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Partial upper dentures and travel

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Deni63

Junior member
Joined
Sep 5, 2017
Messages
5
Terrified - having 3 top teeth and a partial denture put in tomorrow. I'm so scared it's going to be such a hard thing to adjust too. I'm 53. My MIL has also invited me to Portugal in 3 weeks and I have no idea if I will be fit enough to travel? I'm worried about gagging, talking and eating. She is unaware of my denture.
I also do not plan on removing at night ?
Can anyone please advise me and tell me it's not going to be as bad as I think?
 
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These things can be an adjustment, though 3 weeks is a fairly decent time to get over the very worst of it. In fact, I find doing something stressful like travelling can actually help people adjust, because you have so many other things to focus on, and your denture can become background noise. Eating and talking are strange at first. The denture will feel like a giant unwieldy lump of plastic getting in the way! The only way to overcome this is to just throw yourself at the problem. Eat, even though it feels strange. Talk, even if you lisp a bit. Talk a lot! It doesn't take long at all for your tongue to adjust and for your speech to go back to normal.

In short, for the first few days it feels really strange, but keeping yourself busy is actually the best way to deal with it, and you adjust faster than you'd think. :)
 
These things can be an adjustment, though 3 weeks is a fairly decent time to get over the very worst of it. In fact, I find doing something stressful like travelling can actually help people adjust, because you have so many other things to focus on, and your denture can become background noise. Eating and talking are strange at first. The denture will feel like a giant unwieldy lump of plastic getting in the way! The only way to overcome this is to just throw yourself at the problem. Eat, even though it feels strange. Talk, even if you lisp a bit. Talk a lot! It doesn't take long at all for your tongue to adjust and for your speech to go back to normal.

In short, for the first few days it feels really strange, but keeping yourself busy is actually the best way to deal with it, and you adjust faster than you'd think. :)

Thank.you so so much for your reply.
Could you tell me the cleaning regime, and what I might need? Is eating really.hard? I'm also worried what would happen if it broke?? ?
 
For cleaning you can soak them in a denture cleaning solution, and also brush them with a soft brush. Ask your dentist for specific advice. It is advised to leave them out for some hours, if not overnight then during the day. It's good for your gums. You don't have to, but not doing it may make you more prone to oral infections. They shouldn't break, just be careful not to drop them. Though I've dropped my denture, which is a full upper, loads of times and on hard surfaces and it's been fine. It's just something to avoid. If they do break you'd have to visit your dentist, but honestly I don't see why they would.

As for eating, it feels clumsy at first. You do your chewing with your back teeth, so if you have plenty of those you'll be fine for chewing. If the denture is replacing your front teeth, you might find it hard to bite into things. Eating things that require a knife and fork can help with this. Practice makes perfect.
 
Thank you so much - I'll update tomorrow afternoon - I know I just have to be brave and get on with it but boy it's so hard!
 
So I have the partial in and so far it's not been too bad - eating is hard - and S sounds, plus excessive saliva! My mouth feels sore but I've been taking pain killers every 4 hours. My smile has been transformed and that's keeping me going - early days.
 
:jump: Great! Well done :)

Excessive saliva is normal - your brain will eventually learn that your partial is not food. Be gentle with yourself for a couple of days, but practice your talking - sing along to music, talk to the plants/pets/furniture/what have you, and it'll improve really quickly.
 
I woke up this morning and it's feeling like a lump of rock in my mouth ?
 
Yeah, that happens. Best thing to do is distract yourself. Don't be afraid to take it out for a while if it's bothering you and you need some relief. :)
 
So I have the partial in and so far it's not been too bad - eating is hard - and S sounds, plus excessive saliva! My mouth feels sore but I've been taking pain killers every 4 hours. My smile has been transformed and that's keeping me going - early days.

Hi there,

I just wanted to offer some advice on how to adjust a little quicker to your partial. I have had one for over a year and at first it was really hard to speak without a lisp. I started practicing counting the sixties outloud when I was alone...they are the most difficult to say without lisping and practicing really helped me come a long way fairly quickly. Also speak to your dentist about adjusting it or relining it if it isn't fitting properly. Don't be afraid to speak up, your comfort is important. Lots of luck!
 
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