Hi there,

I had a full upper and lower extraction done in June last year; I'm extremely abscess prone and allergic to almost every antibiotic on the market... (just my luck) after landing in hospital for two weeks with what I was told is called "Ludwig’s angina" had the abscess sorted but due to the blood circulation being restricted to the area lost a large amount of bone. Hoping that that would be the end of it all I carried on as usual.

About two months down the line the news from the dentist was dooming, full extraction upper and lower, not being able to take stronger, more effective anti-biotics the infections had spread all over and I had 5 abscesses.

I’m an attractive 25 year old woman, so you can just imagine how this must have affected me emotionally. My self confidence was shattered, I worried that my amazing boyfriend would hate the fact that I have no teeth, and that people would say mean things and make mean jokes...

I was an emotional wreck for about 3 weeks after getting stuck with full dentures, until my boyfriend reminded me that wearing dentures doesn't change who I am. Even though the discomfort was annoying to say the least, regular adjustments over the next 2 months made it a bit easier.

After 6 months of wearing my dentures, I bravely decided to have my smile reconstructed with implants. I have had a sinus lift, bone grafts and now have all the implants in place, by October this year my million dollar smile will be back for the world to see.

So, if I can tell you one thing. Wearing dentures may be embarrassing and uncomfortable but it teaches you how to value yourself without being superficial. Instead of getting hung up on what you've lost, find something good out of the experience. And yes, it does get better with time, you adjust to the change.

Good luck, and hope you can make the best from a bad situation