As some of you know already, I am in the process of trying to get major dental work underway. I have my PPO insurance which pays only $1,500 a year. I know I can get some of the work done on the teeth that are bothering me most, and then get more work when the start of the year kicks in again. I understand I will definately have to pay something out of pocket.

The story goes...

If I try and fix the teeth that are bothering me (which are all in very bad shape and a lot are hurting) I will also have to get patial bridge work to replace all the missing teeth from previous extractions over the years. I I would need 1 on top and 1 on bottom to replace molars that are no longer there. They would go around my whole mouth on both left and right varying in size, depending on the number of teeth missing. My dentist also showed me what looked like a latex type denture with missing areas for existing teeth to hold in in place. It was very thin see thru gum color with no roof on the upper, so you would still have your roof of mouth sensation.

My question to everyone is...

Should I get the work done which is expensive in the area of $8,000 - 10,000, which I cannot afford, but would have to do my insurance, then wait till first of year, do it again, and try and arrange payments probably for the rest of my life, and live with my teeth fixed but with partials, and or the latex piece? Maybe the possibility of them going bad, or something going wrong with the procedure.. My teeth have shifted a lot over time and I am wondering how they will make the partial look natural withy tiny teeth to fit in the little open spaces..

Or should I get a full set of dentures? Which really worries me because I am afraid if something doesn't go right, or I can't eat right, talk right ect..

I would love to hear from some people who have or have had partials and dentures, or started with partials but then went with dentures..

As you can see I am a mess... I am going to dentist this week..

Good and bad, please let me know what you guys think..

Hi Hottrodd,

Partials *are* dentures. Full dentures are for those who have all of the upper or lower teeth extracted. Partial dentures are for those who have some natural teeth remaining in the upper or lower jaw.

I'm not familiar with what you describe as a latex denture. Dentures normally have an acrylic base, a metal base or a combination of the two depending on what is needed to give the mouth as natural a look as possible. If there's an upper denture out there that doesn't cover the palate or need implants to stay in place I sure would like to know about it.

Save your natural teeth if you possibly can. There isn't much point in considering dentures or worrying about whether you can eat or talk with dentures until you see your dentist. Only a dentist can tell you if you are a candidate for dentures or not. Even if your teeth are in fairly bad shape dentists are more inclined to restore teeth than extract them and prescribe dentures. Of course the choice is ultimately yours especially if restoration is far more expensive than dentures.

I suspect that cost is going to be the driving force in your decision. Repairing all of your teeth or getting dentures is goin to be expensive. Your $8000 to $10000 guesstimate sounds realistic but could be higher or lower. You also have the choice to repair only what is needed to take care of the pain and worry about future pain in the future.

There are usually very few problems when people get dentures and overcoming any problems just takes a little time. With dentures you'll need to learn how to eat a little differently but most denture wearers are able to eat foods they never could with their bad teeth.

Good luck with your appointment this week.

Cutler

It is possible to have an upper denture without the palate, we make them sometimes if a patient has a gag reflex that means they can't handle palatal coverage. Sometimes it is just a reduced palate. If it is a partial then metal clasps will keep it in place by holding onto natural teeth.
To be honest I haven't thought about the lack of palate in regard to keeping the denture in place. I assume they'll stay just like the lower does.
We often make full lower dentures that are practically flat on the bottom and I have no idea how they stay in place. I guess the fixing gel does that. Heck, I just make the things.

The original poster mentions small gaps and filling them whilst keeping a natural look. It is quite common for very small teeth to be made to fill small gaps, although looking at the things they look rather unnatural to me. Although I've only seen them in the lab.

[This message has been edited by unwell (edited 05-29-2003).]