Flipper/partial denture questions (cost especially)

[JenniferRK]

This past Tuesday I had... an accident. I have seizures, and well, I had one in my sleep early Tuesday morning and during the seizure it seems I banged my mouth on something pretty hard because when I came to my front teeth were broken off. I went to the dentist that same day, and it seems as though they broke off in such a way that they couldn't be repaired so they pulled the remaining parts of my teeth and now I have a large gap in my mouth & speak with a lisp. It was my 4 very front teeth on the top row so it's not as though it's easy to hide them.

So, anyway, I do not have insurance of any kind and my family isn't well off so I certainly cannot afford implants so I guess my only option is partial dentures. Can anyone tell me what the price-range I'm looking at is? and can you eat with partial dentures as long as it's not tough like tearing into a big steak or breaking suckers or whatever? and will they wear my gums down as much as full dentures do other people? AND are they difficult/painful to remove and put back in? I live in Southwest Missouri (near Joplin, MO if that helps at all).

Thank you for any help you may offer.

Jenn.

 

[Dentist hater]

i am nat a dentist and i do not have any knowledge on what its like where you live but is there a dental hospital where you live or anything else that you can contact that may help or provide low cost or even free treatment for you because as you say you have seizures and if banging you mouth has resulted in youe losing teeth then it isnt your fault, you have a medical condition so is there anywhere that can help you, I am really sorry if this is not helpful, just thought i would post and give my thoughts, i am sorry this has happened to you. My mum has a full top denture and i have noticed that she eats ok when i have been with her and they look real, my granddad thought they were her real teeth. She has never mentioned about them hurting when she pulls and puts them in. Is there any possibilty that you could get a payment plan/loan. I hope you find something suitable that makes you feel comfatable with. x

 

[Gordon]

Can anyone tell me what the price-range I'm looking at is? and can you eat with partial dentures as long as it's not tough like tearing into a big steak or breaking suckers or whatever? and will they wear my gums down as much as full dentures do other people? AND are they difficult/painful to remove and put back in? I live in Southwest Missouri (near Joplin"

Hi Jenn, sorry to hear about your disaster
To answer your questions:

1) No idea, try phoning your State Board?
2) Yes you can eat pretty much whatever you like, probably including a big steak (yummy!)
3) Depends on the denture, way too complex to go into here
4) Not at all painful.

 

[olivacs]

HI there,
I have a flipper/partial denture to replace 6 bottom missing front teeth. I live in Chicago and the cost for me was about $400 or so for the flipper. It does take some getting used to and with regards to eating...you can eat pretty well although for steak and tougher meats, you need to cut up the pieces pretty pretty small to eat.

Putting them in and taking them out is not too bad as you get used to it. I know they can wear down your gums over time but hence the importance of removing them at night while you sleep or a few hours a day to allow your gums to rest and have a break. Feel free to PM me if you want to chat or are looking for more info.

 

[letsconnect]

As DentistHater said, if the damage is as a result of a medical condition, then medical insurance / medicaid may well pay for it - it would be worth checking out if you haven't already done so

 

[JenniferRK]

Thank you all for the responses. My dad has tried contacting medicare to see if I could get medicare benefits but they told him I don't qualify. I'm not entirely sure why though.

Gordon, thank you. I am a big girl with a big appetite and I was afraid I would have to live off yogurt and mashed potatoes for the rest of my life, even with a partial denture.

Thank you, olivacs. I was fearing that it would be near $1000 or more for the flipper, which is something we certainly could not afford and considering Chicago and Missouri aren't too far apart I can only assume the price will be around the same here.

and as for payment plan/loan I will have my dad look into it (since he's ever so kind and does stuff like that for me now!). There's gotta be something like that around here since most people aren't too well off around here. I have no known allergies, btw.

Also, one final question... is there anything I should avoid while looking into flippers? certain types of material used and whatnot?

I forgot to mention last night that it will be exactly a month from now before I can even go to a dentist to see about a flipper but I'm the type of person who likes to know what they're getting into before they do it.

Thank you all again.

 

[JenniferRK]

Just a quick little update to say that my dad called around to about 10 places, and it appears that my dentures will be $500 dollars *Unless I want them done by college students who've just learned how to make them!*. We have to go all the way to Grove, OK for them but I'll be able to get them next month. So thanks again for the help.

2 final questions and then I'll leave this alone until I get the dentures or if I think of any other questions.

First, now that the stitches have fallen out, I've become accustomed to eating without front teeth but I still have a lisp and it's rather embarrassing and has left me bursting into tears anytime someone in my family fakes a lisp (they like to do that, and I'm sensitive. bleh). Any suggestions as to how to maybe learn to speak without the lisp? I've tried reading to myself out loud while I'm alone but it doesn't seem to help.

Second, the dentures I'm getting will be the kind with the metal clasp things. Is the metal very noticeable? Or does it just depend on my smile/mouth structure? and will it affect my taste? (I hate tasting metal!)

Thanks again.

 

[Gordon]

I wouldn't work too hard on the lisp, you'll need to accommodate the new denture and if you change things about too much you'll probably find you've got a similar problem with the new denture.

The clasps shouldn't be too noticeable, most people if they see them at all just think it's a bubble of saliva catching the light (apparently!). You shouldn't be able to taste any difference, they're made of high grade surgical stainless steel.

 

[JenniferRK]

Ah, alright! Thank you Gordon.
Great! I really appreciate the response. Thanks (again)