[Grizabella]

My daughter called me yesterday. She went to the dentist and they pulled all her lower front teeth. Then when she went in to get her partial put in, the dentist said, "Now, you do realize these are just for looks and not for eating, don't you?" So she's supposed to take out the partial to eat. What??? She said she would have thought twice about getting the extraction if she had known that. What's with this? I think she should have been told ahead of time that she'd have to take them out. Now she feels too self-conscious to even eat out or have friends see her eat.

[Kitt]

Originally Posted by Grizabella

My daughter called me yesterday. She went to the dentist and they pulled all her lower front teeth. Then when she went in to get her partial put in, the dentist said, "Now, you do realize these are just for looks and not for eating, don't you?" So she's supposed to take out the partial to eat. What??? She said she would have thought twice about getting the extraction if she had known that. What's with this? I think she should have been told ahead of time that she'd have to take them out. Now she feels too self-conscious to even eat out or have friends see her eat.

This doesn't make sense at all to me. I know lots of people who have a partial and certainly do not take them out to eat. They might have to be careful but they don't take them out.

They can't eat an apple without cutting it in slices and/or they cut the corn off of the cob and things like that. But that's no biggy.

[Grizabella]

Yeah, that's what I thought. I've never heard of anyone having to take out a partial to eat. I don't blame her for feeling upset and that they should have told her before she had the extractions because at least she could have gotten a second opinion that way.

[Twinkletoes]

I would be really ticked off! That's just not right to withhold that info till after the extraction.

[Kitt]

And I cannot believe that it's true. You don't see people taking their partials out so that they can eat

[Grizabella]

Well, she's got no reason to tell me that if it weren't true and her partner was there with her, so they both heard it. She's 35 years old. I'm trying to get ahold of her to ask her to call the dentist to double-check to be sure she heard right.

Yes, I'm definitely unhappy that they didn't tell her till it was a done deal. She wouldn't have done it if she had known, she said. She'd have gone for a second opinion, I'm sure.

[DM]

Hi Grizabella! I worked for a dentist in the 1990's and even then, dentures/partials were made so people could eat. The only reason I could think of for her to not be able to eat w/them in, would be a poor fit. And, if that's the case, then the dentist is obligated to make sure she is happy w/the end product.

The only other thing that crosses my mind is that since she just had all those extractions, is it possible he wants her to remove them to eat while she is healing? A phone call to the dentist is in order, as this sounds awfully strange to me. Hope your DD can get some definitive answers and ends up being happy w/the denture. Let us know how she's doing OK. take care G!

[SandyC]

I had a partial and could eat with it. Granted I had to put double duty denture adhesive on it to keep it in but I ate just fine. Maybe they meant that she may have to take it out to rinse or something after eating? I don't know, just never heard of this myself. I hope she just heard them wrong. Hope it all works out.

[Grizabella]

I'll definitely let you know what I find out because when she told me and told me how shocked she was, I was indignant for her. She's finally clean and sober, she's working and doing wonderfully well at getting her life back together. She was so thrilled to be finally able to get her smile looking pretty again, too, and now she's just mortified to have to take her teeth out to eat. Not only that, she just found out she has hepatitis C and is still going through her testing to see the extent of that, so I'm really disappointed for her over this. I'm glad you're all being supportive and telling me I'm not wrong to think something is wrong there. I think if it's really true but they didn't tell her ahead of time, then they should have to provide something better at their own expense.

[Bryanna]

Hi Grizabella,

In my experience as a dental assistant, it is not uncommon for the patient to misunderstand what they have been told and/or for the dentist to not give clear post operative instructions. I think in the conversation between your daughter and the dentist there was a miscommunication. We give the following instructions to our patients with similar dental issues..

1) Wear the partial denture as much as possible. It should not be worn to sleep at night. It should be cleaned/brushed thoroughly and put away until the morning.

2) If the partial is uncomfortable when you eat, take them out. Especially during the healing phase from the extractions. As the surgical site heals, the partial can be adjusted to fit the changes that occur in the bone and gum tissue.

3)It is imperative to remove the partial denture and rinse with warm salt water beginning 24 hours after the extractions. This rinsing should be done 4 times a day for several weeks. It keeps the surgical areas clean and the salt aids with the healing.

People are under the misconception that a partial denture should feel like their own teeth. Unfortunately, that is just not possible. It is difficult to explain that to a person because we don't want to put any negative thoughts in their head that shouldn't be there. It may take several appointments of adjusting it to get it comfortable. However, there is always a time period of "getting use to" this appliance in your mouth. Some people adapt more easily than others but there is no way to tell if your daughter will be one of those people.

Also, once the surgical sites have healed completely, about 6 months to a year down the road, she may need to have a new partial denture made if this one cannot be adjusted any further. The whole idea with giving her a partial denture at the time of her extractions is to give her teeth to smile and eat with. But due to the surgery and the final changes in the bone level, there is no way to tell how long this partial will fit her.

She should be seeing her dentist for post op appointment a week after her extractions. That would be a good time for her to ask questions and tell him her concerns then.

I hope this information was helpful..... hope she heals super well!

Bryanna

Originally Posted by Grizabella

I'll definitely let you know what I find out because when she told me and told me how shocked she was, I was indignant for her. She's finally clean and sober, she's working and doing wonderfully well at getting her life back together. She was so thrilled to be finally able to get her smile looking pretty again, too, and now she's just mortified to have to take her teeth out to eat. Not only that, she just found out she has hepatitis C and is still going through her testing to see the extent of that, so I'm really disappointed for her over this. I'm glad you're all being supportive and telling me I'm not wrong to think something is wrong there. I think if it's really true but they didn't tell her ahead of time, then they should have to provide something better at their own expense.