Who has dentures?

[Luissa]

You should always try to keep your death.
And if you have dentures always wash with cold water.

 

[Bill Angel]

Some recommended getting it done through a dental school because it's cheaper... but I don't know about that...

I've been getting a lot of work done at a dental school. I'm quite satisfied with the quality of the work. The school will also let you pay for the work via monthy payments. I've had root canals and crown lengthenings done, as well as porcelain crowns fabricated. When all the other work is finished they are going to fabricate an upper partial denture for me, anchored in three places by my own teeth.

 

[Grandma]

I have uppers.

My situation's a lot like yours, Gracie. The health issues made my teeth worse and our dental insurance is pretty crappy, so the most economical solution was dentures. I'm in for $3000. So far.

First the dentist will have you come in a few times to get molds made for your new dentures. BE SURE to tell the dentist that you want them natural-looking, not like the less expensive very fake-looking bright white strip.

My remaining upper teeth had to be pulled. Keep in mind, having a tooth or seven pulled comes with a lot of swelling and blood, and the pain is, shall we say, remarkable. Nevertheless, I was more comfortable keeping the denture in, even while sleeping.

The dentist had me coming in every week to check/remove the stitches, and to check on the swelling/shrinkage. There's some plastic goop they mix up and put into the denture as your gums shrink, it helps them fit better. Otherwise you have to use more and more denture adhesive, and that stuff is gross as hell and really hard to scrape off your palate and gums.

The back of my denture has to be ground down a bit, shortened, since I've shrunk it bangs into my soft palate and gags me when I try to talk. The front part needs filled in with that extra plastic stuff, there's a quarter-inch gap front to back where those front teeth used to be. I'm getting that done in a few days.

So there is a months-long process involved, but I'll never again have teeth breaking apart randomly, and the denture's really easy to clean. In the end, it's all good.

 

[NoNukes]

Oh come on now. No smart ass remarks about how great BJs are gonna be for the hubby? No pics of a toothless hag? No teeth in jars? No animated clackers? No answers at all?

Seriously...am I going to regret having this done or should I try like hell to keep the teefers I got?

I have a few fake ones on one side of my mouth because I had some teeth pulled due to gum disease. They stay in all the time, except when I brush my teeth. They are a pain in the ass, sometimes my gums hurt and eating is not as pleasurable. Avoid them if it is possible.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

Oh come on now. No smart ass remarks about how great BJs are gonna be for the hubby? No pics of a toothless hag? No teeth in jars? No animated clackers? No answers at all?

Seriously...am I going to regret having this done or should I try like hell to keep the teefers I got?

Try like hell to keep the teeth you have. Ain't nothing like the real thing baby.

 

[longknife]

I've had dentures for about 5 years now and, while I'm not thrilled with them, they sure make eating a lot easier!

It took a bit of getting used to but I've learned to just about ignore them. What bothered me most was the denture paste oozing out onto my gums. But, after 5 years, I've finally learned how to keep the things in without the ooze.

Fixodent works fine for me and I will never go back to the other things they hype to keep the dentures firm and in.

And yes, I CAN eat corn on the cob!

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

Gracie, why don't you just get the fillings done and then ask the dentist everything you can do to try and prevent cavities. Fluoride mouth rinse? Brush really, really good three times a day...floss with BOTH string floss and a water flosser (such as WaterPik). (I'm a firm believer in the benefits of water picking!)

Also, whatever you can do to help your jawbone recover? Extra calcium? Does the dentist have any advice on that? The doctor?

That would buy you some time, and maybe you would win the battle and save your teeth?

If it's not necessary yet I certainly wouldn't get your teeth all yanked and get dentures! When there is no other choice it will be a much easier decision.

P.S. I don't have dentures but I've known people who do and they seem to do okay. Although my ex-husband, who had dentures told me to make sure and take care of my teeth so I wouldn't need them.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

When I was 17, I was in an accident that crushed the bottom half of my face. My face had to be rebuilt from the inside. It was a horrible experience and made my last two years of high school a living hell. I've had full dentures ever since then; I'm 66 now. The inside of my mouth is plastic and titanium. Along with getting a total knee replaced a couple of years ago means I never get through airport security.

First, Immie - go get dentures that actually fit. If they fit, you should never have to use tooth glue/Fixodent stuff. I never have.

The way they work is that the uppers stay in place with suction and your muscles learn to keep the lowers in place. No goop.

The bottom line about dentures is that they will never be as good as the real thing but they're a damn sight better than the alternative. If they're necessary, go into it with a good attitude and you'll do fine. My mother refused to accept that she needed them and used to go around with her uppers in her coat pocket and would put them it at meals. If you do that, you'll never get used to them and you'll always hate them.

A couple of years ago, my dentist talked me into getting two posts on the bottom at $1000 per post. The idea is that the lower plate snaps onto the posts and keeps it in place. Big mistake and if I could, I would have the removed. They don't do anything except give me hassle. That doesn't mean someone else might not love them and find the easy to deal with.

I also have almost no bone left in my lower jaw. I lost most in the accident and its just gotten worse over the years. Its my greatest fear that I'll have a car accident and end up losing what lower jaw I still have. I was recently attacked and beaten with a pistol. If I believed in a god, I would be thanking her for not letting the scum hit my jaw. As it is, I've lost part of an ear and may not regain all the sight in that eye. Such is life.

You eat differently with dentures. Even with my terrible lower jaw, I can eat something like an apple. I just can't bite it off. I cut off bite-size chunks. Never mind corn on the cob. Just cut the corn off. When you bite into something, instead of pulling it away from your mouth, you push it toward your mouth. Things like that - you get used to.

Dentures should be replaced fairly often - every 2-4 years, depending on your particular situation. And, if you're a smoker or if you don't take them out, you should see your dentist often to have the mucous membrane checked. You brush your gums just like you brush your teeth. Reason, that tissue was never meant to be covered with airtight plastic and its not healthy. If you practice good hygiene, you'll be fine. Even after all these years, the inside of my mouth is healthy but I really do take very good care of it. For one thing, I have smelled the breath of someone who did not and I never want to smell like that. If you smoke, its far worse. Disgusting.

Gracie - you are correct about certain cancer drugs causing osteonecrosis - bone death. But, much worse is that most of the drugs given to women for osteoporosis also cause bone death. No shit. The ones to avoid are the bisphosphonates, which are also the most commonly prescribed.

This fact really pisses me off. That the *&&^$%$# drug companies are making money off of the worsening of osteoporosis. Google it.

An osteoporosis drug with no know known side effects is Forteo.

Not sure what else I can tell you but I'm happy to answer any questions.

 

[Pop23]

Not the drill into the jawbone kind, either. The other ones..where ya spit 'em out in a jar at night kind.

What are the pros and cons? Do you hate them? Do you love them? Do you gag? Get mouth sores? Do they clack when they come unglued? Does the glue bonding stuff taste nasty? Were they really expensive?

I ask because I may have to go that route. My teeth are falling apart due to the RA and the meds I am taking. I have no insurance. I might be able to get a loan from a friend IF that is the route I go. Otherwise, every few months, another one will wind up with a cavity and that's another 250 bucks down the drain. So instead of going that way...the dentist and I have a consult on whether dentures would work. But that's with him. I want to know from people who already have them what the bad and good is about dentures.

Help!

I don't have time to write much now, but I love mine. I never realized how much pain I had suffered through my life until I got mine. Will write more later.

 

[Pop23]

My experience with them have been great, but I was a pretty extreme case. Many have talked about the pain. My real teeth caused me much more pain than the weeks following the extraction and the break in period ever could. I had no idea the ordeal I was going through until the teeth were out!

I only needed Advil to handle the pain

The first few months were a challenge. I lived on soup, smoothies, fruit and chopped up hot dogs, but little by little things got better and after 6 months I was eating everything I wanted

Lots of good information in this thread

My uppers fit great, my lowers gums were so bad I will always need adhesive on them. I have found that a little works as well as a lot. If you go through it, experiment with the amount

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. Like I said, mine was an odd and extreme case, but I will never regret my decision.