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Dentist, extractions and dentures oh my! (Big rant)

S

Speedbump

Junior member
Joined
Nov 12, 2017
Messages
8
I guess I'll start at the beginning with this rant. I'm no stranger to dentists, but now I'm terrified and excited at the same time. When I was young, I managed to grow an entire set of adult teeth behind the first set. These were all removed and my jaw was broken to make room for possible extra wisdoms (all of which came in). I had 4 years worth of braces and still managed to play my saxophone, even through all the work.

A few years ago, I got really sick and that illness totally killed my teeth. I had six removed, including wisdoms two years ago. Many are broken right to the gum line, and others are on the verge. I finally managed to get health care in order and go and have all of this taken care of.

My dentist was extremely kind and gentle. He was honest in telling me that all of my teeth need to go, and that I wouldn't have a huge recovery time because I don't have many roots left. I have a very small and narrow mouth, but he saw no reason why I could not have immediate dentures. I can't be knocked out due to a medical condition, but I was given a prescription for a sedative to use when my new teeth are ready and I have an appointment for extraction. At this point I was actually excited to be out of pain, to smile again, to finally feel self confident once more.

The denture clinic was a whole other story. Upon arrival I pulled the wrong card out of my wallet by mistake when asked for my benefits card. The receptionist literally threw it at me and barked "wrong one! Now I need you dentist's name!" I gave it to her and was barked at again "never heard of him! Give me a number!" I looked it up and all was more or less well...I put it down to grumpy temp help or something until...I saw the denturist.

He took one look in my mouth and said "I'm not doing impressions until you have THOSE removed! You are poisoning yourself!!" I replied that I am aware of this and am on antibiotics for that, and that my dentist will remove them as soon as my new teeth come in.

The man shoved a mirror in my face and insisted that I look at the state my teeth were in and then, told me, complete with hand movements of the "horrible extraction" I would be having and the "pain for ten days" involved. He then proceeded to inform me that I would have impressions after those ten days, and then wait 2-3 weeks for dentures.

By this time I was shaking and terrified and dejected. He didn't seem to notice this and took it for me being non-compliant, so he brought another person in, who looked in my mouth, scowled, and said ewwwww. I was humiliated. At that point I left the office in tears and came home.

Once I calmed down, I asked a few friends for help finding someone else and bingo! I called them. Completely different experience. They know my dentist well, and I told them the story above. They were horrified and calming and reassuring that my dentist is one of the best in the business. If he says extraction won't be difficult, it won't be. I also found out that I can have immediate dentures and my impressions are being done on Monday. They called the dentist to confirm. Shortly after this call, I received a call from my dentist office asking if everything was ok. I told them the story. As it turns out, the new denture place had already told them about what happened to me, and my dentist wanted to reassure me that that experience was not right, and that this is not going to involve any of the scary things the denturist mentioned. He also urged me to report them and is happy to work with the new place.

This should now not scare me but I'm terrified to go on Monday, afraid I'll be blindsided again or be told I have to be weeks without teeth.

Eeek!
 
Being humiliated like that by a medical professional is absolutely unacceptable. I am sorry you had to go through that. Unfortunately, things like that do happen. It's not like you've chosen to have problematic teeth and doing something about it is in fact admirable. I really hope that those judgemental pricks from the denture clinic don't have to ever experience even the smallest portion of daily pain and terror a person with bad teet goes through. Everything will go well during your surgery. I've been wearing immediate s after mine and it wasn't that bad after all. Hang in there!
 
Wow, that's awful, that person should be reported. :scared:

That's definitely a rare occurrence though - if they were all like that, no one would ever have the guts to get work done!

I'm sure it will go fine when you get your impressions. And immediates are sometimes a clunky fit at first, but make sure to go to your follow-up appointments for adjustments and you will be fine. :)
 
It was the worst customer service I have ever experienced and I can't fit the life of me, understand why. Thanks for the support, everyone.

Tomorrow I go for impressions and pick my tooth colour. I'm still a bit nervous about that as I do not want to have to look in a mirror again.

I'm also afraid because I'm a saxophone player and I've heard varying stories about dentures and playing. It's my passion and I rakbtokd by denturist A that I will never play again. Anyone have any experience with this?
 
If they bring out the dreaded mirror, you can say "I'm not comfortable looking in the mirror". 99% of dentists of all kinds would be fine with that! But I'm not sure why they would. Seems like the other denturist did it to "shame" you or something...why that person even has their job is beyond me. The last time I was shown a mirror at the dentist was when the wax moulds of my permanent dentures were being finalised. They set the teeth in wax first, to get them aligned just right. So that was actually a very pleasant experience because I saw that the dentures were turning out very nice and looked natural. :) Also don't be afraid to ask for the colour you want. It's suggested to stay away from blinding white as it looks very fake, but if you don't like the colour of your natural teeth (I didn't) you can definitely ask for a few shades lighter.

As for playing the saxophone, from a cursory google it seems more than possible, though it might take some practice, and it might be harder before you get your permanent dentures, which will be the snuggest fit. But there's always a bit of learning and adjusting with dentures. It can feel difficult and frustrating at first, but I promise you'll get there. :)
 
Thank you so much. I feel better knowing I'll be able to play again!! That was my biggest fear, I think, well that and the dreaded mirror.

My teeth are so bad I don't even know what colour they once were. I'm thinking of going about 3 shades off blinding white so they don't look fake but they do look reasonable.
 
Speedbump..

ugh.. i am soo sad and sorry to hear your experience.. i've had a few really rude dentist in my life but this is awful.. and its sad they have no empathy and concern and you wonder do they treat every patient like this.. It would be very normal to have alot of hesitiations and concerns after this. Thank God you have a dentist who is much better and you trust and is alot kinder.. it seems he is fairly reliable and trustworthy and the new place will be MUCH better option!! wow.. this just made me sick reading , i hope you get the right color, i too just had to pick a color.. it is just one implant crown. but when you look in the mirror its like alot comes rushing back and the feeling regret and embarrassment for me specifically. i hope all goes well with everything!!


Sevena,

Thank you for your mirror comment.. I know feel more "normalized" and validated.. I felt so uneasy at my last appt when I "just" went in to pick my shade. as my dentist was busy it seemed and I was with a new assistant and it was just a color pick.. well. as I was sitting there looking in the mirror I slightly freaked on the inside. like how do I pick a color when i have like 4 shades probably at least due to the lack of any togetherness on my teeth as far as form or whatever..I know it may be looked at as an easy quick appt.. but for someone with anxiety and low self esteem. ugh. i felt sick after .. and like shame i shouldn't feel like this its just a quick thing and not as important.. I know my dental staff is human and to them it is very normal and small in comparison to a major root canal , surgery or whatever else.. and they do try to make it the best experience possible. but.. your comment validated my concern and feelings.. thank you.



If they bring out the dreaded mirror, you can say "I'm not comfortable looking in the mirror". 99% of dentists of all kinds would be fine with that! But I'm not sure why they would. Seems like the other denturist did it to "shame" you or something...why that person even has their job is beyond me. The last time I was shown a mirror at the dentist was when the wax moulds of my permanent dentures were being finalised. They set the teeth in wax first, to get them aligned just right. So that was actually a very pleasant experience because I saw that the dentures were turning out very nice and looked natural. :) Also don't be afraid to ask for the colour you want. It's suggested to stay away from blinding white as it looks very fake, but if you don't like the colour of your natural teeth (I didn't) you can definitely ask for a few shades lighter.

As for playing the saxophone, from a cursory google it seems more than possible, though it might take some practice, and it might be harder before you get your permanent dentures, which will be the snuggest fit. But there's always a bit of learning and adjusting with dentures. It can feel difficult and frustrating at first, but I promise you'll get there. :)
 
Sorry to hear about your experiences with past dentists. even though I go to the dentist I am still embarassed about my teeth. In the 34 years since I been alive, I have had 12 different dentists at the pratice I have attended, because some have moved on into private work, some moved to other pratices and some retired.

I have had a few hurtful comments, mainly my childhood dentist I know she did good for us but her nick name was wicked witch of the west.

I hate my teeth, I hate my overcrowding problems, I hate my fillings, still got my wisdom teeth. currently I see the owner of the dentist and had her for the last 5-6 years since is very calming and have not cross with me, I dont enjoy going to the dentist.
 
Sevena,

Thank you for your mirror comment.. I know feel more "normalized" and validated.. I felt so uneasy at my last appt when I "just" went in to pick my shade. as my dentist was busy it seemed and I was with a new assistant and it was just a color pick.. well. as I was sitting there looking in the mirror I slightly freaked on the inside. like how do I pick a color when i have like 4 shades probably at least due to the lack of any togetherness on my teeth as far as form or whatever..I know it may be looked at as an easy quick appt.. but for someone with anxiety and low self esteem. ugh. i felt sick after .. and like shame i shouldn't feel like this its just a quick thing and not as important.. I know my dental staff is human and to them it is very normal and small in comparison to a major root canal , surgery or whatever else.. and they do try to make it the best experience possible. but.. your comment validated my concern and feelings.. thank you.

Looking in the mirror is the *worst*, honestly. You're definitely not alone. I also remember being younger and my dentist holding up a mirror and the stabby tool to show me how easily my gums bled...yeah thanks a lot for that memory, dentist! Glad it was an NHS dentist so I didn't have to pay him for the pleasure of being made to watch him stab me! :giggle: Haha, he wasn't a bad dentist really, in fact he was fairly kind, and I think that was just a routine thing to show you that there's a problem with your gums but...I could do without it! On two occasions after that I said "I would rather not" when The Mirror was brought out, including the colour picking appointment. I didn't need to see my teeth to know that I wanted a nicer colour than they were. :p So you're definitely not alone. Getting through the dentist appointments is trial enough without being made to look​ at your teeth.
 
I did it! I went to the new denture place and it was a really positive experience!

As it turns out, he took me right in the back, looked in my mouth, and determined there was no reason on earth why I could not have immediate dentures.

So, the issue was that I have the world's smallest adult mouth he's ever seen. My gums, however are normal sized so they look like they are "too big."

He mixed up the moulding gunk, and had to go on a big hunt for a tray that was small enough to get in my mouth. He had to stretch my mouth a lot to get it in there but was kind and gentle and joked with me the whole time. My moulds came out perfect and my teeth will be ready next Monday. I'm the meantime, I get to keep what is left in my mouth until then and off I go for what I am now terming the "pull and plunk."

Thanks everyone for your support here. If it hadn't been for your kind words, I would have been terrified to take this step after the last experience.
 
Oh one more thing.,the dreaded mirror did appear twice. The first time to wipe the gunk off my face (I panicked when the mirror appeared and he laughed and said "no worries, it's to get the paste off your face. You don't have to open your mouth at all)." The second time was for colour picking. I managed to avoid ~really~ looking except for a short glance and followed his recommendation. Honestly, it's not like I had much in there to compare the sample to anyway. Lol
 
Fellow small-mouthed person here - yes, the hunt for a tray that fits, I know the experience. Also the hunt for an x-ray thing that fits.

I'm glad it went smoothly! :jump:
 
Yep I had that hunt a couple weeks ago. They finally resorted to the one that goes around your head instead.

Today was wax bite day. Tray was as usual too big and was pushing on the back of my jaw. Good thing those don't take long!

Big day is Monday!! I'm excited and nervous all at the same time.
 
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