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Starting the process for dentures then implants, very scared

D

Donnato

Junior member
Joined
Jun 21, 2022
Messages
3
Location
California
Hi, I’m new here. I have had dental phobia my whole life. I am 72 and in the last few years my teeth have begun to crack and fall out, one by one. I finally decided to ask about just getting them all pulled and getting dentures. My dentist agreed. So I went to an appointment with an oral surgeon a few weeks ago to get ex ray evaluation. The plan is dentures while they do prep work for implants. I’m going back to my dentist tomorrow to see what he and the oral surgeon want to do.

So now that it’s getting closer I am getting so anxious. I can’t sleep and worry constantly. I feel like I will freak out if I ever see myself without teeth. I’m also worried about the process of removing the teeth. I have very bad fibromyalgia and I’m afraid all of this will cause a huge flare up. I have been reading everything I can on this site to help calm myself down, but it’s not working. I’m scared and very sad. I'm also embarrassed, even though my dentist is always kind. I feel very overwhelmed.


Donna
 
Hi Donna and welcome!

Good to hear that you have found a kind dentist and that things are moving forward :).

It's not surprising that you're feeling overwhelmed right now. Have you joined any groups for people getting/wearing dentures? Some of our members have said that the Facebook Group "Dentures - A New Smile" is really useful, both for getting information on dentures and implants, but I suspect also for help with the emotional aspects of this huge change in your life. It's a private group though, so you would have to join (just head to Facebook and put "Dentures a new smile" in the search box and it should come up).

I'm not very familiar with fibromyalgia, but you are very welcome to ask this question in the "Ask a Dentist" section (Gordon might know more as he's got a background in working with patients with medical problems).

Some of our members here like @LittleLynnie with personal experience of dentures and implants may also have some good advice, so hopefully, someone more qualified than myself will be along and respond to your post :grouphug:
 
Welcome Donna!

I don’t have experience with dentures, as I only had a temporary flipper for six months, but I have experience with implants and I have atypical facial pain.

I started having trouble with my teeth at age 41, after clenching my teeth at night since I was a kid. I never knew it was an issue and no dentist told me. I had terrible experience with dentists as a kid, and had a lot of dental and oral surgery work as a kid due to overcrowding and orthodontics.

I have four implants right now. When I had the first tooth extracted, it was terrifying as all I could think about was my awful experiences as a kid. However, dental work has come a long way, and the techniques used today are so much better! I actually said “it’s done?” once the tooth was out, as it was so quick and easy.

My atypical facial pain does flare up when I have a procedure done, so you may have an issue with that, but then again, you may not. With my last extraction and implant, I didn’t have an issue. I would suggest talking to your primary physician about it and seeing what they say. My new facial pain specialist has told me that if I have any other procedures done to take prednisone for a week to help with inflammation and muscle relaxers for the muscle pain, to head off a flare. I can’t take ibuprofen. I wish I had been seeing him back when all this started.

I hope one of the dentists can help alleviate your fear and answer questions.
 
I could almost have written your post. I don't have fibromyalgia, but I do have an autoimmune disease that can flare up. I also suffer with anxiety, so become overwhelmed quite easily.

I had 6 implants with crowns placed on 6 individual teeth (5 on the bottom and 1 on top), over the course of about 20 years, but I got to the point where all of my teeth were beyond repair, so had them all pulled in 2017. I ended up with an old-fashioned upper denture that doesn't make use of that single upper implant, and then my prosthodontist fashioned a snap on for me on the bottom, using the odd array of implants down there (crowns were removed).

Pulling my remaining bad teeth, was the best thing I ever did, and it was amazing to be able to smile without covering them up, and I also no longer have to worry about further decay and pain related to that issue.

I don't like seeing myself without teeth either (so I get that fear), but I really don't ever do that. I take them out to clean them once a day, but concentrate on the dentures, and not on my mouth without them, and then pop them back in quickly.

I also highly recommend Dentures a New Smile, and yes, they do help with the emotional side of things too. https://www.facebook.com/groups/denturesanewsmile

You don't mention how many implants your team is suggesting, but many people can get away with an old-fashioned denture for the uppers, but lower dentures are much harder to keep in place because they aren't assisted by natural suction. Maybe you can go with implants on the lower jaw only? And maybe your team can advise you on that front because some people's arch makes it harder to keep a denture in without implants. They would know if you would fall into a likely difficult situation on that front too.

You can do this! I had a hard time mentally, before the big day, but the end result has been a great improvement to my quality of life and happiness.
 
Thanks to everyone for the information and support. I went to my appointment yesterday and it went well. I will need four implants on the top on each side of my front teeth and a sinus lift. My dentist as usual was very kind and upbeat. He always likes to tell me that the process seems like a lot but once you do it it’s not so bad. So I am at the very least grateful for his kindness. My oral surgeon is the opposite. Very hard to talk to and all business. My big fear is the extractions . I have had teeth pulled before but one at a time. Also I fear any kind of sedation. My second big fear is my fibromyalgia. I belong to another forum for that and they have been encouraging. When the pandemic started my fibromyalgia got much worse, so I am in pain 24/7. Any stress causes me to go from 5 to 10 with pain. The oral surgeon recommended ibuprofen for pain after, I would prefer something stronger.

@MountainMama @letsconnect
 
Sorry I accidentally posted that reply before I was finished. Thanks for sharing your stories and information, it really helped. Littlelynnie it does sound like we have similar stories, except I will be getting the top. Will also be getting a snap on for the top. I had to decide between getting all the top teeth removed and getting all upper implants or keeping some teeth and getting the implants. He said said Getting all implants on the top is more difficult . i need also need work on the bottom but we decided to work on the top first. i will post updates soon . Thanks again for the Help
 
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