31, full removal of teeth & immediate dentures in a week

[coffeeandpain]

Welp, the title says it all. I'm 31 and I'm about to remove all of my teeth. I've struggled with INTENSE pain I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy my entire life, and more abscesses than I care to remember. It doesn't help that I am absolutely terrified of the dentist and my anxiety is top tier. I mean, going to the hospital every other day for a panic attack levels of top tier.

I'm TERRIFIED right now. I mean, yes the procedure in itself scares me to bits but also the stigma of dentures really gets to me? I'm not a spring chicken, but at 31 I'm really sad I'm already getting dentures. I feel like I'm going to be judged. I know I shouldn't care because my health is priority and who cares what people think, right? But I can't help feel that sting. Mentally, I'm struggling with this idea a lot right now but I am not turning back. I know I need to do it.

I don't smile. Ever. I can't eat because I only have two molars left. I don't talk to people, I laugh with my mouth covered, and again ...I go through so much pain. Even writing this right now I'm going through such an intense toothache since Monday that I'm about ready to knock myself unconscious.

But yeah, back to the title! I AM SO SCARED, haha. I would love it if anyone can give me their experiences or advice. I'm doing it under IV sedation (which that in itself terrifies me -- WHAT IF I NEVER WAKE UP???) but also the thought of like seventeen teeth pulled out in one go ...how am I going to ride out that pain? Do the immediate dentures make you want to gag? Can I take them out? How long will I be in intense pain for? When can I go back to work?! I'm drowning in questions and I can't even sleep at night as the days get closer to THE DAY...

also, in case it's asked, I had no other choice. I'm just a broke secretary with no dental insurance who has saved every penny to be able to do this. I can't afford implants or root canals for every tooth. I wish.

Thank you guys for reading and I hope this made some sense. I'm just a mess this week.

 

[Davee]

Hi Coffeeandpain. You will wake up from the anesthesia. As for the dentures you will find out if they are painful or not. If they are painful please ask your dentist for a "soft relign." This is where they fill your denture with a soft material, take an impression and trim it as needed. It is cheap, quick and makes a partial or full denture fit like a glove without any painful rubbing areas. The best $60 I ever spent in my life when I wore a painful partial denture.

As for stigma- that is a hard one. When we have bad teeth we put ourselves in mental prisons.
I used to (and still do) look up famous people with dentures on the Intranet.You asked for experiences so I will share a couple. I remember the hottest guy I ever met told me "My teeth are like the stars at night." I asked him what that meant (he was 31, I was 24) and he told me "they come out at night." He related he had his teeth removed at 17 and wore dentures. He was married and we were friends, but if he was single I would have loved to have been his wife. I could have cared less about him wearing dentures.

Years later when I had a neighborhood cook out my neighbor asked me why I wasn't eating anything. I was honest- told her my partial denture would break if I tried to eat with it and that I did not want to take it out and show everyone I didn't have front teeth. She then (with her beautiful smile) told me she wore full dentures and due to them fitting well could eat without a problem. I never would have guessed.

It isn't simple but there are good things ahead. First off- after the healing your body will love not having bacteria seep into your body through the gums. Gum disease and bacteria have been associated with many physical ailments and health issues. Second- your dentures will look great. You will have an attractive smile. Third- your breath will be fresh. I remember once a co-worker putting her hand over her nose when we were discussing a work issue. Yes- my breath was that bad and I will never forget that day.

Good luck. You can do this.

 

[coffeeandpain]

Hi Coffeeandpain. You will wake up from the anesthesia. As for the dentures you will find out if they are painful or not. If they are painful please ask your dentist for a "soft relign." This is where they fill your denture with a soft material, take an impression and trim it as needed. It is cheap, quick and makes a partial or full denture fit like a glove without any painful rubbing areas. The best $60 I ever spent in my life when I wore a painful partial denture.

As for stigma- that is a hard one. When we have bad teeth we put ourselves in mental prisons.
I used to (and still do) look up famous people with dentures on the Intranet.You asked for experiences so I will share a couple. I remember the hottest guy I ever met told me "My teeth are like the stars at night." I asked him what that meant (he was 31, I was 24) and he told me "they come out at night." He related he had his teeth removed at 17 and wore dentures. He was married and we were friends, but if he was single I would have loved to have been his wife. I could have cared less about him wearing dentures.

Years later when I had a neighborhood cook out my neighbor asked me why I wasn't eating anything. I was honest- told her my partial denture would break if I tried to eat with it and that I did not want to take it out and show everyone I didn't have front teeth. She then (with her beautiful smile) told me she wore full dentures and due to them fitting well could eat without a problem. I never would have guessed.

It isn't simple but there are good things ahead. First off- after the healing your body will love not having bacteria seep into your body through the gums. Gum disease and bacteria have been associated with many physical ailments and health issues. Second- your dentures will look great. You will have an attractive smile. Third- your breath will be fresh. I remember once a co-worker putting her hand over her nose when we were discussing a work issue. Yes- my breath was that bad and I will never forget that day.

Good luck. You can do this.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for this reply! All day I've been sitting here, drowning in my own anxiety, but reading this really lifted up my spirits.

 

[PurpleRain]

hi coffeeandpain,

i totally feel for you; less than a year ago i was in your shoes. i had NEVER seen a dentist until the end of 2017, when my bottom front tooth fell out. i was 39. before that, i'd had severely overcrowded teeth, bleeding gums, and several abscesses that hurt SO bad, but i was so terrified of going to the dentist that i just rode out the pain until the tooth died. last june i had 15 teeth extracted and bone grafting with just local, and i swear to you, the anticipation and my imagination were 1000x worse than the actual procedure. of course it was no fun, but as far as my pain, it never got above a 1, maybe 2, mostly b/c one of the teeth pulled was a wisdom tooth...i've read that the worst pain happens around 6 hours after, but my dentist gave a a long lasting local (marcaine?) and i was numb for a good 12 hours...no complaints! i only had a prescription for 800mg ibuprofen, which i dutifully took the night after the extractions, and the next day i forgot to take it b/c i had almost no pain. i felt pretty tired a day or two after, and a little lousy from the antibiotics, but that was about the worst of it.

i did get immediate partial upper and lowers; i have a really bad gag reflex and i didn't have a problem with them. i was instructed to wear them overnight for the first night only, and then i took them out. and like you i was worried about adjusting to life as a denture wearer. i'm a little older than you at 40, but still young for dentures, and while i don't love putting my teeth in a cup at night or seeing myself without teeth, i will take it ANY day over life before dentures. my whole life i was embarrassed to smile too, and since my teeth were becoming loose, i was starting to have trouble eating things i love, and i had just started a new job where i talk to people all day and i was so ashamed. now for the first time i have cute straight teeth and can eat most things (ok, no super hard or sticky stuff), and of course not having active periodontal disease or abscesses has to be good for my body.

having 15 teeth extracted and getting dentures was one of the hardest, but BEST things i'd ever done for myself, and it's SO worth it in the end. i wish you all of the strength in the world and i hope this gives you something to look forward to.

see ya on the other side!

 

[LittleLynnie]

I didn't have immediates, but had all of my uppers removed at once about 2 years ago. I was terrified about all aspects of the surgery, but everything went really well. I had little to no pain afterward, and only took a couple of Advils when I got home, just in case there was pain when the freezing wore off. I also never smiled without covering my mouth, had bad breath and was incredibly embarrassed about it all. I now have lovely dentures (I'd already lost my bottoms, and have an implant-supported denture down there), and they stay in well. I had a soft reline about 2 months after getting my dentures, and am just about to get my first hard one. I'm sure that you'll be much happier when you're pain-free and looking great!

 

[Kevgain]

I had all my teeth out in September at the age of 28. The worst part was the anxiety before hand. After the extractions I took pain killers for two or three days but the pain was never intense: not like bad teeth. I do not deny there is discomfort and frustrations in getting used to full dentures, particularly learning to eat again. I had the last soft reline about two months ago and my dentures are becoming loose again. I expect to have a hard reline next month.

For anyone who has had really bad teeth full dentures come as an amazing relief. The pain and discomfort is gone for good. I felt healthier than I had for many years almost immediately. And instead of having teeth that I was embarrassed about and tried never to show, I now have beautiful, even, white teeth. Eating is the biggest issue and I am gradually increasing the range of food I can eat efficiently with dentures. My lower denture is more mobile than my upper but I have learned to keep it in place well enough. I certainly do not need an adhesive.

Good luck. I hope you have as positive experience as I have had.

 

[Dg6300]

Good luck. Let us know how you do.