Regarding your husband…I don’t have a spouse anymore, thank goodness, but I’ve read a little bit about the issue on Dentures a New Smile. Anyhoo, let’s just say there are some…ahem…intimate situations where your husband may find your lack of teeth to be a bonus.
And I’m just gonna leave it at that.
Well Kami I have dentures that implant now, but when I had my temporary it wasn’t a big issue. I didn’t like the adhesive because it added a layer between my teeth and the roof of my mouth which made it fit poorly. Plus eating that adhesive isn’t good for you, and you will want to wash out your teeth often to clear debris so it doesn’t make sense to repaste…unless they are REALLY falling out. Just be careful of anything that will stick tightly to your teeth - gum, cheeseburgers, apples, those tend to pull.
The trick to keeping top dentures in place (and don’t do this much until your gums are healed a bit) is to press your tongue against the pallet and suck all moisture between the roof/denture until you make a vacuum seal.
And you’re welcome! I make sure to respond because I was worried when I got started and never really knew the answers till after.
Thank you Anthony. A lot of the people in my family have dentures but they either don’t remember, got them 40 years ago, or don’t care for them in the first place. This is an amazing thread. Just seeing I’m not the only one with questions and concerns makes me feel much better.
My biggest worry is the extraction and pain level after. I can’t afford to go under so local it is and that scares me a bit. It will be worth it though. My husband deserves to see a beautiful smile and I think I deserve to have one. All of you are awesome!
Everyone is different of course. Take your Tylenol prior to the anesthetic wearing off. It is easier to prevent pain than relieve it. Also, most people take there dentures out at night so you really aren’t being seen that much. As for time off work that of course depends how you feel.
One of the big problems people tell me is they lisp when talking. This is because the tongue isn’t going to the same spot where it had been going for years. Easiest way to help with this is to read outloud. This way you train you tongue to go to the new spot.
Best of luck with the dentures. It will be worth the effort.
I’ve been a lurker here for few years but don’t really post because of my horrible spelling and grammar. I decided to post this because I think it may help some of the denture wearers here.
I am a 42 year old male. I’ve had my dentures for about 6 months now. I got a full upper and lower plate. They are the temp ones that were put in immediately after I had the remainder of my 19 teeth pulled.
For the people worried about their significant other seeing them without any teeth. Would you stop loving them if they got dentures? If they would think less of you over this I would think you would be better off without them. I will admit that seeing myself without any teeth was very traumatic at first. Luckily I have been married for 21 years and my wife was very supportive. She made it clear that she loved me for me and the fact that I didn’t have teeth anymore wouldn’t change that.
The top plate… Yes the top plate sucks! It took a lot of time to get used to. I still don’t like my top pallet being covered. It just doesn’t feel right. I’m getting my permanent set next week, so I decided to try to modify the temp set. I took a Dremel and ground away the pallet from the top plate. It works so good that I wish I would have done it a long time ago. The only problem is that you can’t rely on suction to hold them in anymore. This isn’t a problem if you use a good adhesive though. I tried a lot of adhesives that were available locally but none of them would hold after eating or drinking. After some searching online I found a denture adhesive at Amazon called Secure. It is waterproof and holds them in all day. I drink a few cups of coffee every morning and eat pretty much anything without a problem. It does take a little work to remove them at night but I feel that it is worth the extra effort to have the pallet uncovered. If you can’t afford implants and you have an extra set of dentures you might want to give it a try. To me it is the next best thing to an implant. I plan on doing the same thing to my permanent upper as soon as I get it.
I still keep pulling up this thread. I am set to have my extractions done in 2 weeks. In my previous post, I stated that I would be getting a partial on bottom & full dentures up top. That changed after yesterday. The few teeth my dentist planned on keeping for my partial were more damaged than expected & were going to cost at least another $2,000 to fix. I opted to go with a full denture on the bottom as well. My dentist did not like my decision. I felt that she was interested in more money than what I wanted or could afford. I decided to pay a visit to an oral surgeon my mom has worked for for the last 30 years. I felt more comfortable with them doing my extractions than my dentist. Not to mention, it gives me the opportunity to be put to sleep. I got extremely lucky that the oral surgeon wanted to do my extractions for free under the condition that I start seeing a dentist he recommends. I am extremely blessed by this because I do not have insurance & have already paid around $2,000 out of pocket. I did talk with the oral surgeon about having implants done in about a year (gotta save more money), for my bottom teeth. My dentist tried to tell me that I would immediately suffer bone loss & would have to pay for bone grafts to get implants in the future. My oral surgeon assured me that a year of waiting WOULD NOT cause significant bone loss.
I am excited, nervous, & scared all at once. I think I am more worried about how well I will do with dentures than having 20 teeth pulled at once.
I will keep lurking on here & will post again after I’ve had my surgery & dentures. 
It is normal to be nervous. Normal healthy people can handle the extraction of 20 teeth. Don’t kid yourself though it is a major healthcare procedure. I assume they are going to insert immediate dentures that day.
I always recommend saving teeth if feasible. A tooth supported partial on the bottom usually does much better than a full denture, due to tooth, cheek and tongue issues.
FWIIW I am very leery of the OS doing the extractions free if you go to a dentist he recommends. I do however agree with him about not significant bone loss waiting a year for implants.
FWIIW I am very leery of the OS doing the extractions free if you go to a dentist he recommends. I do however agree with him about not significant bone loss waiting a year for implants.
[/QUOTE]
I wasn’t leery at all. I was extremely disappointed in my dentist & was gladly willing to go to a dentist that my oral surgeon knows & trusts. He mainly wanted me to change because of the misleading information my dentist was giving me & to make sure I end up with a dentist that can make sure my dentures will be able to withstand implants. I didn’t realize that when you go through the implant process, you do it with an oral surgeon & dentist. Most people & doctors at the oral surgeons office have known me since I was a kid. I am extremely grateful he did my extractions & bone smoothing at no cost.
I just had everything done yesterday & I will say that it is not nearly as bad as I tbought. Honestly, getting used to having the dentures in my mouth & the rubbing that causes sores is much worse than the pain of the missing teeth. I went today & had some adjustments done & they feel a lot better. I will have to go back in a week or so for more adjusting since I’m extremely swollen & they need to wait for the swelling to go down to make other adjustments. I will say taking my teeth out & looking in the mirror for the first time was shocking. I am extremely excited to have beautiful teeth again…even if I look like a chipmunk right now lol
Glad all is working out.
As I’ve said many times if one thinks they have a problem with their dentist, then they do. Wasn’t aware the OS was going to do the work free as a longtime friend. Sounded like it could have been some type of fee splitting/referral scheme. Glad it was him looking out for you.
I’m going to be doing a partial implant/denture setup. Would it be better to do more than 4 implants to support the dentures if your jaw can support them? I don’t want to do bridges because I don’t want my jaw bone to decay if possible.
As a general rule, more implants spread the load out better. Four is a common number to support a denture. If more would be or not depends on a lot of things; bone, location, cost, design of partial/denture.
Not sure what you mean about jaw bone decaying. Whether the implants support a denture or bridge has little to do with success or failure of the implant.
Still lurking? I have my extractions planned for this week and am getting really nervous now that it’s real. Am I going to be able to eat anything the first few days? Will I be able to talk on the phone or at work when I go back 4 days later? Is the pain and swelling and associated horror of having 20 teeth pulled excrutiating, or is the new denture truly the worst part? What if the new teeth look nothing like mine? I have a small mouth and a big gag reflex, so that’s a thing. 
Anything anyone can say to reassure me I will be back to normal, and when, is appreciated.
Bump. One more day, guys. I could use the advice. 
Happy to try to help. I don’t wear dentures but have made a few in my career. Of course like everything with humans the correct answer is it depends. Not trying to be snarky. Most folks do fine.
learning to eat and speak is a bit of a learning curve. Take eating the first couple of days slow and easy. Nothing too hard, sticky or chewy. Doesn’t have to be soup and oatmeal but don’t start with corn on the cob or tough steak. Taste and feel of food will be different due to the plastic and palatal coverage. The jaw will be sore for a few days but the denture protects the sockets from the food.
Talking comes fairly easily to most people. You may lisp a bit the first couple of days but your tongue will get retrained pretty quickly. Best way to do this is to read outloud. You then aren’t thinking of the sounds and the tongue gets used to the new height of the palate and position of the teeth.
Twenty extractions at one time is not an unusual amount. A lot depends on why the extractions. Teeth with severe periodontal disease an therefore bone loss come out much easier then teeth that are rotted to the gumline and require cutting the tissue and stiches as well as the extraction. Yes you will be sore but excruciating is beyond what most people report. Of course take your pain meds as directed.
Nervous is normal but I’ve never had anyone who couldn’t do it.
Thanks rsat3acr! It’s going to be a huge ball of suck for at least the first week, and who knows when I’ll be able to sleep, but I keep telling myself it’s worth it. Plus, some people lose their arms or legs. This should be nothing compared to that. Staying positive.
nm.
Hello everyone. Maybe you still check this but I did not get to go when we thought. Financial issues set us back a few months but now I am going June 29th. 14 extractions and immediate are being placed. Once again thank you all for the help and advice when I posted in March. I will give an update when I go in the event it may help someone else.
Wow its nice to see this thing as gone on so long. I am browsing the internet looking for advice as I am finishing up day 1 of top denture. I thought I would give my answers to some of the questions I saw.
First off I am 27 but have needed a top denture since I was 25. My bottom teeth are savable but my top were not.
Where I went wrong was soda drinking. All I drank was soda, and mountain dew most of all. It completley rotted my too teeth. My dentist is actually the one who suggested it. Underlying factor was a deathly aggressive phobia of dentist. I saw one maybe 10-12 times my whole life.
I got a little lucky on the cost part. My dentist is an amazing man who services my whole family. He’s a God loving Christian that worked with me the whole way. When he saw how bad my phobia was he called an oral surgeon friend of his. They both knew I have little to no money but got me my denture and oral surgery with complete unconsciousness for a total of about $2300. I am making $50 monthly payments to both.
I originally feared about the bone loss but that risk doesn’t out weight the reward. I am 1 year in (almost exactly) to a new job in the corporate world with unlimited opportunities. Having s rotten, cracked and missing teeth was going to hold me back. So I know I would rather do it and risk some complications down the road. At least this way I can smile and work my way up the ladder and maybe one day I can afford the expensive stuff.
As to how I am feeling, fine. The hardest part for me was the anxiety. I made my self sick this week. When they hooked me up to the heart machines it sounded like someone was typing Morse code as fast as they can. So given that I fell asleep and woke up with a denture in my mouth I think I missed the worst part. I haven’t taken it out yet because I’m still in the first 24 but I had to schedule it on a Friday (no vacation time yet) so my dentist can’t see me until Tuesday to refit it. I am a little worried about taking it out myself. As far as post-op pain, none really. They prescribed me hydrocodone I believe and I have been taken them just in case. The only thing I complain about is the blood and saliva. Constantly swallowing every 30 seconds.
As far as fitting, it obviously doesn’t fit perfect yet due to the swelling and it being so far up right now but I really don’t care. I have already taken my first picture to send to close family. I will wait until I get refitted before I make it to Facebook. I know it will fit smoothly soon.
Eating. I haven’t eaten anything today other than some mashed potatoes and ice cream. Nothing to do with pain its just hard to get used to. With it not fitting right my bottom teeth hit right in the middle of my denture so its hard.
In the end my family is so happy for me because they know how much my bad teeth held me back. My wife has been super supportive and I am lucky to have such an understanding spouse. I think it will be quite awhile before I let her see me without it but that’s ok. I work nights inside a cubicle with very limited interaction with people so my plan is to pop it out and work for a couple hours. When I am older I am sure I’ll be more comfortable taking it out. I also plan to get implants at some point, my insurance actually covers it but caps out at $2000 so that’s not going to do much. I well manage with a denture for now and hopefully be financially secure enough to get implants before the bone detiorates to much.
If your dentist is recommending getting a denture but your terrified at the thought of having one at such a young age I promise you the self confidence you will have is almost unexplainable. Props to the guy who started this.
Good for you for overcoming your fear and going with it - and good for the dentist for taking your fear seriously and coming up with a plan to deal with it. Sedation for procedures is a miracle-worker for me (no dentures here, but severe and well-earned dental phobia).
Good luck with you as things settle down. In a few weeks you’ll look at those new teeth and wonder why you put it off so long!
Do any of the young people who’ve gotten dentures have the old person caved-in mouth look (like the old guy on the Benny Hill Show) due to loss of jawbone? It probably helps to have a youthful baby-face in the first place.