Information needed about impression material and dentures in general

[Peter Pumpkinhead]

I had an appointment this week to have upper and lower impressions made and the bottom ones went fine but I had major problems with the top ones. The dentist was running late and so I think the whole thing could have been handled a lot better but basically I began to gag and pulled the tray out and the whole thing was a complete disaster so I have to go back again. The main problem is my fear of the material used and the thoughts of what would happen if it started to go down my throat. If the material sets hard around teeth, what happens if it goes down your throat?

My other question is about getting dentures. I'm supposed to be getting partial dentures and I've had all but one of my back teeth removed so far but I'm less than happy with the appearance of my front teeth and since I've been through so much already with the extractions I've had, I'd like to think that I'm going to have a perfect looking mouthful of teeth when it's all over. The dentist says that my remaining teeth are loose and I might lose them eventually anyway so I'm wondering whether to just have them pulled, or can a denture be made that will sit in front of the crooked teeth to give a more uniform appearance?

If anyone has any insights into both of these questions, I'd appreciate it so much. I've had a look online and I couldn't find an answer to either of my queries. Thanks so much in anticipation!

 

[tinabear]

Hi Peter!
I had all of my teeth extracted in September, personally if you only have a few that will remain, I would think to save yourself any trouble do it all....I had temporary dentures for the last six months, they looked great. I got my permanent ones yesterday, the impressions taken last week for these were a little more intense than my original impressions, but I too was nervous about gagging, not being able to breathe, etc. I would say the only thing that you can do i just stay calm, try not to think about anything, and just know that they are professionals and they can pull that plate of goo out at any time if there is any problem.
Good luck and keep us posted

 

[swampiesue]

Try to relax and breath slowly in and out of your nose...
Good luck hope all goes well x

 

[Fear Is Not An Option]

It would have to be pretty watery to go down your throat, and unless your dentist is still in the stone ages, impression material nowadays is a lot thicker than it used to be and sets a lot faster. In about a minute and a half.

When getting the top impression, sit up (not lying back) and tip your head forward. This helps you not to gag and anything in your mouth will ooze out (like saliva) instead of pooling in the back of your throat which would make you gag. Breathe out of your nose, not your mouth, slow and steady. And do something that distracts your brain from your mouth, like counting backwards from 100 by 3s.

You can do this! And you'll be fine. I'm not a dentist but I don't think impression material is dangerous even if you were to swallow a tiny bit. They do impressions on children getting braces all the time. If it was dangerous, I don't think they'd use it. And about it solidifying in your stomach should you swallow some, that's not going to happen because it has to dry to harden, and your stomach has acid which will break it down, like it does your food.

Good luck!