again and got it to fit but the teeth were too long if that makes any sense. She drilled down my own teeth on the bottom twice to try and make the long false teeth fit but still it didn't work. She tried to dismiss me but I said that it was just no good and so long as I never had to eat anything it would be fine. She just said I had to get used to it. I told her that one of the long teeth was cutting my tongue as it was so sharp so she had another look even though she didn't want to. She filed down the long teeth and they are now fine.

I have worn the denture all day today but my mouth feels really tired. Don't know if that is normal as the dentist told me nothing whatsoever. Just left me to get on with it with no tips, information or advice.

Anyone know what the 'stuff' is she put on the roof of my mouth that set like concrete?

Is it normal that your mouth feels really tired?

Also is it normal to feel pressure on the teeth either side of the false ones?

Thanks for any help

helena
 
This link may help you:


I have partial top denture which I'm now used to. Are you sure you've got it in all the way? Mine was a bugger to get in at first. My mouth ached when I first got it, but after a fortnight it was fine. I think your mouth muscles have to learn to adjust. I also found that sucking sugar free sweets helped with the feeling sick thing. If my mouth gets dry I feel sick.

But, as my dentist told me, your denture should be comfortable and should be a good fit and you should be able to close your mouth with a good bite pattern.
 
Helena,

The stuff that was put in your mouth is a form of quick setting plastic. You should not have been left with remnants stuck between your teeth.
It sounds like the new dentist is trying to correct a denture that is not a good fit.
I would have thought it would be much better to take a new impression and start from scratch.
There a three types of NHS dentists:
Those who work in dental hospitals, those who have salaried positions in the community dental service and those who work in high street practices.

The first two groups are paid a salary and are able to take enough time to do excellent work.
The last group are victims of the government’s new dental contract and have to meet targets otherwise their pay is cut. They are under terrible pressure to cut costs, and are rarely able to devote as much time to each patient as they really need. I have tremendous respect for those who can produce quality dentistry under these conditions.

My advice to you would be to go and see private dentist who has a good reputation. He will have the luxury of more time and access to high quality materials and technical support.

Yes, it will cost more, but dentistry is no different to anything else – you get what you pay for. One word of warning though – some dentists charge privately but still do a shoddy job. So always get a recommendation first. If you would like me to help you find a good private dentist in your area, pm me and I will make enquires for you.
 
In not sure what an nhs dentist is but frm what i have read they are not a good idea. I am getting full dentures on november 4th they cost just over 3grand... I ended up going to welfare [social assistance] and explained my situation. They ended up giving me 1500 towards my dentures from a vendor of my choice. I ended up getting lucky. my dentist is a a one stop shop [more below]
 
They were able to do my impressions and everything there and sent them to a lab to make the dentures. He will also be extracting all my teeth [i will be awake] and doing the immediates. MAYBE YOU COULD DO SOMETHING LIKE I DID AND GET SOME FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE? Gooooood luck!
 
Helena,

The stuff that was put in your mouth is a form of quick setting plastic. You should not have been left with remnants stuck between your teeth.
It sounds like the new dentist is trying to correct a denture that is not a good fit.
I would have thought it would be much better to take a new impression and start from scratch.
There a three types of NHS dentists:
Those who work in dental hospitals, those who have salaried positions in the community dental service and those who work in high street practices.

The first two groups are paid a salary and are able to take enough time to do excellent work.
The last group are victims of the government’s new dental contract and have to meet targets otherwise their pay is cut. They are under terrible pressure to cut costs, and are rarely able to devote as much time to each patient as they really need. I have tremendous respect for those who can produce quality dentistry under these conditions.

My advice to you would be to go and see private dentist who has a good reputation. He will have the luxury of more time and access to high quality materials and technical support.
Yes, it will cost more, but dentistry is no different to anything else – you get what you pay for. One word of warning though – some dentists charge privately but still do a shoddy job. So always get a recommendation first. If you would like me to help you find a good private dentist in your area, pm me and I will make enquires for you.


Thank you so much for your offer of help. I would love to be able to go to a good private dentist but unfortunately I am disabled and cannot afford to do this which is why I had to go NHS. I had no choice.

I had a feeling that the stuff she put on the roof of my mouth was something to do with trying to get the denture to fit. I just wish I could get the remainder of it from between my teeth!

I agree that it would have been much easier to take a new impression and start again.

I have kept the denture in for a full day now and it only fell out once while I was trying to eat. Perhaps a fixative would help but I have no idea.

My mouth is really tired. It feels like it has run a marathon and wants to rest. The pressure on my own teeth on each side of the false ones is still quite bad but I am trying to not give in. I feel like I have a mouthful of something which of course I have and hope I will get used to it in time. My speech is crazy but I hope too that will improve through time. I am going to have a look at the link and see what I can learn. It was bad that the dentist told me nothing.

Thank you again

helena
 
kept the denture in for a full day now and it only fell out once while I was trying to eat. Perhaps a fixative would help but I have no idea.

I use Tesco Denture Fixative (it's like the Fixodent brand only cheaper). The instructions say to put a couple of dots on the denture and then pop it in your mouth. However, I found that this was too uncomfortable and it felt like little blobs of grit. So I experimented and put three blobs on the denture, then smeared it over the plate with my finger and hey presto that worked much better.

The only disadvantage of a fixative is when you take your denture out there's a slimy bitter taste in your mouth until you brush and the fixative doesn't last all day you have to re-apply. Other than that it works great and the denture doesn't come out of my mouth when I eat things like bread.

I also tried the little sticky strips you can buy to use instead of the glue type. These were no good; way too thick; they forced the denture out of my mouth.
 
Re: New Top Partial Denture. I sysmpathise with your problem.

Hello everyone

I am new to the forum and have found my way here because of my new partial denture.

I had spaces in my top teeth for years which no dentist ever did anything about. It's actually on my top teeth and is 1 tooth which is 4 over from the front at the left and 2 teeth which are 3 and 4 over from the front right if that makes any sense whatsoever.

I was eating a nut about 4 weeks ago and heard a horrible crack. Later that evening the crown right beside my front tooth came out. I was totally horrified. There was the stumpy bit which the crown attaches onto looking at me in the mirror. Of course my hubby has been trying to make me feel a bit better about the situation by telling me that I look like a pirate and saying pieces of eight! He said at halloween I will look great!!! Oh well, he's just trying to cheer me up.

I went to the dentist who told me that a new crown could not be put in as the stumpy bit had broken so it was now too small. I was told that I needed a partial denture and that it would include the other few missing teeth. He took an impression and to be honest neither my hubby or myself think he pushed the 'impression maker' which looked like a boxer's gum shield up hard enough but we didn't say anything as well what do we know.

I went back again and the dentist put something which looked like rubber or something into my mouth. I wasn't told what it was or shown it but hubby said it looked like the partial denture. Hubby told the dentist that we didn't want the plate to cover the whole of my palet so, with a scalpel, the dentist trimmed it down so that it resembled a similar shape to a very thin gum shield inside the mouth so the plate does not touch my hard palet at all. It took all of 30 seconds and I was sent on my way and told to come back in a couple of weeks when the denture would be ready.

I went back on Wednesday and the dentist put the partial denture into my mouth. It looked beautiful, no spaces and the teeth really looked like my own. Once it was in, neither us nor the dentist could tell which were my own teeth and which were false. That is where the problem begins and I do apologise for lots of typing but I feel that if you don't know everything that happened then its half a story.

The denture was very big when the dentist put it into my mouth. The dentist took what looked like a drill bit and filed away some of it and kept trying it back in my mouth. It got to a point where the dentist said that she couldn't file any more away as it was getting too thin and would snap so she drilled down 2 of my bottom teeth to try and compensate for the false ones on the top. I was told it was perfect and was sent on my way. I was told that I should keep it in and not take it out for a while and that it would take time to get used to it.

The plate stops about half an inch before my hard palet starts (sorry i have been running my tongue round to try and work this out and have no idea what the places are called). I suppose the best description would be if you held the denture in your hand it would be a similar shape to a horse shoe with a few teeth attached. The plastic of the pink part of the denture towards the inside edge in places is very thick and uncomfortable making it difficult to drink. I took a pain pill and it almost made me sick.

The tooth on the left and where the crown was seem perfect but the 2 teeth on the right seem too large for the gap. One of the teeth part covers my existing tooth as does part of the pink plate. I can't close my mouth properly because of this and if I bite, the denture wabbles from side to side as I feel that the 2 teeth are too large as is that part of the plate. It is slight but enough that I cannot bite not close my teeth.

The back plate also seems to be too big for the roof of my mouth. If I close my teeth, I feel it pushing up to where it wants to be and then when I release the bite, it comes back down again. It is slight but really annoying.

Please don't think I am rambling on but I didn't know how to describe it all.

What can I do? I have an appointment with the dentist on Tuesday but have no idea what I can ask for or what can be done. My treatment is NHS.

Thank you for any help

I sympathise with your problem and am also feeling at the end of my tether. My problems are nowhere near as intense as yours and arise from having front teeth knocked out when playing rugby as a young fella. At the time I was given a denture, which was trimmed and thinned until I could bite and all my teeth could meet. In a very short time the denture was an easily accepted part of my life. When I stopped playing rugby, the dentist suggested a bridge, which entailed using two good teeth as posts to hold the internal 3 teeth.
Recently however, it materialised that one of the posts had rotted away so that I now needed a denture. The dentist decided that I needed to have 4 teeth replaced and that he would remove one tooth from the existing bridge and cement this back in place. The premise seemed fine, but the practicalities have become more of a problem in that I can not now close my rear chewing teeth. As I was leaving the surgery, I asked what would happen about the lack of bite. He replied that the jaw would adapt so that eventually the bite would return. I have searched the internet and found nothing to support this. I would go back, but am concerned that I would be rebutted, but at the moment I fear that I will never be able to chew food again. Am I being paranoid??
 
Thank you so much for your reply and thank you for understand why my post was so lengthy.

I am really afraid that when I go back to the dentist I will just be told that it is fine and that I have to get used to it.

I am also finding that when I drink, the liquid goes under the plate but from the front of it by my teeth. I don't know if it is normal for that to happen.

I am horrified at the partial denture anyway and have done nothing but cry. The fact that it all seems to be wrong is making it a lot worse.

helena
hi,
i am in a similar situation. i went to Budapest to have implants and instead they found a massive cyst in my molar so they have removed the tooth and put me a partial denture on top. it has been a nightmare , i can't eat anything and feels so weird in my mouth. on top of that i need to leave on at all times as it has a little straw onto the root of the teeth extracted to drain the cyst. haven"t left my room and being crying for 2 days non stop. so embarrassed to go out.
dentist says that i'll get used to it but i don"t feel comfortable wearing it. just want to clear infection and have implants asa soon as possible.
have you look into implants?.
they look so good and i know they are expensive but worth every penny when it comes to health.
 
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