Hi everyone!
I am a 34 year old with the most horrible teeth in the world! Been in chronic pain and unable to smile for the last 2 years. I have exhausted all my resources so I thought...My family doctor called in a favor and it looks very good that I will be able to finally remedy this situation. (very long story,,,no financial help at all, friends and family alike, or from "social services")
However, they are willing to help ANY way they can, the plan is to remove all of my teeth for complete dentures. We are starting with the upper. He wants to remove them all in one sitting! I am absolutely terrified! But the prospect of not being in any pain anymore is exhilirating.
Few questions for you readers: Should I be getting an immediate denture, or the other option of waiting?
How long is/was your/the recovery time?
Just want someone with a related experience to share with me, good or slightly bad( no nightmares please...LOL)
Thanks so much.
Dove

I just heard from my dentists office..I have 2 options regarding the extractions:
1) all out at once
2) 2 at a time over a period of time.
What do you all think?

Everyone has a different experience and need. Seek the advice of other denture wearers that you may know. Ask the dentist for his/her best advice- how do they think you will respond to the more rapid approach? Also, getting immediate dentures not only helps with healing but instantly helps rebuild self esteem. Personal contact is best, if you do not know any denture wearers - ask the dentist if they could put you in touch with someone who wears dentures that is close to your age. If you can tolerate the discomfort I would suggest getting as much done at one time as possible- dragging it out will only drag out the adjustment period.
In addition to the physical discomfort there is the emotional trauma that you suffer. Keeping a positive attitude will go a long way toward making this process a success for you. I had great support from my husband, family and friends when I got my dentures. I was 35 and also had the good fortune to have a close family friend that was a long time denture wearer offer guidance every step of the way.

Hi Dove

I'm a 35 year old female who had all 32 teeth extracted in one sitting. The extractions were completely pain free, I didn't feel a thing. Even afterwards all I felt was a bit of soreness but nothing too major to warrant any pain pills. Everybody is of course different and has different pain thresholds. I waited for my gums to heal and after about three months was ready for dentures. Most people choose to do immediates as it saves them the embarrassment of being seen without teeth. I'm glad I chose the route I did though as my dentures fit really well and I had only one small adjustment done. Also it was more cost effective for me as I could not afford the immediates as well as the permanent dentures that would follow.

I chose to have all my teeth pulled at once rather than have to go through the trauma of several visits, but again that was a personal choice that worked for me.

I wish you luck in your decision and hope that it all works out well for you.

Cheers

Everyones right get it all done at once and get the immedeates'its a bit rougher but youll have it all done and over with before you know it.i got immedeates or rather temporarys meaning i wear these for like 6 months then ge tmy permanents eating still sucks and i tlak funny but not too bad.As far as eating for the past couple days ive been living off of chicken soup,ensure drinks,baby food,and noodles lol.hopefully ill be able to actually eat soon. anyhow get it all done at once-youl be glad you did

Omgosh, thank you so much for everything you all said.
I think I just might go with the immediates! If it helps and acts like a bandage! And plus the self esteem factor! I havent been able to smile for a few years now, hide at home, only go out when absolutely necessary..etc..It s really playing tricks on my mental being! Inside, I am as confident as they come..almost arrogant to a point....so for me not to be able to show whats inside on the outside, has had major reprecussions on my attitude and self esteem, that I thought nothing would ever do that to me!
Yes, I will do whatever my doctor and dentist tell me to do...I have learned my lesson the HARD way by not...ie: dry sockets/smoking etc...Never ever again, they do know what they are talking about...LOL(ya I think I know it all..hee hee)
I am still in the process of getting the Okay's and financial aid to do this..This is the first time in 3 years I have had any HOPE ....and I am crying my eyes out I am so happy, and terrified at the same time...I am not sure I know what its like not to cover my mouth when i smile or talk to people, and talk properly for that matter with out mumbling cause i dont want to open my mouth..But just to smile at my son and family members, to "flirt smile" with a nice looking man...OMG!
.Thanks for hearing me out...and understanding...this helps so much with what I am about to undergo..you all KNOW! I appreciate each and every one of your "shares"! as I dont know anyone that has been there done this!
Hugs Dove

Hi Dove, :wave:

I got my dentures just under a year ago. I have a full upper and partial lower. I would recommend the immediate denture route as well. You can start smiling right away although losing those mouth covering habits will be more difficult to shake than you might think :D You'll be eating regular food much sooner too. Generally, you'll be getting back to a normal life sooner going the immediate route over the traditional route.

I hope all the necessary arrangements are made soon. You sound excited and positive about what you're about to do and that makes a world of difference in handling the extractions, your recovery and learning to adapt to wearing dentures. Good luck! If you have any other questions please ask.

Yos

Hi Mellisa :wave:

Different dentists have different methods for fitting dentures. Some dentist consider immediate dentures as temporary. Once the gums have healed the dentist will then make a complete new "permanent" denture. Other dentists will simply reline or rebase an immediate denture and consider it the permanent denture. You are correct in concluding that your immediate denture will be relined and that it will also be your final denture. I had my immediate dentures relined like yours will be. I was concerned that simply adding to the denture would make them thicker and heavier but that didn't turn out to be the case. It was impossible to tell if anything was added at all. The denture actually looked thinner and felt lighter than the original immediate denture.

There are plenty of pros and cons to both methods. For instance, a reline reduces the cost of an already expensive treatment plan while a new permanent denture means the old immediate denture can be used as a spare in case of emergencies. Both methods are perfectly acceptable practice. Neither is right or wrong, just different. If you have any other questions about the process just ask. I'll do my best to answer.

Yos

Hi again Melissa, :wave:

I understand your questions but my answer will be as difficult to explain :D

Immediate dentures are a best guess at the shape of your gums after the extractions. A common complaint right after getting the dentures is having a "Homer Simpson mouth" or "I look like a chipmunk". That happens because the gums are swollen and in addition to that there is the thickness of the denture. Upper dentures are usually given a slight overbite too which only compounds the problem with the upper lip. As the swelling goes down and the gums shrink the denture will move in and closer to a natural position. It all happens very slowly over the course of a few months so it's impossible to tell the difference from one day to the next. After 3 months your mouth could have a sunken look even with the dentures in. The thickness of the denture in the front of the gum should be as thick as needed to push the upper lip out and give the mouth a natural appearance.

Soft relines are a temporary liner that helps to restore the denture fit and bite due to the gums shrinking. When putting the dentures in your mouth after putting on the reline material the dentist should also take some care to position the denture so that the mouth looks as natural as possible from a cosmetic perspective. The hard reline is supposed to make the good fit "permanent" by adding another layer of pink acrylic to the existing denture. Unfortunately the gums never really stop shrinking and dentures don't last forever. Once your gums have healed and shrunk the hard reline should restore the fit, the bite and give your mouth a natural appearance. I expect that the shape of your upper lip is related to inward/******d position of the denture as well. Talk to your dentist about the upper V in the denture. It could be made higher as long as it doesn't interfere with the short piece of skin between the gum and inner lip that the V was designed for.

I hope you understand my explanations. I could do much better with a whiteboard and video link :D A picture tells a thousand words. I hope you can get your dentist to pay attention to your cosmetic concerns as well as the functional ones. If you have any other questions or need something I wrote here clarified just give me a holler :D Good luck!

Yos

edited to replace a computer generated ****** with the original letters "******"

egads!! this forum doesn't like the letters o u t w a r