Impressions done...8 days until extractions and upper plate!!!

[ambersue]

I am freaking out. Very very scared. Even though I have had several teeth pulled....and I know what to expect, I can't stop obsessing with every little thing that could go wrong. Here is my backstory:

I am a 35 year old mother of 1 son. I am very happily married for 1 year now. Life has been pretty good to me, except for my teeth. I had very bad pregnancies (only got 1 here), and was very sick. I lost a lot of weight and threw up non stop for 9 months with my son, and for 5 months with the daughter I lost. Anyway. When I first got pregnant, I only had ever had 1 cavity (I was 22). After I gave birth to my son, I had over 10 cavities. It was horrible. I have since been trying to keep up with them, as my dentist tells me, I cant believe how clean your teeth are, but still rotting away.

So, after battling this for 13 years…I cannot take the pain anymore. I have had 8 teeth pulled, plus my wisdoms. I need my 11 remaining tops out and 1 on the bottom for a partial.

Next week I am getting my uppers done, and will have the lower tooth extracted also, but will not be getting my lower partial for a while. But will be receiving an immediate denture on my top.

I am scared that I won’t be able to eat, or that the front teeth won’t come out right and I will be some hideous creature. I have a couple of questions…Is it gonna be easier for me to eat because I am not getting bottoms and have natural teeth there??? Am I working myself into a frenzy for nothing? I have a very supportive husband and son and extended family. Everyone tells me that I am worrying too much and that the pain I am in everyday will be gone and I will feel so much better. But these horror stories I hear and read about dentures, scare the crap out of me!! (I was supposed to have this done over 6 months ago, but chickened out.)

Does anyone out there have answers? Geez, This is a rambling mess….8 days….aaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwww

 

[Cielo]

You may find some answers in my journal as well as some of the others'.

I'm just today finishing the journey you're starting. Its been a long road, with lots of ups and downs, but you can do this.

There is a lot of good information in the journals. Stuff your dentist probably won't think to tell you. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask. There are many here that are more than happy to help you out.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Cielo]

Oh, I forgot to address one of your questions. Yes, you'll have an easier time eating having natural teeth on the bottom. Upper dentures stay put much easier than lowers, and with a little practice you should be eating very normally in time. Expect a period of adjustment, however, and don't get too frustrated at the beginning. It was three weeks before I could really "eat" as we think of it.

 

[ambersue]

Thank you for your reply. I have been reading the journals non stop for the past week. I am so scared of what "could" happen and that I will be more miserable afterwards. I am having them out on a Wednesday and back to work on the following Monday (I talk on the phone all day). So hopefully my experience will be good. My dentist and his assistant both assure me that I will be so happy once the initial pain is gone, and getting the infection out of my mouth will make me feel better. I will keep reading...hell maybe I will start my own journal! soon i will be able to smile like this...

 

[Cielo]

At first you may very well have moments where you wonder what in the world you were thinking. But as you heal, you'll realize you've done the right thing and you WILL feel better.

I started losing teeth when I was pregnant, too. I know the professionals seem to think there's no connection, but anecdotal evidence sure tells a different story! My teeth started demineralizing with my first pregnancy and continually got worse with each of the other two pregnancies. My poor dentist couldn't keep up with my teeth crumbling.

I think you'll be surprised at how nice your new teeth look. Won't that be nice? And to be able to eat pain-free without worrying about which tooth is going to break next? It's worth it. Honest.

 

[TerrifiedWoman]

I got immediate upper and lower dentures the first part of July. I had some of the same thoughts and fears as you about what I would look like. I fretted about them not fitting and looking like horse teeth. Trust me..you'll be pleasantly surprised. I know I was. They look 1000% better than my natural teeth did and everyone tells me how great I look now.
Since I also have a full lower denture I can't really answer the eating question..but would imagine having some natural teeth would make it a lot easier. When I first got mine it was tricky to eat because I had no feeling of the food. (I've goten over that and am doing fine now!)
Feel free to browse my journal. Good luck!

 

[ambersue]

I do feel silly worrying. I am more scared of the after part. I am sure the extractions are gonna be difficult for me, as I need valium to just go inside his office. But he is a very great dentist and I am not worried about him hurting me. I just have to relax myself so the LA takes a good hold. I am still reading thru journals! Thinking about starting one.

I have been told over and over that pregnancy didn't cause my teeth to go bad. But I don't believe it. I was very very sick and the doctors said that my son took everything from my body to survive. I believe that is why I lost my daughter at 5 months in vitro, because my body didn't have anything else to give and she couldn't survive. The autopsy said there was not any abnormalities. But my teeth are miserable.

I am really happy that I found this forum. It does help when I read success stories!!

 

[queenoffear]

Welcome. I wanted to express my deepest sympathies on the loss of your daughter. I myself had five teeth out last Monday morning. Three wisdom teeth and two molars. I needed four 5 mg of valium to get into the office. I had IV sedation. My recovery is slow and very uncomfortable. Sometimes I wonder now why did I do it. I know once the discomfort goes I will be ok. It is better than having an angled decaying tooth in that was partially in my jaw. I was terrified for years. I had an appointment with an oral surgeon years ago and did not like him so I never went to the appointment. I now could kick myself because I lost a molar in front of a wisdom tooth because of my terrible fear. The procedure was not bad as I do not remember much of anything. I worried for so long and had many sleepless nights and many days where I just sat on the couch feeling sorry for myself. I could not even bring myself to play with my son. I heard horror stories about teeth extraction from everyone too. My friend told me it felt like she was hit in the face with a shovel. When she said that I felt like crawling under a rock. It made me feel worse. Everyone is different. Some people recover quicker than others. The important thing is you are taking steps to take care of your problem. That is wonderful. You had the strength and courage to come here and talk about it. I had every what if in my head as well. Sometimes I still do. I guess we need to think positive because that negative energy can really bring us down emotionally and physically. My point is that my worries and fears and sleepless nights were worse than the procedure. Everyone here told me it would be ok. I did not want to believe anyone but I should have because they were right. I know I did not have the same story as you or the same procedure but I wanted you to know that you are not alone. I had some of the same thoughts you are having. I will keep you in my thoughts.

 

[ambersue]

I started a journal. Not having a good day today.

 

[bumpthumper]

Hey ambersue -

I too had to get a full upper immediate denture, and a lower partial denture, spaced out about 4 months from getting the top, and getting the completed bottom.
I had 9 teeth on top and two lower molars extracted on feb 18th, 2010 - got the full immediate upper that day. Lost another bottom tooth, this one in front because of receding gum and then abcess, so I have 6 of my own teeth left, all lower front minus one! So my bottom partial is pretty full, replacing my one front tooth, plus all my molars on both sides! Got the bottom partial June 1st.

Try my journal, it might be a few pages back,but it's called Dental Destiny (or Mysteries of My Mouth), and I've journaled all my steps along the way, and have pictures of both dentures on there too.

Let me know if you have any questions, either in this post or on my journal.
Good luck to you!!

yvonne