I did it! Now what?

[kangel]

I finally went to the dentist yesterday!! It got the ball rolling as I was in desperate need of something to get done. I am pretty much a hermit crab I hate going out and meeting people and where I once was a happy bubbly person I am now a snob because I don't like talking. Anyway....
I have to have 11 extractions and was told my cheapest option is a partial denture for my four top teeth. I am only 25, the thought of having falsies scares the absolute life out of me. How will I cope? Will everyone know? Will I be able to talk and eat properly? I'm so looking forward to being able to smile again, I am just terrifed everytime I do people will know they are dentures and then I will be back at square one, unable to smile again.
Is there another option, like a bridge? What's that exactly?
I also have to have 4 wisdom teeth removed and am going under general anaesethic to get everything done at once. I'm so happy yet worried at the same time. I do not want people to know I am a 25 year old woman with false teeth.
Please I need some advice from people who have been in my situation, no matter how old or young.
Thanks!
​

 

[April]

Hi Kangel

Congratulations on making that first step.

I had 13 teeth (including 4 wisdom teeth) removed under GA last July, have posted all about it under success stories.

I know it is very expensive but would implants be an option?

Personally, the relief of getting my treatment started and being well on the way to being able to live a normal life again far outweighs what I have in my mouth to replace missing teeth.

Life is so much better now

 

[mmgrover]

Kangel, I might be able to help ya a lil. I have had different types
of dentures since being a sophmore in high school. I have always had very
bad teeth and of course didn't take care of them. My sophmore year I had
four buck teeth and after a year of my dentist using rubberbands and retainers,
my parents told him to yank em. This left one tooth missing in my front left area,
so he made a partial denture for it. I just had to learn to get used to it being in,
didn't take very long, three or four weeks. In between my junior and senior year I
was in a car accident. My mouth hit the steering wheel and knocked out all the teeth
in the left side of my upper mouth. So my dentist made me another partial denture.
It took me a lil longer to adjust to this one becuase my gums had to heal up.
But after a short time I was doing great with it Then a year later the
teeth on the right side of my upper mouth ended up in bad shape, so i decided to
get them yanked out and get a full upper denture. I went to an oral surgeon to get
the extraction done because of my fear of dentists. Learning to use a full upper denture
wasn't that bad, it was like learning an art form, lol. My full denture work was done in 1981.
When I had had that car accident I also had a bridge put in because of two teeth missing side by
side in the bottom front. Well after 27 years I had to have a denture made for for my bottom.
The last several years my bottom teeth have really gotten bad, three teeth decayed so badly that
all that was left of them was below the gum. The two teeth that my bridge was attached to
were also starting to decay and were very loose. They were infecting my face and hurting my sinuses.
I hadn't been to the dentist for years and was scared. My first visit to him was for an impression for the
dentures and he was worried that when he lifted out the mold it would rip out my bridge.
So I decided to have the bridge and the two anchor teeth removed.
I was scared as hell of the injections, I had my wife there for me!
Well, it wasn't anything like I expected! Aside from the local hitting the infected area once,
it was a breeze! Now a few weeks later I went back and had the rest of the lower teeth extracted.
I was scared again and made my wife come along, lol. I was supposed to get a sedative first but
they didn't schedule me early enough for it. So I said "skip the sedative and let's get it over with".
I was expecting alot of pain, boy was i wrong! The injections hurt less than the first time (and i had several, 9)
After the first 2 injections, I didn't feel anything. Aside from a upward pull, I didn't know what he was doing.
It's been 2 weeks since I've had my new dentures. And i love to SMILE! My wife says I smile all the time, lol.
You will smile again and feel good about yourself
Mike
PS: If you want I can give you some insight on learning to wear dentures.

 

[brit]

Given your relatively young age, you really should evaluate all the options before making a decision. An implant (assuming you can afford one) would nearly always be preferably to a partial denture. The dentist you saw may not be able to provide them however and so may not have given you all the options, or may have assumed that that level of care is beyond your means. There is nearly always more than one way to proceed.

I know I wouldn't hesitate to have an implant in future should it be necessary. Implant supported dentures are also an option sometimes but it doesn't sound like you need a full denture.

The other issue is that once teeth are removed from the jaw bone, the bone begins shrinking so the optimum time to do implants is immediately...it's not sth best left until finances improve.

Are you sure the teeth cannot be saved by conventional means (probably not available under GA?) such as root canal and crown? At your age you really should do all in your power to keep your own teeth and/or preserve the function of the remaining ones wherever possible. Sometimes a second opinion is a good idea, particularly after a long period of non-attendence. The dentist may be suggesting what he thinks is easiest/cheapest for you rather than what is best for your longterm dental health. There is no reason why you can't have implant treatment or even root canals and crowns under i/v sedation for instance.
Wisdom teeth under GA is an excellent idea and should be a breeze .