Gah, what a middle-aged thread title. 
I hate my teeth. They’re crooked and ugly. Why not just get dentures? I think I should.
My husband couldn’t adjust to his. Think about implants. They don’t always work, either, but your dentist or oral surgeon can tell you if you’re a good candidate. Pricey, too. My friend paid $17K for hers. And they didn’t work.
Why don’t you go see a cosmetic dentist and see what it would take to fix them. They have some amazing techniques these days that can turn even terrible teeth into gleaming perfect teeth. They use veneers and lasers and things and it may costs thousands of dollars but dentures cost money over time as well.
My daughter didn’t like her teeth and got braces and a couple of bridges (she had small gaps, inherited from her dad’s side of the family) when she was in her 30’s. Her teeth aren’t movie-star gorgeous, but she’s happy with her smile now.
It didn’t cost that much and it wasn’t painful.
Dentures aren’t trouble-free. I’ve heard (but never researched) that early loss of all your teeth puts you at higher risk for strokes. (I need to check that out.)
As my sister’s dentist said to her, “Dentures are not an alternative to teeth. They are an alternative to no teeth.”
If your teeth are otherwise sound, I vote with Shagnasty and AuntiePam.
“Middle-aged”?? Judging by the models in adhesive commercials, people barely into their 30s are happy users of the products. Those babies barely qualify as middle aged.
Don’t give up on the idea of braces. My husband had very crooked teeth until he was about 35. His dentist recommended braces to reverse a jaw problem and now his teeth are fine.
I agree with freckafree. My first job was working in a lab making dentures, and from what I have seen, I don’t believe it is something you would want to go through for cosmetic reasons. They are not permanent either. They need to be remade periodically as your gums age.
No, you do not want dentures. I have a partial plate replacing 5 of my upper teeth. It sucks. And lower plates are very, very difficult to adjust to and to fit properly.
Also, you have to have your denture re-lined or replaced regularly because your jaw and gums continues to change…I’m still losing bone even though I’ve had the stupid teeth that were causing the problem removed.
See an orthodontist.
YMMV, apparently.
When I got my full set of dentures at age 21 (drank way too much Coke all through childhood and didn’t brush enough), I was told that I’d need a new set every ten years or so.
Well, I’m 29 now, I’ve never had to have them realigned, and they don’t cause me any discomfort.
Except for very sticky things like bubble gum and taffy, I can eat just about anything, and, as an added bonus, I don’t have to worry about fumbling around in my mouth with toothpicks after meals; I just pop the suckers out and run them under a faucet.
Nobody ever notices that they’re not real - I’ve even french kissed girls who were amazed when I later told them that I wear dentures. The only remark I’ve ever gotten about them was someone asking me if I wore braces as a kid since my teeth were so straight.
Well, depending on your age they may not even give you the option of dentures. I am 25 and I went through a period where whenever I went to the dentist I had at least 1 cavity, and after 4 or 5 years of this I asked about just having them pull my teeth and give me dentures. They said they wouldn’t do it (of course, I didn’t push very hard, being as I was mostly just exasperated and angry, but still.) Once I stopped using a brita filter my cavities went away, so I think I was filtering the flouride out of my water or something. It has been two years now with no cavities so I don’t think I will ever use a water filter again.
For teeth that are crooked and otherwise give you no problems I would highly recommend braces. If it isn’t a decay issue don’t push for dentures because there are cheaper, more appropriate solutions to the problem.
Why not get veneers? They are expensive but from a good cosmetic dentist can look absolutely stunning. All the celebrities do it- like, literally, I’ve heard a good chunk of pretty folks just shell out for veneers rather than dealing with getting their real teeth fixed.
Just Googling some pictures shows some great results:
Another .
And one more.
I’d go with the second dentist. His veneers apparently give you a complete makeover!
Thanks for the feedback and information. I didn’t realize that dentures might need to be replaced/refitted over time - I thought it was about $800 and you’re done, at least for a good long while.
Re: veneers and stuff, I’ll bet those DO turn out great. It’s the cost that stops me cold. Where do people get that kind of money?
I remember somebody famous (Chris Rock?) remarking that the first thing he did when he earned some REAL money was get his teeth done (apparently lots of people do).
I don’t know about veneers. My daughter had her work done gradually, as she could afford it (with some help from mom and grandma). I think it was about $3,000 when it was all done, over a period of two years.
The dentist timed things so that when it came time to pull a couple of teeth in front, the partial was ready the same day, so she didn’t have to be without her front teeth in public.
:eek: She put the plate in right away after having teeth pulled? I would have thought she’d be bleeding… and sore.
I interviewed once with a subsidiary of Capitol One (I know :dubious: ) that was creating the business of financing elective procedures such as this. Anyone could just put the whole thing or their credit card(s) but this was a cheaper alternative to that more like a car payment. Most people could afford a $5000 car (made up number) if the rest or their life was affected by it and frankly, it just isn’t that much money over any reasonable stretch of time. Many people finance boob jobs through places like that and I would consider your teeth several orders of magnitude more important to that. I would strongly suggest you consider the real upside versus the downside in financial, emotional, and intangible fronts because, unless you are genuinely impoversihed, you should be able to afford a few thousand dollars to spend on your teeth. What other body parts would you say screw-it, just cut them off for the same amount of money?
You have to start wearing the plate immediately. I had my teeth removed by an oral surgeon, then my husband had to drive me to my regular dentist to fit my temporary plate immediately afterward. I had to wear my new plate all day every day right from the beginning.
On the plus side, you get to take out your fake teeth at night. Woohoo! :rolleyes:
ow
My daughter’s dentist told her to leave them in, supposedly to prevent the surrounding teeth from leaning into the gap. So she only takes them out to clean them. She has two “partials” (bridges).
Sattua, taking them out doesn’t hurt. 