Hi Christina,

Every patient has a different experience when they have their teeth removed and wear their first denture. Some people have various problems, others have little. A good example is....... My 85 yr old mother just had her remaining upper teeth removed and an immediate denture put in 2 weeks ago. She was very anxious, she had herself in an emotional tither and was expecting to feel horrible.... but guess what??? She is doing great! Yes, there is some pain and soreness... yes her denture has had to be adjusted 4 times. But she tells me she feels great... she has a beautiful smile now and is eating all of the foods that she prepared ahead of time. I think it was her preparedness that helped to make her experience 100% better than she anticipated.

I suggest to all my patients who are planning to have this dental work done to prepare a soft food diet ahead of time so you can maintain a nutritious diet during the healing phase. Make homemade soups in the crock pot because they are very nutritious and easy to eat ..... freeze small portions so you can just throw them in a pot on the stove or in the microwave. Juice veggies or fruit in a blender to a smoothie consistency.... and google soft food diet for other suggestions that may be to your liking.

Your dentist may not have personally experienced this exact dental work himself, but he has had countless patients who have and he can guide you through the first few weeks. It is important to follow the post operative instructions... eat a nutritious diet.... eliminate foods and drinks that are not nutritious as they will slow down the healing process.... drink plenty of water (from a cup as usual) to help keep hydrated and see your dentist as needed for the first few weeks. He expects you to need several adjustments... so don't allow a sore spot to go on for too long because you think you're bothering him... ok?

As for being off of work... it varies per case. You may want to take the entire week off .... or you may not need it. One day at a time...

You will be okay.... you really will

Keep us posted on how you're doing...
Bryanna

Hello. Is there anyone out there who may be able to help cheer me up and tell me there is life with dentures. I am currently having my top teeth taken out and dentures put in. I had to have a mould taken for the second time yesterday and this pulled out 3 of the teeth that the first mould loosened. I am still hoping that the dentures will come from the lab on Monday for the dentist to pull my remaining 5 teeth on the top. I have noticed today that speech is difficult, I did not seem to have any trouble yesterday. The doctor is going to ring me today to sort out if I can have a sick note. Obviously I have had to stop going to work, first because my mouth hurt, then the loose teeth, then the missing teeth.

My bottom jaw will have the periodontist working on the teeth in November. The earliest appointment I could get even though that will be private work not NHS work.

I have little bone to consider implants. I do not want to spend that much money. I would of course prefer implants or removable fixed dentures. When its time to say goodbye to my bottom teeth, I will consider having a removable fixed denture because from what I have read, its harder and more uncomfortable to have bottom dentures than top dentures.

Hoping someone can help me through what the dentist has said will be very difficult days.

Christina,

Your dentist should not be telling you how difficult this is going to be. Everyone has a different experience and those that go into this with an optimistic attitude tend to feel better a lot sooner than those who allow the fear and unknown to bring them down. So he really should be encouraging you to think positively. If your teeth are in that poor of shape that they need to be removed, then removing them is a positive thing and your life can only improve once they are gone.

You will eventually adjust to wearing the denture and it may not be as difficult as you are imagining it. Some people have little to no problems ... who knows, maybe you will be one of those people! If you go into this with a more positive and optimistic outlook then when any issues do occur, your spirits will already be lifted which makes dealing with problems a lot easier.

Since you are not going to work, now is a good time to prepare your soft food diet menu for the upcoming 2 weeks or so. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have this done ahead of time because nutrition is of the utmost importance anytime you have surgery. Not only does the preparation make you feel more positive but it also gives you one less thing to stress about if you are not feeling up to par for a few days... just makes life so much easier and you will heal faster! It will help cheer you up... believe me, you have to focus on the health aspect of what you are doing because it is for the betterment of your overall well being and try to worry less about the stuff that you have no control over right now. You really don't know how you are going to feel afterwards so why not envision that you are going to feel okay

Bryanna

Thank you for replying. I am trying not to think about what may or may not happen at 4pm today. What I do know is that my remaining 6 top teeth are being extracted. Its been horrible having them hanging there over the last few days. I have not been able to speak to the family without covering up my mouth, and my husband has been keeping himself in the dining room with the computer, while I am in the living room with the tv. I know that nothing can look more unattractive than my own teeth look at the moment. I have bought in plenty of soups but that is about it. I know what you mean about being positive and have been finding it difficult to stay positive when I have been told I am going to find it very hard to adjust to. I did get a doctor to give me 2 weeks off which means that I have just over a week from today to get used to the denture and feel that I can speak properly - which is important in my job. Thank you once again for replying - I have only just found your replies right now. I also found looking at some videos from very pretty young women on utube who are denture wearers very helpful.

Hi Christina,

Just letting you know that we are thinking about you and hoping all goes well.

Keep in touch...

Bryanna

It is now 2.12am and I have been in bed since I got back from the dentist at around 6pm. I found it to be a painless experience, no bleeding, and have not needed to take any tablets for pain. I feel quite weepy which I did expect because I really do wish that I was not in the position in which I find myself right now. I thought that I would not take the denture out at night, even though I seem to recall the dentist telling me to do so this afternoon, but did have to take it out as I started to gag when I laid down. Right now, I cannot see any way in which I am going to find anything acceptable in my life again. I cannot see how I can possibly ever go back to work. I shall allow my self to wallow in my misery for a few days, then try to adjust as not wanting to talk to my family is going to effect my family life. My husband does wear dentures (top and bottom) and has done for many years. I cannot recall him feeling miserable, but can recall him being in pain over the extractions. He seemed quite able to accept wearing dentures and can sit without them in at home, something I think I will never ever be able to do.

I have another appointment on Wednesday, not exactly sure why as I was too miserable to listen properly when she was telling me. I think the plate covers too much of my palate - one of the major dislikes I knew I was going to have - but have no actual idea of what they actually look like in my mouth as I am not interested in looking for the moment. She did say they looked nice, and asked if I wanted to look, I was not interested then and I am not interested now.

I do realise that if I can feel positive about this things are going to be a thousand times better. But right now, have no idea exactly how I am going to do that. Hopefully, as the days go by, I will start to feel more happier and start worrying about something else.

I tried wearing the denture today - day 1 - and it made me physically sick. So apart from trying now and again to put them in, I have not worn them at all. I think I could quite easily stay in and never go out again and go without wearing them. But sadly, I do have a job, which I will have to go back to at some point. I am back at the dentist tomorrow and hopefully she may be able to do something to make it cover less of my palate. From what information I have gathered, if one is considering denture implants it is best to have them put in earlier rather than later, as they encourage the bone to remain. If it is something that a person does later it then may require a bone graft or sinus lift. Is that correct? The dentist told me that I am not going to find this an easy transition (though I did tell her before she told me!) but somehow I am going to have to find a way of dealing with it. And that is going to have to wait till tomorrow!

I have had it filed down slightly at the palate. The dentist said it was not touching my soft palate but I could not stop gagging when I put it in my mouth. Now I am managing to wear them for around 2 hours a day so I suppose that is an improvement. They feel too thick though under my top lip and extend too far back so not really that pleased with their fit. I have made an appointment at a Harley Street Dentist looking ahead to the permanent pair that comes next. There is no way on this earth that I would consider another NHS pair. I will be open to discussing options around implanting dentures - cost would be a consideration of course.

I still have the hurdle of eating and drinking with them in. I am going to try tomorrow.

I am a 29 year old male in the sales industry. My issue is I have not had this done as of yet. I need all of my teeth removed and both upper and lower dentures in place. I am afraid they won't fit, or I can't talk correctly, I know they will be uncomfortable because they will be immediate dentures. I am just so stressed because of the cost of all of this. I live in NH and in the southern part. I find that everthing is so expensive when it comes to medical and dental. Any Pointers, I have been denied al types ofthird party financing.

How long did it take to talk normally?

Or eat notmal things like juicy steaks, as now I can't even eat steak with my teeth.

All assistance will be appreciated, thank you

Jeff

I have to say I went through a similar experience when I was 18 a full upper denture, I was hit by a drunk driver smashing my mouth on steering wheel.

to date I have been through WAY too many procedures, surgeries grafts both bone & tissue to begin to list, BECAUSE i couldnt take the denture after a 6 month trial period... the denture absolutley without a doubt forever changed who was I. I became very self conscious and uncomfortable about everything pertaining to my mouth.

I have had a full set of implants placed then removed and placed all over again. I have spent countless hours in any & all oral procedure you could think of. I have endure more pain then any person in my life yet I would do it all over again b/c I refuse to ever find myself in a position of needing a denture. No matter how hard the top oral maxil & labortaries here in NYC tried the dentures never fit they never looked good and always broke. I say this not yo scare you I say this in hopes that you will do all you can to find a solution (dental implants for teeth or partial denture) other then a denture,

20 years later my mom says not only did the car accident take my daughters teeth it took her spirit.. I have a 7 year old daughter and sadly there is NOT one picture of me anywhere, I stopped taking pictures b/c I refused to smile after getting the denture

Pls your young do all you can do do NOT let this change you