Upper dentures tomorrow...

[fearful in london]

Hi there,

I am new to the forum, just joined this morning. Hope everyone is well!

Just wanted to say that I am 42 and am going to have my top teeth extracted tomorrow with upper dentures-I used to have stunning teeth, but a combination of neglect and fear of the dentist has resulted in this. I am soo scared of the change and of what to expect...

I just read that dentures can age you rapidly, is that true? Also, that I will not be able to eat anything for days (probably a good thing to lose weight!!)

dont know if anyone has got any tips, thanks so much!

x

 

[GummyMummy17]

Hi FIL, I don't know if they age you as I'm not getting mine til Thursday.I'm hoping for an improvement in my mouth area as I have been walking around with no teeth for the past 10+ weeks (I have a journal on here) and one of the things I have really noticed and hated is that my mouth has downturned so I look sad unless I consciously smile which I try and do all the time(closed mouth of course) when I'm out.I'm hoping for my dentures to fill things out which my dentist assured me they will, he isn't particularly concerned with how my mouth looks but he doesn't have to walk round like this!

Interesting thread starter, will be keen to read what others think.

 

[GMP]

FIL.......can't address your question but just wanted to say good luck tomorrow and hope for a quick healing!

 

[TerrifiedWoman]

Hi FIL! Good luck tomorrow! As for your question, I can't imagine how dentures could age a person. I would think rotten, nasty teeth would age one a lot more than pretty, straight, white ones..even if they aren't real. Guess I will find out after July 7th when I get all mine pulled and my new chompers put in.

 

[fearful in london]

...Thanks so much guys! really appreciate it so much Thanks Gummy-how do I access your journal plse(sorry am quite new and dont know my way round too much yet...)

I have spent the whole day feeling sick thinking about tomorrow...feeling like I want to cancel the appointment, and having all these scarey thoughts!!
But I know its the best thing-am going for a slap up chinese meal with my best friend before, to give me strength to do this lol!

ironically, I went to see a pyschic about 15 years ago and she warned me to take care of my teeth, otherwise I would lose them and I remember just laughing about it, thinking it would nver happen to me ....oh well!

Have a great evening everyone will try and write back in the next few days to say how its been....

take care

x

 

[LToothman]

Hey, London, don't know if this is what you mean, but my dentist and in fact all the people on her staff all told me that I look about 10 years YOUNGER with my new dentures. My dentist said the first thing she thought when she put them in my mouth was "wow, she looks like a little girl" ... I'm 40 so haven't been told I looked like a little girl in quite some years now.

I agree that bad teeth age you more. Not to mention, when my teeth looked bad, there were some days where I didn't feel there was any point in putting on makeup or trying to look nice in other ways since it would all be lost as soon as I opened my mouth. I find myself actually wanting to dress nicer, put on jewelry even, just because I finally have a nice smile. I told my dentist today that I can't wait until all the pain and recovery time is over so I can really truly enjoy it.

I nearly had a breakdown the night before my extractions. I had mine 1 week ago today. I sobbed uncontrollably for hours the night before and couldn't even breathe at one point due to sobbing. But I somehow made it through that door and into the chair, and now I'm one week past the worst of it. If I can do it, so can you! The hardest part is getting there. Once you're in the office, it all goes pretty fast from there so find a friend or someone to come drive you and push you out the door if they have to, that's what I did. Think of the end result, no more toothaches and a brilliant smile. You're about my age so I'm sure you're mourning your own teeth. That's how I felt. But I also had to face the facts that my own teeth had let me down for years. My denture teeth look very similar to my own teeth, shape, size, etc., so I was happily surprised by that. I hope some of this helps to reassure you and let you know that I stood in your shoes last week but I'm glad I went through with it and it was the best thing for me (and will be for you, too).

Best of luck to you. You'll be in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[TerrifiedWoman]

Ohhhh..LToothman is SO right! I also have the same problem..thinking it's a waste of time to fix myself up too much because I can't smile at anyone anyway. One of the things I'm really looking forward to after I get my new dentures; rockin' some awesome lipstick! Would never wear it before because the LAST thing I wanted to do was draw attention to my mouth!!

 

[fearful in london]

...ahh thank u soo much for your lovely mail toothman....so sweet of you and I feel soo much better after reading this, thank u hun!! I can relate so much to what you are saying and well done yourself for going through it! Your new look must be amazing...like you and terrified woman have said, I know exactly what you mean...when I was in my twenties, I did some modelling and used to love wearing makeup etc, but since the decline of my teeth (post pregnancies+neglect on my part), I have not felt like making myself look nice. Hopefully that will all change from tomorrow....

And good luck terrified woman for getting your done too)

I think its also the embarrassment of it all-I always thought only 'old' people wore dentures, something that you hear about in jokes and would never happen to you....!

Could I ask a few questions plse:

How long did u find the pain went on for? I have taken two days off, but have to go back to work next week
were you able to eat 'normal' food after a few days?

Also, how did you deal with unwanted questions from work colleagues/strangers about your new appearance(I dont particularly want to disclose I have dentures to be honest!)

thanks so much! tk care

x

 

[LToothman]

TW, absolutely on the lipstick. I felt the same way. Now I'm going to have to buy some!

I feel the same way about not wanting to tell people. My close friends/family know but I'm not going to tell a lot of others. I've told people I had oral surgery, and if anyone should specifically notice/ask about my teeth, I will just say I had some teeth restored. No need to say denture, and if they press, you can always say "why do you ask, do you need work done?" or something. Turn the tables on them. Sometimes they're curious because they need it themselves and are afraid to talk to someone. If they're just nosy, then asking that question usually shuts them up.

Most people might notice you seem different but may not be able to pinpoint it's your teeth, ya know? I did a pretty good job of hiding my teeth for years so no one has even noticed it so far. They probably just think I was in a really bad mood for years and now I'm happy.

As for pain, I'm not going to lie, you will likely have some kind of pain or discomfort for several days afterward. First few days are worst, I think days 2 & 3 were worst for me. It's hard to say because everyone's different. My extractions ended up being difficult with a lot of infection so my experience might be worse than most people. I still have some pain now, but mostly just aching in the jaw and some discomfort from adjusting to denture. Dentist can adjust it to help with the latter so make sure you call when you notice slippage or sore spots. I had people tell me they had very little pain and were back to work next day and I was kinda thrown for a loop how painful it was, so I'm trying to be as honest as possible. If you're like me, you'd rather plan for worst and be pleasantly surprised if it's not that bad. It's manageable, though, and you can time your pain meds for when you need to be most active.

Still not eating normal food. I was told it'd be about another week before I could try solids because gums aren't strong enough to chew on. I've done pretty well though. Soups, yogurt, pudding, Jell-o, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, and even spaghetti with plain sauce cut up real small. Anything you can kinda suck down without having to chew will work. Lovely image, I know, but you get bored with soup and pudding real quick so you kinda experiment. I drink V8 juice for the vitamins but Ensure, Boost, even Slim-Fast good too. You can check back here for ideas when you're up to more. I was very hungry at first but that has kinda passed and it's more tolerable now.

Worst thing is I haven't even lost 1 pound after a week!! I'd at least like to lose some weight from all this, geez!

Hope this all helps ease your worries somewhat. I wish you the very best of luck today. I know it will all go just fine and you'll be on here reporting back in no time. Find your inner strength and just go for it -- you'll do great! By this time tomorrow, the worst will be over so just focus on that.

 

[chrissie266]

Good luck, I am sure you will be fine as long as you make it there.

I have had 2 lots of IV sedation now, 5/6 teeth on left and 6 yesterday on my right. I still have one more lot to go for 3 at the front. I am getting partial dentures (I'm only 30 btw).

I wouldn't say I am in pain as such (I was when I got home yesterday but slept for a couple of hours and was fine). My gums themselves don't hurt at all but my jaw feels like I have been punched a few times and is very tender to touch. I would say it was more of a dull ache than anything though. It's now 2.30pm and I have just taken some ibuprofen and thats the first lot since 6.30am. I am a real wimp with pain but honestly it has been ok.

 

[toothlesstobe]

I wish i could be as optimistic and brave as you lot. I'm crying just reading this.

I have very straight, strong and healthy teeth, but i have a disease that is rapidly shrinking my gum and bones, so my dear lovely teeth will soon have nothing to cling to and i will lose every tooth in my head

Good luck with your new teeth. Hope it brings you confidence and happiness x

 

[fearful in london]

hi guys!

Thanks so much for your mails....please dont worry toothlesstobe, evrything is going to be fine and honestly at this time there are so many soloutions, things are going to be fine for you Thanks toothmn or your comforting words, really glad things are going well for you with them, and I hope your jaws feel a lot better Chrissie

Just a quick update...had mine done on wednesday night!! was fine until he put the injections in, and then started bawling like a baby thinking of losing my upper teeth! I just felt so scared suddenly, as it suddently hit me what was going to happen . anyway the dental nurse was soo nice and they calmed me down-the extractions weren't bad at all. they put the denture in, wasnt too bad and looked better than my rotten teeth anyway

All in all, I survived...am now getting used to eating soft foods and taking my time, think this will get some getting used to!

Thanks so much for your support guys will be back online soon,

take care and dont worry,(if I can do it, someone who is so scared of pain, you can too!)

x

 

[TerrifiedWoman]

Glad it went well for you! Reading other folks experiences gives me hope that I can do it to!

 

[fearful in london]

..ahh absoloiutely hun..all the very best okay...

take care x