Getting immediate dentures

[Ken334]

Hello everyone,
I am new to this site and looking for advice and quidence about getting dentures.

I am a 68 year old male who has finally made the decision to get my teeth fixed. In the last few years I have
had failed bridges and broken teeth. It seems like my whole life my teeth have been a problem plus i
have always had a fear of dentists. Now I face my ultimate challenge of loosing almost all my teeth and living
with dentures.

I have no idea of what to expect and fear that once I loose my teeth that I will not be able to wear the dentures.
Any advise or support would be very much appreciated. I had the impressions made for my dentures about three weeks ago. I have finally got ip enough nerve to schedule my surgery for June 23. I guess at my age you
become concerned about any procedure. Anyone who has gone through this, I would appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks,
Ken

 

[Sevena]

Hi Ken, welcome to the forum. Sorry about this late reply!

It's normal to be afraid of getting dentures, but one definite upside is no more fillings, no more toothache, no more broken teeth, root canals, or partials!

As for what to expect, well, where to begin? It will feel very strange at first, having no teeth! Hopefully your extractions go as well as mine did - take it easy on yourself when recovering, rinse gently with salt water and stick to liquid foods (you'll be sick of yoghurt before long!)

Immediates are generally considered better than going without for the six months it can take your gums to heal, but they can be very tricky! See, the person making the immediates has to guess what shape your gums will take when the teeth are removed, so at first they might be a shoddy fit. On top of that, your gums will shrink and change as they heal. On the plus side, it's very easy for the dentist to adjust them, they can shave bits off, and if needed remould them slightly. Mine were functional - I could be sociable and eat with them in, but I didn't wear them at home because they weren't the best fit and would rub after too long.

But, after that, the dentist can make your long-term dentures to suit your mouth perfectly! What they do is they get the teeth and put them in wax first, then they take impressions of your bite and remould the wax over and over until it's as natural-looking and comfy as possible.

The adjustment period might be frustrating, I'll warn you. When you very first put them in, your brain gets confused. A foreign object in your mouth? Must be food, it thinks. It made me salivate, and my stomach felt weird. That passed after only two or three days. Learning to talk without lisping took a tiny bit longer, but again, the adjustment period wasn't as long as you'd expect. Practice talking with them. Talk to the plants. Sing songs. Your tongue just has to relearn its way around a new mouth.

All in all, expect some frustration, but ride it out, because it's worth it, and you can and will adjust!

Best of luck x

 

[bugs25]

Hi Ken. Good on you for going ahead and sorting this out. Took me a while also, and probably most on here too.

Agree with Sevena...spot on.

I had my teeth extractions and immediate denture put in a week ago exactly. My dentist stressed to me before hand to quit smoking and increase my vitamin and nutrient intake. He said that the more vitamins i have in me the healthier i am and the quicker ill recover. Its true...on the 4th day post proceedure, snother dentist checking on me was astounded at how well id recovered and mentioned that where i was at recovery wise was whete i should be on week 3.

So Ken, my advice to you based on my experience over the last week is to get as much healthy food and vitamins into you. Post surgery rather than having jelly or custard or icecream....opt for veg mash or if you have one make yourself a nutribullet!

Have a read of my posts.

Good luck Ken, we'll be thinking of you

 

[Ken334]

Hi Ken, welcome to the forum. Sorry about this late reply!

It's normal to be afraid of getting dentures, but one definite upside is no more fillings, no more toothache, no more broken teeth, root canals, or partials!

As for what to expect, well, where to begin? It will feel very strange at first, having no teeth! Hopefully your extractions go as well as mine did - take it easy on yourself when recovering, rinse gently with salt water and stick to liquid foods (you'll be sick of yoghurt before long!)

Immediates are generally considered better than going without for the six months it can take your gums to heal, but they can be very tricky! See, the person making the immediates has to guess what shape your gums will take when the teeth are removed, so at first they might be a shoddy fit. On top of that, your gums will shrink and change as they heal. On the plus side, it's very easy for the dentist to adjust them, they can shave bits off, and if needed remould them slightly. Mine were functional - I could be sociable and eat with them in, but I didn't wear them at home because they weren't the best fit and would rub after too long.

But, after that, the dentist can make your long-term dentures to suit your mouth perfectly! What they do is they get the teeth and put them in wax first, then they take impressions of your bite and remould the wax over and over until it's as natural-looking and comfy as possible.

The adjustment period might be frustrating, I'll warn you. When you very first put them in, your brain gets confused. A foreign object in your mouth? Must be food, it thinks. It made me salivate, and my stomach felt weird. That passed after only two or three days. Learning to talk without lisping took a tiny bit longer, but again, the adjustment period wasn't as long as you'd expect. Practice talking with them. Talk to the plants. Sing songs. Your tongue just has to relearn its way around a new mouth.

All in all, expect some frustration, but ride it out, because it's worth it, and you can and will adjust!

Best of luck x

Thanks for all the advise, tomorrow is the big day. I have to admit I am very nervous and have had second thoughts but it is time to get it done. Ken.

 

[Ken334]

Hi Ken. Good on you for going ahead and sorting this out. Took me a while also, and probably most on here too.

Agree with Sevena...spot on.

I had my teeth extractions and immediate denture put in a week ago exactly. My dentist stressed to me before hand to quit smoking and increase my vitamin and nutrient intake. He said that the more vitamins i have in me the healthier i am and the quicker ill recover. Its true...on the 4th day post proceedure, snother dentist checking on me was astounded at how well id recovered and mentioned that where i was at recovery wise was whete i should be on week 3.

So Ken, my advice to you based on my experience over the last week is to get as much healthy food and vitamins into you. Post surgery rather than having jelly or custard or icecream....opt for veg mash or if you have one make yourself a nutribullet!

Have a read of my posts.

Good luck Ken, we'll be thinking of you

Thanks for the support , tomorrow is the big day. Guess it is going to be one of those life changing moments.
Extremely nervous but it is time to get it done. Will let you know how it goes. Ken

 

[Sevena]

Good luck, Ken! Don't be afraid to call up your dentist if you have any worries while you are recovering.

x

 

[bugs25]

Hi Ken just wondering how you are doing?

 

[Ken334]

Hello everyone,
A lot has happen since my last post. My original surgery date did not happen. I went to the
dentisit as scheduled for my surgery the removal of upper and lower teeth. I got settled in
and started the sedation process. Part of the process was to monitor my blood pressure and this is where
the problems started. My blood pressure went sky high 200/110 down to 180/100 and back and forth it went.
My normal blood pressure is around 115/65. We both agreed not to go forward with the surgery until I was checked out by my doctor and he signed a release that ok'd me to have the surgery. A few days later I visited with my doctor and my blood pressure was back to its normal range. He gave the ok for the surgery and it was rescheduled for this past Wednesday July 8th. Went to the dentist and we started getting me ready for the
surgery. My blood pressure was high but within my Doctors range . So we proceeded with the surgery to remove both the upper and lower teeth. I have to admit I remember very little of the surgery. When I was fully awake I became aware that only the lower teeth had been removed. The dentist explained to me that he only removed the lower teeth because of excess bleeding. So I was sent home with my lower teeth gone and lower denture in and told to come back to the office the next day. I returned the next day to the dentist office.
I was still bleeding but not as bad. To make this long story shorter, 4 days later the bleeding is almost stopped , just some spotting. I go back to the dentist Thursday for a check up and determine when I can have the uppers removed. I also have to check with my doctor about to see if there is a problem with the excess bleeding. So I am only half way there and very fustrated with everything. I am sure down the road it will all come together.
Tnaks to everyone for their support.

 

[Sevena]

I'm sorry to hear about your difficulties, Ken! That's so unfortunate, it's a hard enough process without worrying about complications like that.

I hope you can finish the procedure soon and get all this out of the way. We're all wishing you the best! x