Partial or full bottom denture? I really need help!

[janny]

I am so glad I found this site! There is so little info on the web about partial dentures.

I am 59 with a bad case of gum disease and bone loss. I already have a full upper denture (which I still hate after 5 years) but now what is left of my bottom teeth are loose or in very bad shape except my 2 canines. The dentist said I'd eventually lose all of them but said I could go with a partial. I also have no insurance and am going to "Affordable Dentures" here in the states. They have 3 different partials to choose from! One is metal that looks scary and I really didn't understand the difference between the other 2 besides one being the "Economy" model and the cheapest of all 3. I really don't understand the partial. All I've heard is that it's better to have an "anchor" to hold them down than not. I cannot stand to use any form of the "gripper" strips or paste so I am at a loss. Will those grips show? Do they hurt? Are they hard to remove? Do they trap food? Is a full denture better?


Can anyone here advise me? I am so tired of not being able to eat well, let alone my embarassement. I have 6 teeth left on the bottom. After I lose one, the next becomes loose and painful until it falls out. I suffer from high blood pressure and anxiety so this next step keeps being put off. I also have to deal with infection every time one gets loose. I can't afford all these trips between doctors and dentist to find I have to wait again!!! At this time, I have to wait for a letter from my doctor to say I'm stable enough to have the procedure done. Then I'll probably have another infection an go thru this ordeal again! My doctor says he's not a dentist and the dentist refers me to a doctor. All I know is that I need help and real advice!
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[Kim]

Hi Janny and a big fat welcome from me.

I am really sorry to see that you are in such a predicament, and what I found and still do, is that unless you are actually in such a situation - and this is something that (thankfully) not so many people find themselves in nowadays - it is really difficult to offer advice.

I am a 'newby' to (complete) dentures. I had eleven remaining crowns removed last May, waited for as long as I could before getting my dentures for as good a fit as I could and have had complete dentures since October last year. The tops fit beautifully, and the bottoms are good too, but if I eat, I really do need to use the 'super glue' to secure my bottom denture, and that is where I have my fall downs - I hate the stuff, and it has brought a whole new aspect to having dentures as I have found I have quite an 'active' gag reflex when removing the denture when wearing 'glue'. It sort of has a knock on effect where I am concerned, as sometimes I get to feel real 'gaggy' if I haven't 'glued my gob' in, so kind of like a double edge sword.

As for eating. Good as gold if I 'securely' glue my teeth in, but in my head is going on that I then have to take it out later to clean, and then will have the gaggy effect - yuk. Anyway, I sort of digress. I love the fact that I can eat things that I haven't been able to for years with my new mouth. I still find it a bit strange that I have a whole mouth full of teeth, but when I look at what I did have, and what I have now - no comparison.

I am still on a big learning curve with regards to eating - there are some things I find easier than others, and some things that I can use less glue on than others. What I would say to you is that whatever you decide - and I have read that it is better to have something to 'grab hold of' than nothing, if you are able to do that for as long as you can, and cross the bridge of complete dentures as and when the time comes, then go for it.

Because my crowns were old, and I mean old, and felt as if I would lose them sooner rather than later. After lots and lots of questions, thoughts etc with my dentist, I chose the route I did, and still for me - a purely personal decision - that was the best way to go. For some, that would be the most horrific way to go, and I completely understand that.

And although again, totally personal, eating with my denture is never going to be the best thing I have ever done, when I think of where I was this time last year, and where I am this time this year - it has been a no brainer - BUT - again, this is for me. You are not me, and if you are not still happy/comfortable after a few years with your upper denture, will you feel worse with a complete denture (remember the bottom will never fit as well as the top, due to suction etc).

Have you done a tick list of pro's and con's - don't know if that will help, but I would give anything a go, even a second or third opinion - those who know me of old, will know what I mean by that - don't beat yourself up and don't make a rash decision that you will live to regret.

I hope you get to where you want and need to be.

Take care.

Kim