S
Spanky
Member
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2015
- Messages
- 34
- Location
- Queensland Australia
Hi All,
I'm 43... and for the last 23 years I've been in a constant battle with trying to save my teeth. At the age of 20 I got a partial denture after having 6 upper teeth removed due to decay. Fast forward 23 years, I'm down to 9 teeth on the lower jaw and 4 upper. I recently (last December) had a new upper partial denture made and 3 weeks later became distraught that my 2 upper front teeth had become very loose (the design of the new partial utilises the front teeth for support). I went to my dentist, had x-rays and discovered that the bone that should be supporting the teeth has resorbed due to the missing teeth on each side, and the infected gum behind one of the teeth has detached and is flapping around under the partial. So discussions about what to do ended up like this - the teeth need to be extracted and a full upper denture created. At first I was OK with this... it's something I've always knew would eventuate, but now the anxiety has hit me really hard... I'm depressed, anxious and scared. I also suffer from hypertension, which doesn't help matters... and thinking about what is coming gives me palpitations! Combine that with not being able to bite down due to the loose teeth which is affecting my ability to eat and the general feeling that the teeth will just fall out (I know that is highly unlikely but I have nightmares about it... like... several times a night). I haven't been sleeping properly due to all these stresses and overall I'm having a really crap time.
I'm lucky that my dentist who's doing the extractions is a surgeon, not just a general dentist... he's removed my wisdom teeth and some other troublesome teeth over the last few years and he is FANTASTIC, and fully aware of my phobia, and is supportive of my need to tranquilize myself heavily before going in for surgery... the most important thing for me is that I trust him not to butcher me.
I go in to get my impressions taken the day after tomorrow, once the denture process is complete (up to 4 weeks I'm told), they'll remove the last 4 teeth and place it in... job done!
Then I stress about what shouldn't even be thought about yet... will I talk properly, what won't I be able to eat, how much pain will I have, what if I get an infection or a dry socket... it just doesn't end!
And to top it off... I'm an active person... an avid mountain biker and kayaker... how is this going to affect my lifestyle? Do I need to start looking at getting bone grafts and do the all on four thing so my teeth don't fall out while I'm riding on a fast downhill trail on my bike? How do I pay for all this... (I did say it just doesn't end)...
So I think I need a reality check... I'm sure out of the millions of denture wearers out in the world, there are some on this site that will give me some positive feedback, maybe even some hope!
Thanks in advance...
Spanky
I'm 43... and for the last 23 years I've been in a constant battle with trying to save my teeth. At the age of 20 I got a partial denture after having 6 upper teeth removed due to decay. Fast forward 23 years, I'm down to 9 teeth on the lower jaw and 4 upper. I recently (last December) had a new upper partial denture made and 3 weeks later became distraught that my 2 upper front teeth had become very loose (the design of the new partial utilises the front teeth for support). I went to my dentist, had x-rays and discovered that the bone that should be supporting the teeth has resorbed due to the missing teeth on each side, and the infected gum behind one of the teeth has detached and is flapping around under the partial. So discussions about what to do ended up like this - the teeth need to be extracted and a full upper denture created. At first I was OK with this... it's something I've always knew would eventuate, but now the anxiety has hit me really hard... I'm depressed, anxious and scared. I also suffer from hypertension, which doesn't help matters... and thinking about what is coming gives me palpitations! Combine that with not being able to bite down due to the loose teeth which is affecting my ability to eat and the general feeling that the teeth will just fall out (I know that is highly unlikely but I have nightmares about it... like... several times a night). I haven't been sleeping properly due to all these stresses and overall I'm having a really crap time.
I'm lucky that my dentist who's doing the extractions is a surgeon, not just a general dentist... he's removed my wisdom teeth and some other troublesome teeth over the last few years and he is FANTASTIC, and fully aware of my phobia, and is supportive of my need to tranquilize myself heavily before going in for surgery... the most important thing for me is that I trust him not to butcher me.
I go in to get my impressions taken the day after tomorrow, once the denture process is complete (up to 4 weeks I'm told), they'll remove the last 4 teeth and place it in... job done!
Then I stress about what shouldn't even be thought about yet... will I talk properly, what won't I be able to eat, how much pain will I have, what if I get an infection or a dry socket... it just doesn't end!
And to top it off... I'm an active person... an avid mountain biker and kayaker... how is this going to affect my lifestyle? Do I need to start looking at getting bone grafts and do the all on four thing so my teeth don't fall out while I'm riding on a fast downhill trail on my bike? How do I pay for all this... (I did say it just doesn't end)...
So I think I need a reality check... I'm sure out of the millions of denture wearers out in the world, there are some on this site that will give me some positive feedback, maybe even some hope!
Thanks in advance...
Spanky