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Extracting my remaining 22 teeth - scared

G

Gummystars

Junior member
Joined
Aug 6, 2019
Messages
2
Location
Virginia
I have had problems with my teeth my whole life. Have already lost some, and after a visit with my dentist today he laid out the options. To fix all the issues, including root canals and crowns, would be over 10k after insurance. Implants are cost prohibitive for me. I about lost all of my pride when he gave the option of dentures. I’m 42, and feel like I aged 2 decades when he told me that.

I talked to my husband, who was supportive even though I would not look at him. I have looked around on the web and found some encouragement about the end result.

So now there is the actual part where they rip out my remaining 22 teeth while I am awake and terrified of dental work. I have had extractions before, and have experienced dry sockets so I know how bad the pain can get. I recently had just one tooth pulled and had severe pain for the first couple of days.

So - I can’t afford sedation, but I am wondering about Valium and laughing gas as an option. Other suggestions?

Also, I am terrified of the pain after the extractions and how long it would likely be before I can return to my profession, which involves a lot of face to face meetings and some public speaking.

I did see on the forum somewhere (before I registered) that there is a YouTube video of a 26 year old that had to get dentures. Can someone send that link my way?
 
Here it is, and she has a lot more on her youtube page.

 
Thanks! Her teeth are gorgeous! It does reinforce my concerns about returning to work. I work in a fast-paced environment and am talking a lot...often leading or facilitating meetings. The lisp and careful pronunciation...I get that it is part of the adjustment...and am very anxious that it will be a dead giveaway that I have dentures. For some reason implants don’t have the negative c
 
hi gummystars,

last year i turned 40 and a few months after had 15 of my teeth extracted due to periodontal disease. prior to that i felt the way you did about dentures...i was dead set on getting implants bc i didn’t want to put my teeth in a cup like an old lady, i was scared dentures would fall out (and i do a lot of talking at my job), or i wouldn’t be able to eat foods that i liked, or i wouldn’t be able to handle seeing myself without teeth, etc.

i was fitted with immediate dentures the day of my extractions, and i adjusted surprisingly quick. i didn’t have any problems talking (i swear a lot which makes for good “s” and “f” sound practice :), i was pretty comfortable eating after week or so, and they look a million times better than what my real teeth looked like. i don’t love taking them in and out of course, and it turns out i have too much bone loss for fixed implants, but i would choose dentures over what my real teeth were any day.

as for the extractions, i didn’t have any kind of sedation, and it wasn’t fun, but it was WAY less worse than anything i’d been imagining. afterwards i had almost no pain (i was diligent about taking ibuprofen before the extraction and then before the numbing wore off).

best of luck and lots of strength to you. i hope this helps you feel encouraged about your upcoming dental work.
 
I was in the exactly the same position as you nearly a year ago, although I am rather younger than you. I was awake when my teeth were extracted. I was surprised that it was not nearly as bad as I had feared. I was in a complete panic beforehand. Healing and getting used to your dentures takes time and there are many frustrations along the way. It was only after my dentures were hard relined after about six months that I felt full proficient in using my dentures. Since then I have been very pleased that I replaced my bad ugly painful teeth with dentures and I am happy to have made the transition to dentures. I hope it all goes as well for you. Good luck.
 
Hi there,
I was prescribed Valium for my extraction two days ago and it helped tremendously. I was instructed to take it the night before and again one hour before the procedure. I also brought headphones and listened to guided meditation on Youtube on my phone. I really found the combination of the guided meditation and Valium to be helpful. I wish you the best of luck with your dental treatment!
 
hi gummystars,

last year i turned 40 and a few months after had 15 of my teeth extracted due to periodontal disease. prior to that i felt the way you did about dentures...i was dead set on getting implants bc i didn’t want to put my teeth in a cup like an old lady, i was scared dentures would fall out (and i do a lot of talking at my job), or i wouldn’t be able to eat foods that i liked, or i wouldn’t be able to handle seeing myself without teeth, etc.

i was fitted with immediate dentures the day of my extractions, and i adjusted surprisingly quick. i didn’t have any problems talking (i swear a lot which makes for good “s” and “f” sound practice :), i was pretty comfortable eating after week or so, and they look a million times better than what my real teeth looked like. i don’t love taking them in and out of course, and it turns out i have too much bone loss for fixed implants, but i would choose dentures over what my real teeth were any day.

as for the extractions, i didn’t have any kind of sedation, and it wasn’t fun, but it was WAY less worse than anything i’d been imagining. afterwards i had almost no pain (i was diligent about taking ibuprofen before the extraction and then before the numbing wore off).

best of luck and lots of strength to you. i hope this helps you feel encouraged about your upcoming dental work.
how is your dental journey two years on?
 
how is your dental journey two years on?

Hi Tolkienista,

I'm not sure if you're talking to me or OP, but I'll answer anyway in case this helps anyone :)

After the extractions I also got some more extensive bone grafting in my upper jaw (a couple months before I wrote that post), and then 3 implants and a sinus lift that winter in 2019. I healed and then covid hit.

I got my final dentures last fall: 'snap-in' upper partials and regular partials on the bottom...I think they might be called precision fit or something like that, b/c my dentist drilled some tiny marks on my natural teeth for the metal clasps to sit in. My dentist is really an artist; I've had other dental professionals comment on my teeth so it's not just my own bias! They also fit great and I've been eating corn on the cob all summer!

It was a long process but I just kind of put my head down and dealt with it appointment by appointment. After so many visits it feels weird to just go in for 3-monthly (perio maintenance) cleanings and checkups now, and it all is SO worth it to be on the other side of all of it.
 
Lovely to hear your update PurpleRain......you've come through the other side and as you say it is so worth it. I honestly think that once you've made that initial step to start the journey, you've won the battle and you're on the road to better teeth and a healthier mouth. Congratulations.
 
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