Hi,

Has anyone else found it very upsetting to have a tooth extracted in their 30's? Aside from the physical pain, I am having a hard time about it. I guess I just expected to keep my own teeth until a much later stage in life...

Kelly

I am sorry you have this heartache.(or should i say toothache) I had 6 teeth extracted last spring. I am older than you are but it was quite a shock to me and it took me a really long time to accept it. These teeth are part of us and it is sad to lose that. Especially since we know once they are gone, they are gone. But I think I have adjusted finally and it is not really as bad as i thought it would be. Fortunately there are so many options for replacing teeth now.
One thing I found out thru this experience is that many, many people I know of all different ages have lost teeth. These are people i have known for years and they never said a word about it to me until I had my teeth pulled. Then they started telling me their stories one by one. So I found out this is not at all uncommon but i also found out that they adjusted well to their new teeth and have few problems with them and that I could not tell by looking at them that they were missing real teeth. Good luck, it is not as bad as it seems.

Hi Kelly and Lateeth
I just had 2 teeth extracted, that were baby teeth. They finally started getting too loose and discolored and I wanted them pulled before they fell out! I can't get implants because my roots from my other teeth are not far enough apart. So I am getting a Maryland Bridge instead. I just got the teeth extracted today and flippers put in. The pain wasn't too bad, just a little soreness. My gums are bruised looking a bit. I didn't think it would bother me at all, but its hard to get used to talking and having this retainer with the teeth on. Its hard to eat with it on, but I dont want to take it out when I"m at work or out in public to eat. I took it out at home tonight but felt so strange and self conscious about the missing teeth (they are the two on either side of my upper front teeth) . I'm hoping I'll get used to this retainer, since I have to wear it for about a month. Let me know how you're doing.

Hi Sucha, from what i have discovered you will get used to your new teeth and things will get better. I have not yet gotten a replacement for my teeth as they are not noticeable from the front and I still may need more pulled so i have no experience with bridges, flippers or any of that. But I do know, our bodies seem to adjust pretty well to most things. I remember when i had my first child thinking i could never breastfeed her in public. I think i hid for about one day and after that i was majorly over the embarrasment. Before you know it your month will be over and this will be a thing of the past. It always seems long when we are going thru something but time does pass and things do get back to normal. Good luck. The future is bringing the ability to grow new teeth.They have already had success on animals. Maybe that will be able to work for all of us when they have figured out how exactly to do it.

Thanks for your replies. Sucha, I know what you mean about feeling self-conscious. I also have a flipper, but it is too uncomfortable to wear! I had gum grafts done at the same time as the extraction surgery, so my palette is still raw and sore, as is the extraction site. I went to my dentist yesterday for him to check the flipper, but he said that it would be a while before all my sutures healed and gthe swelling went down enough for it to be comfortable to wear... The worst part is, my sister is getting married in the early spring, which means lots of photos... The missing tooth shows when I smile (it is the one just behind the canine), so I am really hoping that they will be able to have a crown in there before then...

Kelly

Hi! Lateeth you are right- it felt better today when I had the flipper/retainer thing in. I could talk better. but it got uncomfortable by the time I got home so I took it out, since I"m just hanging around home. I guess its not really noticeable as long as I dont open my mouth too much or smile LOL. I took them out to eat today at work and it went OK. Otherwise I just can't eat well with it in. I'm sure I'll get more used to it each day.
Kelly- I"m sorry to hear yours is so sore. I'm still a bit sore, but no real pain. Just a little bruising too. I hope you are set by the wedding time.
Keep me posted!

I have a question- after wearing my retainer/denture/flipper thing for a while, it seems to irritate the roof of my mouth and my tongue a little bit, so I am ready to take it off at the end fo the day after work. My question is, if I leave this out during the day or for a few hours at a time while I am at home, or don't care if anyone sees that I dont have the teeth, will it hurt my other teeth or gums or anything to not have it there and have these fake teeth filling the space? I dont think it would, and I dont think that my other teeth would move over, woudl they? I got the impression that this appliance is just so I dont look goofy without my front teeth, is that right? I certainly don't want to leave it out when I could be causing problems for my mouth by doing so.
Thanks for your help !!

Sucha, I can't wear mine either- it also hurt my mouth. My dentist said it would be a while before I could wear it comfortably, but did not indicate that it would cause me any problems with my other teeth since I will be getting my crown in April. But I know that everyone is different, so I guess only your dentist can tell you for sure in your case. Isn't dental work fun??! :rolleyes:

Kelly

I don't have one of those(flipper) but just like everything else it probably takes a while to get used to so if you go slowly, taking it out for a rest, you will get to the point where it is comfortable all the time. It takes time for swelling to go down and for your body to get used to anything new. About other teeth moving while it is out, i would guess that taking it out for a few hours will not be a problem. My kids have retainers after braces and if they leave them off for a few days it might make a difference but they only need to wear them part of each day to keep the teeth in line. I doubt your teeth would move in just a few hours.
But the safest thing to do would be to call the dentist next week when everyone is back from vacation, then you won't be sitting around and worrying.
Have a great New Year if wherever you are is still in 2004!

Hello! Its me again! I have a question and wanted to know if you experienced this too, Kelly and Lateeth or anyone else... Ever since the extraction, I have been so dry, my mouth, my lips are dry and I'm drinking a lot of water and soda. It could be due to the flipper but I haven't been wearing that today at all, since I"ve just been hanging around the house. have either of you noticed this? Or am I just odd?? :)
Thanks

Hi Sucha,

I have not had that problem, but could it be from the painkillers you are/were taking? I think that some of them (including codeine, if I recall correctly) have a dehydrating effect. That must be annoying- I hope it passes soon.

Kelly

I don't remember being dry after having my teeth out either. But i was really dry in Phoenix a few weeks ago. If you just turned up the heat recently your environment might be dry.