Wondering if anyone out there can help me with some immediate denture questions???

1) How often did you have to go for adjustments during your initial healing process (post-extractions)?

2) How do they "refit" the denture once complete healing has been accomplished? Do they remake the entire 'gum' part of the denture to fit snug, or is it the same base but just fitted differently?

3) I have heard it could take up to 6 months to heal completely....is this true? I have seen several different time frames ranging from 6-8 weeks, to 6-8 months. What should I expect? (I should note that after only 2 weeks, my gums have shrunk so much that I have to use a major amount of adhesive just to keep the dentures in place...any alternatives? Liners maybe?)

4) Once the final refitting is done, will it fit so tight that I will not need adhesives? I'd hate to think that I'm waiting for my final reline only to have it fit less than "perfect".

5) Lastly, after the last adjustment I had done, I am getting a bad gag reflex in the morning when I put the dentures in...it lasts for about an hour, then subsides. Is this due to it still being such a foreign object in my mouth? I didn't have this problem even the first day after I had the upper plate. It seems to be getting worse as my upper gums shrink. They did file it down for me, but it did nothing for my gagging. Could it still need some adjusting?

Thank you for any advice you can offer.

scaredstiff70

I forgot one qauestion.....

My bite seems to be WAY off....is this a normal part of the healing process? My front teeth come together, but my back teeth don't touch at all when I bite down. It doesn't seem right to me....but I am new to this. Any ideas?

Thanks again.

1. Go for adjustments as often as needed. There is no reason for you to be in any unnecessary pain or discomfort.
2. There are 3 options after your gums have "healed" (see item 3). They are A) a hard reline B) a rebase C) a new set of "permanent" dentures.
3. "healing" could take as little as a few weeks. The gums will continue to shrink rapidly for the first 3 months or so. They may begin to stabilize at about the 6 month mark, everybody is different so times will vary with each person. This is when you can go ahead with the options in 2). During the period where your gums shrink the most you should be seeing your dentist about a soft reline. They will help keep your dentures in place with a decent bite while your gums are shrinking in the first 6 months or so.
4. After a hard reline, rebase or getting new dentures made, the dentures will fit well for a while. Unfortunately, the gums continue to shrink, albeit very slowly. Soft relines will be needed to maintain the "retention" and "stability" of the denture between future hard relines or rebases.
5. Gagging can be caused by a variety of things, a poor fitting denture being one of them. A soft reline may or may not solve the gagging problem. Either way, see your dentist about finding the cause.
6. The bite should be adjusted each time a reline is done.

I hope this helps.

Thank you for your response!

My dentist will be out of the office for one week, so I am unable to go for any adjustments for at least 7 more days.
They also told me that they would like to see how long I can go between adjustments simply because my gums are shrinking so much during this initial phase. I was thinking of getting some drug-store soft liners to ease my transition, but unsure if I would be wasting my money? The front of the bottom denture doesn't rest on my gums due to (I'm assuming) the back gums still being swelled somewhat (I had a hard extraction on one side which is slow to heal). Would a soft liner help 'fill in' that space between the denture and my front gums?
Other than that, I can keep the uppers in all day with Fixodent, and the lowers tend to stay in for about 8 hours before the adhesive wears down. I'm just trying to get through this initial phase until I am ready for the final 'fitting', which seems to be a lifetime away.

Thanks again for your help.

I am getting the full denture -immediate placement like you? - in about three weeks.
I am scared stiff about the pain right after the extractions, and placement of the dentures. I've had so much pain. They call it Trigeminal Neuralgia, and I don't know if that will interfere with the proceedure.
Its all so much to arrange, my dentist isn't any help. I go for the "consult" tomorrow.

Did you have to pay about $1500 for the ectractions, and then about $1500 for the dentures too?

To answer your question - my other [previous] extractions have healed 'mostly' in about 6 weeks, but not finished healing for about 3 months.

Unless the dentures are causing you pain then there isn't much point in having adjustments made until most of the swelling in the gums goes down. If adhesive is doing a decent job of keeping the dentures in (it sounds that way to me) and you can live with it for a week I wouldn't bother with liners. After a soft reline you're unlikely to need the liners again. In the months before your "final fitting" the dentures will fit very well with soft relines. You may need a few soft relines done in the first couple of months because your gums are shrinking quickly but the shrinking slows down dramatically after about 3 months.

I'm having my immediates rebased in early June which will be 6 months since my extractions. My last soft reline was in early March and my gums have changed very little since then (the fit and bite still feel right). The first 3 months of living with dentures are the hardest what with shrinking gums, relearning how to eat and, for some, relearning how to say some letters. Do your best to be patient during that time. Good luck!

Yos

Thank you both for your responses.

My extractions were expensive...more so than the dentures themselves. All in all, the entire procedure was approx. $4800, with the dentures being $1300.00 of that. My oral surgeon wasn't covered under my insurance, so the charge was basically at their discretion. I am happy with the job done though. I hope your procedure goes well. Even with all these little issues I'm having, I would do it again in a heartbeat!

They never mentioned anything to me about "soft-relines" during any of my consults or even when I had some small adjustments made due to pain. I will be sure to speak to them next week about that. I do have some pain when chewing, mostly where the denture hits the bottom (or top) of the gums (vestibule is what they called it?). And then some pain and irritation in the site where I had the most traumatic extraction. That spot is sore and still swollen, so I know irritation is to be expected. Adhesive helps to keep the pain to a minimum for a while, but I have noticed when I eat (even something light like noodles or mashed potatoes), the adhesive on the bottom doesn't make it through the meal and the dentures start to float again. I suppose it's just something I need to deal with until this phase of healing is over. It seems that my gums have shrunk a great deal just in the past 3 weeks, but from what you have said, there's more to be expected...hard to imagine they will get even smaller than what they are :)

I sincerely appreciate your feedback on this issue. It's nice to have others to talk to that have 'been there, done that'. My 3 month mark will be July 22, which seems like a lifetime away. I am really trying to be patient with this new appliance in my mouth, but it sure isn't easy. Re-learning to chew and talk (I too have trouble with some letters) has been the hardest part of it all. I did graduate to a White Castle hamburger last night though, which tasted awesome http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/bang.gif Finally some 'adult' food.
How are you doing with eating the foods you want? I'm still afraid that I will lose the food in my mouth and choke. It's definitely weird not being able to feel it like before.

Again, thanks so much for your replies. It's so good to hear from others who know what I'm going through.

scaredstiff70

My dentist never told me about soft relines until he actually did one. My first soft reline was at about the 3 week mark. They were as loose as a couple of marbles in an empty mason jar up to that point and I didn't use adhesive because I was afraid it might hinder the gums healing. Some dentists do soft relines often, some not so often. It depends on his/her "experience". Until you finally have a soft reline done, you'll have to take my word for it that it makes a world of difference. It's been 3 weeks since your extractions so you should be due for one soon.

The pain you're having sounds like, pardon the pun, normal "teething" pains. Loose dentures that bang against gums can cause irritation especially when eating. Those kind of sores will often go away once the denture fits properly. The swelling from the "problem extraction" shouldn't prevent a soft reline from being done but it would be best if the swelling did go down before a reline.

I had two "magic" moments in my transition to dentures. The first was when I had the initial soft reline. Up until that point I was always wondering "what is supposed to feel normal with these dang things?". After the reline I had my answer. That gave my confidence a much needed shot in the arm. I started eating more and different things. The denture felt snug on my gums and I worried less about the denture dropping out of my mouth. The second was at about the three month mark when I realized "I'm back to normal" and then did a second take "no, I'm better than back to normal". The most improvement seems to ocurr between the one and three month milestones. Your mouth slowly adjusts to the dentures. They will begin to feel like they take up less room in your mouth and even taste will seem like its coming back. With time you'll "feel" the food in your mouth again. I can eat anything that can be cut and chewed. I can bite into most foods too. Things I haven't tried are biting into an apple, corn on the cob or chomping down on a raw carrot but I couldn't eat them with my old bad teeth either so....

It sounds like you're doing great with better than average progress. Be patient, that's half the battle. The other half of the battle is to keep a positive attitude. The third half is to hang on to some of your sense of humor. Wait a minute, how many halves in whole? Never mind. It doesn't matter :-)

If you want to read more about dentures or discuss denture topics there are denture groups on the major web portals. Good luck!!

Thanks again for putting it all in perspective.

It does get discouraging, but, I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel and I will eventually be 'back to normal'...or with any luck, better than normal like you. I guess with my bad teeth prior to the dentures, I missed out on so much food. Now that I have good teeth, I'm still missing out on alot. It's so very hard to be patient, but, I don't have alot of other options now do I? :)

Your posts have helped me a great deal, esp. with the humor part. That is essential when dealing with these darn things! So, thank you very much for your help.

scaredstiff70
PS: what search engine is the best for the discussions on dentures?

Hi Yos,
Thanks again for the encouragement!

I will try Yahoo and MSN when I get a chance.

I'm wondering, do I need to call my dentist and inquire about a soft reline? Before they went on vacation, they basically told me to "call if you need anything" and never mentioned another appt. for a reline. I don't want to do it too soon, but, I wouldn't know what too soon is anyhow :)

Thanks again for all your help!

scaredstiff70
PS: How can you tell the difference between bone fragments working their way out, and a sore spot? Both are painful, so how do you know which is which?

[This message has been edited by scaredstiff70 (edited 05-15-2003).]

Well, my last post is still there and I'm still here so I must not have done wrong by mentioning the groups :)

A soft reline should all be included as part of your treatment plan. The dentist mixes together a powder and liquid from a kit to the consistancy of cake icing, spreads it on the denture and then presses it into your mouth. This is where he will adjust the bite. It only takes a couple of minutes for the liner material to set. The entire process takes less than 15 minutes so it isn't anything the dentist needs to prepare for. As I mentioned before, my dentist didn't mention soft relines either. I was seeing him every few days and then he just did it. It seems that he waited until sore spot issues were resolved and the dentures were real loose. It wouldn't hurt to call and ask about it but if you're going in to have an adjustment done soon you could wait and ask then. My guess is that "too soon" is any time before the dentist thinks is the right time but I'm sure that if you ask nice and tell him you would like to get on with eating real food again he might oblige you :round: I hope you get one soon because it does make a world of difference.

I never had any bone fragments so I can't tell you anything from personal experience. In the denture groups I've read of people who plucked them out themselves with tweezers so the bone fragments had to be visible to do that. If they are under the gum they might feel sharp or hard while sore spots aggravated by the denture might be soft and tender to the touch. The bad news about bone fragments under the gum is that dentists seem reluctant (understandably so) to cut open the gum to remove them. I'm not sure that bone fragments "work their way out". The theory I heard is that the bone shrinks so the fragments will too and just settle down under the gum. Sorry I'm not much help with that question. I hope those sores, whatever they are, aren't causing you too much grief.


[This message has been edited by Yos (edited 05-15-2003).]

Hi Yos,
No, not much grief with the "spots" I have. It feels realy hard like a bone, but hasn't given me any pain so far, thank goodness. The oral surgeon did tell me that fragments tend to work their way out and they usually don't have to open the gums to get them. Whew! :)

I think I'm going to have to call next week about an adjustment though. It seems in just the last day or so, when I chew the denture is hitting the top and bottom vestibule and causing some discomfort. It happened almost overnight, or at least feels that way. Hopefully, they will do the soft reline then...I would love to experience some degree of normal.

I've also noticed by the evening, my gums start to 'itch', and it drives me crazy! Did you ever feel that with yours? It's almost as if the dentures are screaming to get out for a while. :) I take them out at night because I grind my teeth badly, which helps the itchy feeling, but was wondering if it could be healing, or just that my gums are trying to tell me, "hey, let me breathe!!"

At any rate, another thank you to ya for all your helpful words and humor. You have made it much easier on me knowing that what I am going through is the norm for dentures.

scaredstiff70

Hi again,

I have one spot on my gums that is still a tad sensitive when I touch it with a finger. I don't feel it at all when I wear the denture. It's been that way since day one after the extractions (the dentist knows about it) but nothing was done about it because it didn't cause any pain or discomfort. We decided to leave well enough alone.

The vestibule? Hmmm. I'm not up to snuff on my oral terms. You mean the little piece of skin between the inside of the lip and the gum right? My bottom one became irritated but that was because they didn't make the V in the denture deep enough or wide enough. In your case, the V probably was deep enough but isn't now because of the gums shrinking. One of the most important facial dimensions to maintain in denture wearers is the vertical nose to chin dimension. It's the thickness of the reline material that makes up the difference between the denture and the gums to maintain that distance. If that distance is off (as it probably is in your case) the bite will be way off (which you say it is ). Add loose dentures to that and it's no wonder new denture wearers have so much trouble eating and speaking.

Your guess is as good as mine about the "itchy" gums. I can't say that my gums have really itched. Heck of place to hafta scratch eh! My dentures are really comfortable and I could wear them overnight if I had to. But about half an hour before bed I like to take them out and let the gums relax.

I hope those vestibules of yours don't get too irritated this weekend. If it's been more than a week since you last saw the dentist it might be a good idea to see him even if it's only to complain about the dentures being real loose and the bite being way off. I can't see how the bite can be corrected without a soft reline.

Have a great weekend!

Hi Yos,
I think I will be making that appt. next week. That's really the only spots that are bothering me (the vestibule--yes, you were right about the location). They feel 'long', and like they are cutting into the skin that meets the gum, but only when I chew. So, I've been really trying to avoid the foods that will cause me to bite down with alot of force(well, not alot of force, but you know what I mean). At least until I can get back to the dentist. (Gosh darn it I'm getting so hungry though!)

As for the itching, doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, Whoa BOY does it ever drive me insane! Just wondering if it might be a particular brand of adhesive, so I may try another this weekend.

Yeah, I think I will be calling the dentist Monday. I would like to be 'somewhat' normal for Memorial Day weekend. I am determined to have something off the grill, even if I have to cut it up!
They've adjusted the length of the dentures once already, but not a whole lot because they didn't want to over-correct it and have the dentures too short (I have a small mouth with a very small ridge on the bottom). But, I think I will let them know how uncomfortable this is for me right now and see what they suggest...if they don't suggest a soft reline, then I certainly will. :)

Will let you know how it goes at the dentist, that is, if they can get me in after their long vacation...surely they have millions of appts. waiting on them.

Enjoy your weekend!!!! I am certainly going to try!

scaredstiff70 :D

This might be a dumb question, but.....when people get immediate dentures, (I know you have to keep them in for the first 24 hours), are they usually told to keep them in pretty much all of the times? Or do most people take them out at night?

Or do some people get false teeth and never take them out at night? Or is it usually best to remove them every night?

MMMarie,
To answer your questions......
I didn't exactly decide on my own to get dentures, although I had thought about it a few times over the years due to having so many problems with my teeth. I would ponder the idea for a while and then forget about it until my next horrific toothache. When I finally had enough of the terrible pain, 8 years of infections and toothaches, I made the appt. (I am the queen of chicken when it comes to dentists) :) The dentist told me I could save only 4 bottom teeth and even then it would be a long battle to keep them. I decided to just get them all pulled. I was upset at first, but on the drive home, I started thinking about the benefits of dentures, compared to the downside of my natural teeth giving me such fits all the time. It was really a no-brainer for me.
I was scheduled to have both uppers and lowers done the same day, but, I had a rough go of it with my uppers. The appt. was for 2PM, and I was told no food or drink after 12 midnight prior to my appt. Needless to say, my tummy was very empty, I was nervous, and I was being sedated. When it came time to 'wake' me so I could use the restroom and get set for the lowers to be done, my tummy wasn't very accepting of the juice and well, that was the end of that appt. :( My body's way of telling me "hey, get me out of here, I'm tired of this place today".
I went home with an appt. for the next week to have the lowers done.
During that week, the first few days were the hardest. I didn't take them out for 48 hours, although it would have felt great! I only ate cold things, and drank alot of ice water. By the 5th day, I tried my hand at a hot dog, cut up very tiny. I actually ate it! The feeling was really weird. Not really any sensation on the top at all, except for some pressure when chewing. My tongue had this weird coating on it that looked like fur almost...gross huh? But, I have to say, I did adjust to the uppers quite fast. They weren't as awkward as I thought they would be. Even now, I could wear them 24/7, but choose not to simply because I want my gums to breathe and rest overnight.
The lowers are definitely harder to master...haven't done that yet. I won't go into that since you aren't getting those anytime soon. If you want to know my experience, feel free to ask, and I will be happy to tell you how the lowers have gone thus far (approx. 3 weeks).

As for your other questions....
I was told it's more healthy to take them out at night, or for at least 8 hours a day to allow your gums to breathe. So, that's what I do. I also grind my teeth at night, and don't want to grind my dentures for fear of breaking them, and/or causing more sore spots. My father rarely takes his out. He's one of those lucky ones that hasn't used an ounce of adhesive since he had them placed when he was 20 years old. My step-mother has only lowers and takes hers out every other day or so. My grandparents always took them out before bed and put them in first thing in the morning. For me, it's a relief to get the out of my mouth for a while.
Food.... it's hard to describe the sensation, or lack of. Just chew slowly until you get used to the 'feeling' of your new teeth. It will take some getting used to, but, you will with time and determination. Just remember to go slow at first and gradually re-introduce yourself to more and different foods as you become accustomed to your new teeth.

I am in my early 30's, so gettig dentures is a big deal to me. I always thought it was older people who had to get them. Boy was I wrong. I have to admit, I won't willingly tell people I know that I have them. It's still embarrassing to me, but, that's my own personal problem that I need to overcome...and I will. I absolutely LOVE my new smile though, and find myself more confident and alot happier each day. And yes, it's cool to be able to take them out when they bother you, or just hand your teeth to the dentist and say "it hurts here--fix it please". :)

All in all, once you become accustomed to your dentures, you will be so much happier. I know I am, and I'm not totally used to mine yet. When problems do arise, I know help is only a phone call away, and it's easier to fix sore spots than it is to make a toothache go away. Boy, how glad I am that those are in my past!!!

You will do fine, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to come back here for some advice/support. Yos is a wonderful person with alot of knowledge on this subject. I can lend my ear and some advice as well.

I wish you nothing but the best, and please let us know how it all goes for you....ok?

Good luck...
scaredstiff70

Originally posted by scaredstiff70:
MMMarie, To answer your questions ........

My tongue had this weird coating on it that looked like fur almost...gross huh? ........

I was told it's more healthy to take them out at night, or for at least 8 hours a day to allow your gums to breathe. So, that's what I do. I also grind my teeth at night, and don't want to grind my dentures for fear of breaking them, and/or causing more sore spots. scaredstiff70

Did they figure out what the furry stuff was? ewww I'd have to agree that yes, it does sounds quite gross! lol yuck.

My older sister has dentures and she is the worst at grinding her teeth in her sleep. Anyhow, originally she only had one denture (I forget if it was the top or the bottom) and she tried to sleep without the denture, but ended up grinding her teeth into her gums and would wake up with bleeding gums. Yuck. So she then had a mouth guard for a while.

She now has upper and lower dentures and has already had an instance of snapping the plate in half.

As for getting a bottom plate ----- I am going to try my darndest to hold onto my bottom teeth. It seems that people have a much more difficult time with lower dentures than with upper. So, I really hope I'll be able to do that.

Thanks again for all the info, scaredstiff.

I never did ask about the coating, but instead, started using a tongue scraper which helped a great deal. As near as I can figure, I'm guessing it was from this big piece of plastic in my mouth which was causing my tongue to react in a weird way. It's all gone now, and only lasted about 4-5 days, wasn't painful, just gross. I think getting used to the denture and using the tongue scaper helped a great deal.

Yes, the bottoms are hard to get used to. Mine are so loose right now, they will float around and pinch my tongue if I don't use a huge amount of adhesive. I have an appt. next week, and hoping I can have a soft reline done then. According to Yos, it makes a world of difference. My bite is off, and the more my gums shrink, the worse it gets. So, yes, bottoms are definitely a huge adjustment. I wish I could have saved my bottom teeth. But, it wasn't in the cards for me, and I have to play the hand I am dealt. :)

You will do great. Try not to stress so much. I know it's hard, and your mind plays amazing tricks on you when you're scared. But, you will be just fine.

Stay in touch!

scaredstiff70 :D

:wave: scaredstiff,

I am curious to hear how you have adjusted to the lowers. I had a full mouth extraction done on April 4th (I am 34). I am having the hardest time ever with my lowers. I have had one soft-reline already and am ready for another one.

The upper tends to make me gag, but not as bad as the lowers do. I have been told that it is because my tongue feels crowded. The lowers do float everywhere and I can't seem to keep them in one place. What happens with me is that saliva gets underneath the lower plate and it pops right out. Also, the skin where the tongue attaches to the gum will pop the lower out as well. I think everything pops the lower out for me. :p

To date, I have not been able to eat with my teeth in. I have had a problem with the lower since the beginning (mainly from a flaw when it was made) and really haven't been able to wear it the way that I should. I have gotten pretty good at eating without the teeth in, yet I know that isn't a good thing to do.

Is there any tricks of the trade that you have learned concerning the lowers, other than adhesive?
Oh yeah, and listen to Yos, he is one excellent dude!! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/t_up.gif I have talked to him on other message boards and he is very knowledgeable and extremely supportive.

I hope that your appointment goes well for you. :)
I have to make one myself, but I am the queen procrastinator and haven't gotten around to it yet.
:nono:

Mary

Hi Mary,

I have had trouble with my lowers since about the first week after I've had them placed. I cannot have them in my mouth without adhesive. If I don't wear any, they will float, pinch, pop out, and basically make it impossible to eat anything, even drinking is difficult. I haven't had a reline done yet, and I too wonder if there was a mistake when they were made. The backs (where the molars are) don't sit on my gums even with using adhesive. The sides of the backs don't rest on my gums and with the adhesive, I can still put my tongue under the denture in the back and lift it up. The part of my tongue that attaches to the gum has been a source of great frustration for me as well...no matter what I do, that muscle will pop the denture out everytime.
I don't have any tricks to share, although I so wish I did! Yos swears by the soft relines until it's time for the final hard reline. I haven't had one yet, so I can't speak on that.

I don't eat without my teeth. I just use an extremely large amount of adhesive right now. Even my uppers are very loose, and without 'glue', they will pop out too, and make me gag because they hang down, touching my tongue in that gag-reflex spot. The suction was good for about a week, then those started losing their grip as well. I get saliva stuck inside both the dentures, and it drives me crazy.

Have you spoken to the dentist about the fit of the bottom one? Maybe they can remake the denture for you? It seems if it was a mistake in 'production', they would have to fix it free of charge. (Of course that's the right thing to do, but will they?)

The lowers have definitely been difficult for me. But, the positive side is that I can go back to the dentist until the fit is right. Annoying yes, but, they will get it right, or get tired of seeing me. :)

I want to wait as long as possible before I have my first soft reline. It just seems like a waste of time to have it done too soon. But in your case, it does sound as though you didn't/don't have much choice. I would definitely ask them about remaking the denture if you believe there was a flaw from the start. You didn't pay all that money to have flaws...adjustment problems are to be expected, but not flaws.

It's been quite an adjustment for me, but I really wouldn't have it any other way. I had so many toothaches and so much pain, I was so tired of it all. Every month I would have a 4 day toothache followed by at least 2 very sensitive teeth (the one that caused the toothache, and the one next to it). I was getting so sick from the constant infections, and felt like I was on my death bed. Lost about 15 pounds and couldn't enjoy my life. Now, even with the nagging floater, and an upper that won't suction well, I wouldn't hesitate to do it again! It has changed my whole life. I can smile and laugh, and play with my kids now. I can eat just about anything, well, I will be able to soon :) It's been the best thing for me.

I would love to hear how your appt. goes once you get in there. Also, did your first reline help at all for any amount of time? And is there a reason you haven't tried adhesive? It helps me out a great deal. It can get messy, but, to me it's worth it just to be able to bite into a hot dog or a candy bar.
Please keep me posted on your progress. I'm only about 2 weeks behind you on the healing schedule (mine were done April 22nd-uppers, and 29th-lowers).

Good luck to you....
scaredstiff70 :D

First, thank you Mary and Scardstiff for your kind compliments.

I've been away for a few days (long weekend where I live). I'll start by answering MMMarie's questions about the dentures in or out question. The general consensus seems to be that dentures in or out at night (or any other time) is a personal preference. They say you should take them out to let the gums breathe, rest etc.. Some also say that there is more bone loss if you keep your dentures in all the time too (I sure would like to see some statistics to back up what "they say"). It seems the bottom line is that people will do what they feel most comfortable with for lack of any dire predictions that jaw bones will shatter or lips will fall off if you sleep with your dentures in :) Personally, I take mine out at night. When I go to bed, it's time to take the gumshoes off and let my mouth (not just the gums)loosen up. After my extractions the dentist told me not to take the dentures out (except for an emergency of course)until he saw me the next day. After that day he encouraged me to wear the dentures 24 hrs a day except for cleaning etc. more so that I would get used to having them in my mouth and learning how to eat and talk with them rather than for any dental/medical reasons. I slept with them in for the first month more because I was afraid I would puncture my upper gum with the two remaining eye teeth. Then one day I took them out at night, tucked my tongue in between the eye teeth and woke up with my upper gum intact :) I've been taking them out ever since.

Mary, I'm sorry to hear that those lowers are still causing you all kinds of problems. And now you're starting to gag with the upper too? :( Bummer. Not gagging with the upper was a bright spot after your extractions. I heard this quote by Sarah Cidal on CSI, "Smiling supresses the gag reflex". I sure hope she's right :)

Scaredstiff, I'm looking forward to reading about what happens at your next appointment. I remember very vividly how my dentures were just before the first soft reline. Even with the lower eye teeth it was next to impossible to keep the denture in place. The upper would drop out if I only opened my mouth. It was a challenge to do anything with my mouth, even laugh when I needed to laugh the most.

MMMarie, As you've read, I kept two lower canines. It's quite a bit more maintenance (time and cost) to take care of natural teeth and dentures together than just dentures. Also, one of my biggest concerns is the denture teeth and natural teeth continuing to match in coloring. These are a couple of more things you might want to throw into the mix to consider if you haven't already done so.

Good luck all!!

Hi Yos...hope your weekend was a good one!

I actually get to go into the dentist on Thursday instead of next week...they had a cancellation and called me knowing how uncomfortable I was! Cool huh?

Today, I had to use so much adhesive that it oozed out the bottom denture and got all over my mouth....YUCK! Talk about gross. So, I called the dentist to ask about a reline Thursday at my appt., and they said to make sure I mention it to the hygenist, it depends on the healing that has taken place, and personal situations. If I have healed enough to benefit from it, then they will go ahead and do it. (Got news for them, they are going to do it anyway...can't stand this floater anymore!) :)
Seriously though, it seems pretty much up to me when I want it done, and the first in-office reline is free. So, I figure I'll just do it now while it's free, and if I need one in the future, I can start socking some money away for it now. If not, then I can go out for dinner with my husband! :)
Also, I did pull out a bone fragmant yesterday...ouch did that hurt. I still have some left in there, but no way am I pulling this one out! It will either work out on it's own, or stay in there. Learned my lesson and won't be doing that again! :)

I am sooooooo hoping this reline will really make a big difference.
Did your bottoms (in the back) sit higher than your gums? I mean, mine don't rest on the sides of my back gums where they should. I can stick my tongue under the denture way in the back, and sometimes, my tongue rubs on the side of the denture, causing alot of soreness. Feels like there's a needle in my tongue. And the dentures feel like they have wings back there. If you've experienced it, you know what I mean....and if so, did the reline take care of that as well? Would love not to have to use adhesive, even for a month!

Anyhow...you are most welcome for the compliments....you deserve them and more. You have been so very helpful and supportive. This board has been a life-saver for me. I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to talk to others in the same position. Everyone here has been fantastic.

I will post after my appt. Thursday and let you know if there was indeed, a miracle performed. :)

Best wishes,
scaredstiff70 :D

Yos....I think it is all in my head. I might have convinced myseld that I need implants or something. The top is making me gag now because I need another reline. Whenver they get loose like that, they slip backwards and hit the soft palate. I am going to see if the dentist can't take some off of the back of the palate. I have the suspicious feeling that when it fits good it still hits the soft palate. It would make sense with the sensations that I get.

Scaredstiff...I have talked to the dentist several times about the lower and he has tried to fix them. What he does seems to work for about a couple of hours and that's it. ANyway, I finally made an appointment with them for another reline on Thursday next week. I am going to call tomorrow and get the appointment changed to Wednesday, yet keep the appointment on Thursday as well. The last reline I had done I had an appointment the next day so that he could make adjustments to the reline. I will do the same this time.

I can't believe that only your first reline was included in the price of the immediates. I have a whole year's worth of relines included, no matter how many there are. I don't get my permanents made for a year instead of 6 months. That is standard procedure in his office. Maybe that is why I paid so much. :p

I'll let you know how it goes.

Mary

Hi Mary,

All of my adjustments are included in the price I paid for the immediates/surgery. They "threw in" one chair-side reline for free, and the lab reline is going to cost more when it's time for that.
So, from your post, the dentures you have now are only temps? People have asked me about it, but according to my dentist, the ones I have are permanent...I won't be getting new dentures until it's time to replace these. I wonder why mine aren't temps as well? Hmmm...makes me wonder if this is going to cause nothing but trouble??

You said that when the dentist fixes the lowers, it feels ok for about an hour and then you start having trouble again? Man what a pain that must be! This is the first time since my extractions that I've started to have some major problems with mine. Up until now, they were loose, but I wasn't having to use as much adhesive as I am now. It's gotten to the point that I have to use so much, it oozes out the bottom. Not fun! I tried putting both uppers and lowers in this morning with no adhesive, and WOW are they loose. The uppers came right out, and the lowers just kind of floated in my mouth, not even resting on any part of my gums. It was bad! I thought, how am I ever going to get to the dentist office tomorrow without putting any adhesive in? There's just no way. Not to mention, when the uppers hang down without adhesive, they really gag me badly. So, I guess I will get there early and clean the adhesive out before my appt. time. I can't imagine driving 1/2 hour and messing with them the whole time. What a pain that would be.

Anyhow, I'm hoping this reline will go well and I will have some sort of normalcy (sp?) when I get out of there. I don't mind using adhesive until my final reline, but as I said, I'm having to use too much right now. If I have to use it, a dab here and there should be sufficient, but it's not. Oh well, I suppose this is all a work in progress huh? :)

Will be sure to get back here tomorrow after my appt.

Best wishes,
scaredstiff70 :D

:wave: Hi again Ladies :round:

Mary,

We've been chatting for so long and in different forums, I'm not sure what you've done or what you were thinking of trying. Did you have the back of the upper denture trimmed back a bit? The back of my upper doesn't go straight across at the back. It's in an arch so that the edge of the palatte in the centre is forward of the back teeth much like this parenthasis ). I'm fairly certain that the arch can be increased a bit and still maintain the suction needed to keep the uppers in. Anyway.... just an idea that might help lessen the chances of gaggin especially if you're gaggin only when the denture is a bit loose.

Scaredstiff,

What you're reading in this thread is typical of different dentists doing things differently from other dentists.

First relines. I've had 3 soft relines and all were a part of my initial treatment cost. Mary's dentist seems to be doing it the same way with as many relines as is needed during her treatment plan. A well fitting denture is essential to live with them. If the cost of additional relines are prohibitive, kits can be purchased in drugstores (Denturite by SeaBond). Professional kits can also be purchased from dental suppliers without being a dentist. If you go the do-it-yourself reline route please use the kits cautiously. I would strongly recommend the more expensive route by having a dentist do it.

Now, immediate dentures in general. The dentures were made based on impressions from when your natural teeth were still in your mouth. The denture is a best guess fit at best. Neither the dentist or the lab that made the teeth had no idea how your gums might heal or that there might be difficulties during the extractions. There was no way the denture would fit well under even the best of circumstances. My dentures didn't sit right in a couple of places and they flared far too wide as well (you'll see that in your dentures too after the reline is done). The reline should address some of those problems by filling in the air gaps with reline material including along the bottom edges of the "gum" that might be sharper than they should be. The bad news is that the reline material may make it feel like the "gum" is thicker and take up more room in your mouth. The good news is that the reline material feels like you have a rubber gasket around the original denture which should give the dentures, especially the bottom one, a snug comfortable fit.

This leads me to the topic of immediate vs. permanent dentures. Immediate dentures do not necessarily mean temporary dentures. After the gums have healed and done most of their shrinking many dentists recommend a complete new denture (they like the $). My dentist recommended a hard reline (you called it a lab reline). I've decided on another option which is a rebase. A whole new denture is just that, a new denture. A hard reline is a lab adding and baking on new "gum" material to the original "gum" material. A rebase is where the original "gum" material is completely removed and replaced with new material. The original "tooths" from the immediate denture are reused in the rebased denture. I think the rebase is the best comprimise between a hard reline and a new denture. I'm inclined to think that the rebase will give the denture a thinner profile where they form around the natural gums. That should make it feel like I have more room in my mouth. In your case, a rebase might fix what you describe as the "gums" sitting higher at the back or flattening a flare that might irritate your tongue. A hard reline would only fill in the gaps, much like a soft reline, and add to the thickness and weight of the gum material. Of course a rebase is more expensive than a hard reline but it is less expensive than a new denture. So many choices.......fortunately you have a good few months before you need to make that one. Oh ya, one more thing. I'm having my rebase done June 10-11 so I'll know more about that experience soon.

I hope I haven't raised your expectations of a reline too high although I'm sure that you will find a soft reline an improvement over how your dentures fit now. I'm looking forward to reading about how much of an improvement you think they are. Good luck!!

I think that Yos explained everything very well, so I don't think that I need to expand on that.

Yos....you are right. You have talked to me since the beginning of all of this. I don't know if you remember, but I had the first reline and it did ok, except for the lower where it rubbed my gum raw. After that happened I haven't worn the lower at all. I had been intending to make an appointment to get that fixed but then I got super busy at work and just couldn't take the time off. So now almost a month has gone by since the first reline. I can feel that I need another one now by the way that the teeth tip in my mouth. I have such a high palatal arch that I can have good suction, but the denture will not fit around the molars very well. It will tip upwards and connect the the gums by the front teeth and the tip off of the soft palate. This area that sticks down a little is what tends to make me gag.

When I go for my appointment next week I am going to have the dentist take a little off of the backside of both the upper and the lower. I have been feeling with my tongue the difference of when I have the teeth in and when I have the teeth out. I can feel on the roof of my mouth that the back of the upper extends a little onto to the soft palate. I believe that is why I tend to gag every single morning when I put them in and why I gag periodically during the day whenever I talk.

Also, I think because the lower goes all the way to the back of the mouth and resides against the jawbone itself that may contribute to my gagging when I put the lowers in.

It is interesting, this whole experience. I have learned so much. I never realized before how small my mouth actually was. I look at the upper plate and it looks like it would fit into my 9 yr old's mouth. LOL. I guess that, too, is why my tongue feels so cramped all the time.

scaredstiff, I hope that your appointment is going well today.

Mary

Yos and Scared, thanks for the info. :) This thread is getting soooooo long though that I'm starting to get confused. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif Think I'm going to start a new thread. :)

HI YOS AND MARY! :)

Well, sorry I didn't get back yesterday...very busy afternoon once I got out of there!

Well, the entire process went ok. They had to do the uppers twice, but, in the end, it was worth it.
The fit is SOOOO much better now, although I bit into a slice of pizza last night and my uppers lost suction and started to fall. I quickly pressed them against my palatte, and they reset for me quite nicely. The fit on the top is alot more snug now, but, I can tell there's room for more tightness. I don't know why...when I left there, the fit was perfect! Oh well, not like I'm new to adhesive or anything. Gosh it does feel better though! Yos, you da man! You told me it would fit better, and you were so right. Thanks a bunch! :)

The lowers were easy and quick, although she had to take them out once to remove some material and put more in other spots. But, it took 1/2 the time of the uppers.
She adjusted my bite, and I can now feel both sides come together perfectly. I can chew correctly again! Woo-hoo :bouncing:

My goodness I cannot believe how much better this feels!

I think I will need another in about a month or so...don't think this can last for the rest of my healing time. I will certainly enjoy it while I can though.
They did some minor adjustments on the denture for some sore spots I have, and filed the palatte down a bit as well. Makes a world of difference. I'm no longer gagging or rubbing my tongue raw on the sides of it. I can talk now, without worrying the dentures will fall out, and I can laugh, sneeze, cough, and even play softball without them moving around or coming loose.

Yos, thanks to you again for walking me through it all.
Mary, thank you for adding to the discussion. I, too have a very small mouth, like a child or so they told me...it's more difficult for people with smaller mouths to adjust to this huge-feeling foreign object in our mouths...but, we WILL adjust! I know it.

For now, I can enjoy my new-found fit, and have a nice holiday weekend filled with brats, hot dogs, hanburgers, and whatever else I want...cut up of course. :) Hey, the fact that I can chew again with a normal bite is enough to make me happy! Biting down on foods will come in time I suppose.

Have a GREAT holiday, both of you. Keep me posted on your progress...please. I sort of look to you both since you're farther along in this than me. At least you can tell me what's next and what to expect.

Thanks again to you both.

Best wishes,
scaredstiff70 :D

scaredstiff...

I am so happy that your appointment went so well. I hope mine goes better than it did last time.

Have a good weekend and have a brat for me too. :p

Mary

Hi Mary :)
I plan to eat so many brats and goodies, I will probably gain all the weight back that I lost over the last 3 months! :) What a way to gain weight though huh?

I will most definitely have one (or two) for you. I also got some "Brat Burgers", MAN are those AWESOME! If you ever come across some, and can eat them, you must try 'em. The best!

I hope you have a great weekend, without too much stress.

God Bless,
scaredstiff70 :D

Hi Scaredstiff,

I'm glad that you're so happy with the soft reline. I was afraid I might have made your expectations too high but your woo-hoo tells me I wasted my time thinking about it :) Oh well.

Here's a bit of a heads up on the progress you should make if everything keeps going at the present rate. Your gums will continue to shrink fairly quickly for another month or two. While the reline is fresh you should make a note of exactly how the denture feels in your mouth. That will be your best guage to decide if it's time for another reline. I had another reline one month after my first. It didn't get nearly so loose as the denture was before the first reline but you'll soon find out that a relined denture is like candy to a baby :). You'll have to judge for yourself when it's time for the next reline. Trust me when I say "You'll know when it's time for another soft reline". It'll probably be in 4 to 6 weeks. For the next reline the dentist will probably just add to what is there already. It's pretty sturdy stuff although it does break down over time and with wear and tear. You may need 3 or 4 soft relines depending on your gum shrinkage. Fortunately, they'll hold you over fairly well until you get a hard reline or rebase or new dentures. That will likely be at the 6 to 12 month mark depending on your dentist and your gums.

Now that you have the reline, food will start lining up for you to try to eat :) It won't be long before you start taking bigger mouthfuls and people will begin to notice that you're making a pig of yourself :D . Most of your eating in the beginning will still be with a fork and knife but as you start to eat more normally you'll begin biting the easy stuff. Biting, like chewing, takes practice but you'll get the hang of it in the not too distant future. You'll learn to use the muscles around the mouth to hold the denture in place while you bite. A little dab of glue might be helpful for tougher to bite foods but I would encourage you to learn to bite without glueing the denture in.

You've now gotten past the worst part of getting dentures. I think you'll be in less of a hurry to get to that "final fitting" now. I'm sure you'll begin eating all kinds of foods again. Enjoy your holiday weekend, have fun eating and remember to keep smiling!

Yos

Hi Yos,
Hey, thanks for the heads up. It's nice to be able to follow your progress so closely and learn from you about what to expect.

I'm hoping I won't need that many relines before the "big" one, but, if need be, at least I know I will be comfortable. Funny thing about your comment on candy to a baby...I was just thinking about the same thing myself after I had this done. I thought "It sure is going to stink when this stuff wears down and the looseness sets in again".....but, I know it will happen, I am prepared for it, and I will have it fixed. I really cannot believe what a difference the reline has made. I'm in heaven right now, and am planning to enjoy it to the fullest before it starts to wear off.

Hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend! I can smell the brats already!
Oh, and I will definitely keep smiling...can't help myself! :)

scaredstiff :D

Hi again Scaredstiff,

Well it's been a week and then some. How is the soft reline working out for you?

Yos

Hi Yos,
Well, the reline was working great, but is starting to loosen a bit now. The bottoms are starting to "flare" again in the back, and my bite seems to be off as well..again. I knew it would happen, but hadn't thought it would be so soon. It's only been 1.5 weeks. The dentures aren't falling out yet like they did before the reline, but, I doubt it will be long. I suppose I will start back with the glue soon, and wait as long as possible before I return for another reline.
I have been eating most everything, except the usual steak, corn on the cob, and raw veggies. I did try a steak but it was a futile attempt and quite discouraging. :( I had to give it a shot though. :)

Was wondering....what do you use to clean your dentures with the soft reline material in them? I'm afraid to brush them too hard, and haven't used any overnight cleaner since the reline. Do you brush the material with toothpaste or just rinse with water? I'm worried I will break down the material prematurely so I've been very gentle with the insides of the dentures...although they are begging for a good brushing. What to do?

Bet you're looking forward to your appt. soon huh? Boy, I know that will probably be one of the happiest days of my life. :) But, looking at the calendar, I'm only passing the one month mark now for my lowers, and one month, one week for the uppers....I have a long wait yet. Bummer! :(

I hope your appt. goes well. I will look forward to hearing about it as I have decided to do the rebase as opposed to hard reline, too. Your post about rebase vs. reline made me think the extra money would be well spent.

Oh, one more question...does the lab have to do all cosmetic adjustments to the teeth or can the dentist do that? I need to have the lower front 4 teeth filed down a bit...they are too long and don't look like "me" at all. And the lower is still making me look like I have "chew" in my mouth all the time. Will a rebase take care of that? It just seems too bulky down there. I know it's still foreign to me and my mouth, but, after a month, it just isn't at the cosmetic-comfort level I had hoped it would be. I guess I'm just not happy with the way the lowers look.

I wish you all the best with your appt. next week. Please come back and let us know how it went, ok?

Good luck,
scaredstiff70 :D

Scaredstiff...

I am so happy that things are starting to work out for you. I wish I could say the same for me, but that is another story entirely. As far as the bulky bottoms go, mine are the same way. My hubby says that I look like I am a football player when I was wearing them. I also thoutht that the bottom teeth were too long, because when I had the teeth in my mouth that is all you saw were the bottom teeth. My dentist said that they were made to correct my collapsed bite. I am unsure of that. As much as I like my dentist, I am not so sure about the quality coming from the lab. Time will tell I guess. As far as I am concerned, I need help. I gag with the tops and bottoms and no matter what I do, it hasn't stopped. I am going to be looking into hypnotherapy once my finances allow. I am hoping that that will help. Until then, I am as toofless as a new born babe. It doesn't bother me too terribly much since it is hard to tell that I don't have the teeth in. Will let you know how it goes.

Yos....I hope that your appointment goes well.

Mary

:wave: Hi Scaredstiff,

My first reline didn't last long either. But when you take all the problems you had before the reline and compare them with after there's no contest. After my first reline the fit never became so bad as before the reline so it was always tolerable. Your next reline will fit better for quite a bit longer. Hopefully you'll start to notice that your gums aren't shrinking as quickly as before so you can better gauge when you'll need the next reline. If you can, try to hold out for another couple of weeks.

I don't use the overnight cleanser either. I use the 5 minute stuff but generally let them soak for about 15 minutes in the morning. I wouldn't think of not soaking them because it gets into places the brush just can't get to. After the soaking I brush the denture with an anti-bacterial hand soap. On the liner side I brush lightly and not for long, just enough so I know it's clean. The fizz-soaponabrush combination does a good job of keeping the entire denture clean. Another thing I've noticed is that the liner material turns brownish in color when exposed to the air. That's a product of it drying and not that it's dirty. BTW, you shouldn't use normal toothpaste on a denture because it's too abrasive and can scratch the acrylic and 'tooths'.

I didn't have to have any cosmetic adjustments made to the tooths so I don't have any first hand knowledge of those kind of adjustments. From what I've read dentists do make some adjustments but I suspect it would also depend on how severe the adjustment needs to be. I'm not sure what you mean by "chew" but if you mean the denture is causing your lower lip to be slightly forward it's more likely the whole denture is too far forward. If there is any thickness of reline material against the front of the gum it can be shaved down so the denture sits back a little further. You should mention it to your dentist at the next reline. It should be fixed before the rebase stage if possible. I might be able to answer your question a little better once I see and feel how my denture is different after the rebase.

It sounds like you're doing really well especially in the eating department. I find it very encouraging when I read "eating almost everything". It's quite an accomplishment if you can say that after only 5 weeks. Way to go!! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/dance.gif If you can find a nice tender steak my guess is you could manage one of them too! I found that once I started eating more or less normally again time started to pass more normally again as well. The worst is way behind you now and it justs get better and better.

I'm a little anxious about the rebase. I'm not looking forward to giving up my teeth for a day while they're at the lab. It will be the first day without them since I got them. It's one thing to go to bed without them but I think I'll feel like a piece of me is missing when I drive home. I'm sure that empty feeling will be offset by knowing it will be the last time as well as the first and that I have finally reached the end of the "treatment plan". It'll be something like taking the training wheels off the bike you've been learning how to ride or graduating from grade school to high school.

I'll definitely let you know how it works out. If I don't start a new thread I'll tack it onto the end of this one again :) Watch out for it sometime in the middle of next week. Until then, eat well and live well :D

Yos

[This message has been edited by Yos (edited 06-02-2003).]

:wave: Hi Mary,

Thanks for the well wishes, I hope so too. It seems few people take the rebase route. At least I haven't read of anyone's experience with a rebase so far.

I hope the hypnosis helps with your gagging problem. I couldn't imagine having to go through what you are. You gotta be one tough lady! :D

Yos

Hi Yos, :)
Oh, you are so right about comparing before and after relines. The upper is loose, but, if I keep swallowing after I put it in, I can get the suction to where the denture will stay in my mouth and not shift too much. The lower is still bothersome, but, the dentist did tell me that until my final reline or rebase, I should use some glue since the lower gums seem to be healing in different spots, some quicker than others, which is throwing my bite off and causing the denture to float. Once I get the rebase, it should solve that problem. That's another reason I decided to go for the rebase vs. hard reline....it just seems to make more sense for me since my lower gums aren't cooperating as well as I had hoped. That one traumatic extraction really messed things up in there. :( But, as with everything else concerning dentures, this is going to take time and patience but it will get better eventually.

I did notice the reline material getting yellowish/brown on just the ends on the upper denture. I thought it was from different foods, sodas, ect...hmmmm....thanks for the info. Very interesting. I will try the soap-cleaning and soaking for only a few minutes tonight. I was so afraid to use any cleansers. Glad to hear there is something I can do to clean these things.

By "chew" I meant chewing tobacco. It looks like I have a wad of it in the front of my mouth. I know there's room for the denture to sit back farther, but, for now, it doesn't. The oral surgeon said to wait a while and if it doesn't remedy itself (how could it?), they would fix it for me by shaving it down as you said. I guess I want to wait until I know there's little shrinking left before I do anything cosmetic to the denture. I don't want to have to make more trips because I was being impatient. I'm getting used to it now, but it must look funny to people who don't know me very well. :)

I do think I'm doing ok eating. Sure would have been nice to have that steak though. All in good time I suppose. I can eat pretty much anything else though. Biting is still giving me some pressure on the top in front, and if I eat something crunchy, it's still causing a minimal amount of discomfort on the top sides as well. I push through it and try not to let myself think about it too much, but sometimes, it does hurt alot. That was the problem with the steak. It wasn't super tender, and the pressure from trying to chew it was more than my gums could handle...so I quit trying and just ate the other things I cooked that night. Everyone else had steak, even my 2 year old! Talk about humbling! I figure I will try once more with a tender steak and if that doesn't work, I will wait until the healing has progressed a bit more. I am concerned with the pressure pains I'm getting when I do eat hard things. Will this fade in time as well? Or is this another adjustment problem that the dentist needs to fix for me?

I hear you about giving up your teeth! I am ok around my husband and kids, but, anyone else...forget it! I guess I will hide out in my house all day until the dentures are ready. Looks like it's going to be a "mushy food" day as well. :) Oh well, I think we are used to those by now.

I wish you the best of luck with your appt. And I will look for your post next week. Hang in there Yos, you are almost home free. :) (minus the occasional check up of course)

Take care,
scaredstiff70 :D

I had all mine on top pulled out in Oct and Nov of 2002. By Dec the pulled the last front ones and put the teeth right in. I have done quite well. Went back to the Denture Specialist about every 2 weeks for 24 months. This doctor is a really kind person. He made sure I had the best of care. Soft liners were included in the fee and I have had them done 8 times--unbelievable -but like I said he is the best!! It is now June and I am ready for the final part of getting the permanent teeth done. I am able to eat most food except for tough steak. I do notice that my taste is returning and I no longer feel or talk like I have a mouth full of plastic. Don't hurry yourself. This is a big change in your life--but a well worth one!

Hi Sue,

Congratulations on a successful transition to dentures. It's good to hear another happy story (as opposed to horror story) about a new denture wearer for a change.

I'm at about the same stage as you and I'm curious about what you are having done for your "permanent teeth". Are you getting a hard reline, a rebase or new dentures?

Yos

Hi Scaredstiff :wave:,

As promised here is the update on the rebase which ended up not being a rebase. It did ended up being a hard reline, for two main reasons. One, the lab wanted 3 days to do a rebase and only one day for a hard reline. Two, the dentist said I could achieve similar results with a hard reline as with a rebase with a few extra instructions to the lab. Well, I had arranged to take a day off work and tacking on another couple of days wasn't possible. I wanted the dentures to be less bulky and lighter and the dentist said it would be possible so I agreed to the hard reline.

To make a long story short the denture came out lighter, less bulky and it actually felt like I had a little more room in my mouth. I even tried to look for a line on the denture that might tell me where the old denture ended and the reline began but I couldn't find one. If the dentist told me he had had the denture rebased I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

These new gumshoes are already hurting a bit but I was expecting that. They'll need adjusting but that would probably have been needed for a rebase or for all new dentures for that matter. So it looks like a hard reline can be almost as good as a rebase. I'm pleased with the results :)

How are you coming along? Have you managed a steak yet? I hope so. I can bet that your gums have shrunk a bit more too. Any plans for another soft reline soon?

I hope you're still watching this thread for updates. Take care and keep smiling :D

Yos

Hi Yos, :D

Glad to hear your decision worked out for the best!!
I have been waiting patiently for your update, and am really looking forward to my reline/rebase appt. Now that you have told me the reline achieved mostly the same results as a rebase, I'm wondering what my final decision will be? Hmmm...will have to speak to the dentist about that.
It's good to hear that you feel as though you have more room in your mouth now, too. I still feel like the bottoms are taking up way too much space. And after the reline I had done, it seemed to take more than before...sigh! I guess with the good, there's always some bad, huh? :(

Eating is pretty much the same. Haven't had the opportunity to try another steak yet. Kind of reluctant to do it again anyhow. The reline is losing it's "grip" too, so a steak would probably be a bad idea right now. I am eating mostly everything else though...with those few exceptions of raw veggies, apples, and corn on the cob. I can live without those for now. Not that I ate them much before anyway. I actually bit into a frozen ice cream bar covered with chocolate the other day. Wasn't easy, but, I took my time and I did it. So, all in all, I think I'm doing pretty well. It's just getting to that "frustrating" point again with the dentures getting loose. Using the "stick-um" for added security, but I know I will have to go eventually for another reline.
I think I will be changing dentists though before I do that. The one I'm going to isn't being exactly "professional" when it comes to the billing part of my family's account. I paid in full for my dentures/extractions, and the insurance reimbursed the dentist...should have been no big deal for them to cut me a check, right? Well, it has been almost 2 months since they recieved the check from my insurance, and they are giving me a run-around about how they have to send it to their accountant, then he has to check the balance on my account (of which there is NONE--paid in full!), and then he will send a check to me. Then...as if that weren't enough...my son had an exam, which was billed as a "limited oral ecaluation" (why it wasn't simply a check-up is beyond me), and my insurance only covers that procedure for dental accidents. Confused yet?
Anyhow...he didn't have an accident, he just had an oral exam and xrays, yet they billed for him differently than they billed for me...don't know why...we both had the same things done. Open mouth, look inside, take pictures, say good bye. The insurance covered everything but $13.00, which isn't a large amount, but, I went to a PPO dentist for a reason. If they can bill for something other than what it was, and I am responsible for the remainder that insurance doesn't cover...what is the point of going to in-network dentists I ask? I'm just not too happy with their billing and accounting techniques. Then, they decided to take the $13.00 off of MY credit with them and not tell me about it until I questioned them. Pretty sneaky if you ask me. Since when does a credit with one patient off-set a balance on another? Just bad business to me. Maybe I'm being too critical about it, but, it seems they are getting away with something they shouldn't be.
Anywhooooo.....
I will be checking with some dentists closer to my home and see who can help me with relines, adjustments, ect. Problem is, my adjustments are free with this dentist I have now. If I go somewhere else, they won't be. Not sure what to do right now.
I know my son won't be going back there though. He still hasn't met his maximum on the insurance, so, I will go to a more trustworthy dentist for him. Maybe I will just stick it out for myself until my insurance kicks in again next year. Confusion, confusion.

So, minus the stink with the billing/accounting, and the fact that I can't eat steak, I'm coming along.
My gums have shrunk a little, but not as much as I thought they would in 2 weeks, or has it been 3? Jeez time flies. :) Think it's been 3. I'm hoping it will slow down more and more now. The holes I had are really closing up fast and the sore spots are fading..although I know that will come back after the reline/rebase.

How long do you think you will have to endure the adjustment period again? And will you need more soft relines soon or will that be a once in a blue moon thing now? I am so glad you are posting here. It's great to know what to expect.
Oh, how was the reline material for you? Did it run down your throat like it did me? That was the worst feeling in the world!
How long did you have to wait for the lab to get the chompers back to you? I was told about 8 hours.

Well, I'm happy for you Yos. Congrats and woo-hoo :bouncing:
I'm jealous. :)

Take care and keep in touch...let me know how your adjustment is going.

All my best...

scaredstiff70 :D

Hi Scaredstiff,

Sorry to hear about the "money changing hands" problem you're having with the dentist. I pay my dentist up front too but the insurance company sends the cheque directly to me. I usually see the money within a couple of weeks, sometimes less than a week :) The other stuff your dentist is doing sounds kinda shifty too. I hope it all gets sorted out without too much difficulty for you.

Otherwise, it sounds like you're progressing as well as can be expected. I'm still nowhere near eating raw veggies, biting apples or chomping down on corn on the cob either. I didn't eat much of that stuff before either but that was because my teeth were so bad. At least now I can look forward to it one day :) I'm sure steak will land on a plate near you sooner rather than later. Be patient, a steak needs to be enjoyed, not endured.

If the truth be told, right now I'd rather have the old denture with the beat up soft liner. I saw the dentist this morning to grind down a couple of areas that were causing me some grief. Now that I can actually eat with them again I'm noticing that some edges of the denture gums are a little too long and digging into what's left of my real gums. It's not so bad that it can't wait until after the weekend though. I want that time to figure out what else might need a little grinding or filing too. I'd like to get everything done in one visit early next week. I'm hoping that will be it for adjustments.

I'm not sure how long I'll go without a soft reline. I'm very tempted to put one on the lower denture because it doesn't fit as snug like it did with the liner. Some foods stick to the denture making it lift up. I don't think it should do that. I'm going to mention it to the dentist when I go in for the next adjustment and see what he says. It looks like it's time for me to be patient again http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/dizzy.gif. Anyway, to answer your soft reline question, I went three months with the same soft liner without any significant change in my gums (at least not that I could tell). The gums never stop resorbing but I don't expect to notice much change between now and my one year anniversary with dentures. I expect I might have one soft reline in that time, probably close to the anniversary date.

Where your soft relines are concerned, if the stuff is going down your throat either your dentist is putting too much on or my dentist is good at catching it before it goes down my throat :). I had little drops at the end of the plate and small blobs hanging at the bottom of the gum but I could just scrape it off. Geepers, the stuff tastes bad enough as it is without having to eat it too :)

On the day before my hard reline the dentist put a new soft liner in the denture to serve as an impression. On the morning the dentures went to the lab he also took standard impressions (metal tray and goop) of my lower gums with and without the denture in. He gave the lab the extra impressions because as part of the reline/rebase compromise he needed to give the lab extra instructions for grinding and trimming the old denture. At any rate, I gave up my dentures at 8 in the morning and they were back in my mouth shortly after 4 that afternoon.

Those may be a long winded answers to your questions http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/gabby.gif but I thought you would appreciate a little more than simple blunt answers. If you have any more questions, ask away. I'll add to this thread if anything happens that might be of help you. I wonder if this is being of any help to anybody else? I hope so.

Take care! Have a great weekend! And keep on smiling!! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/dance.gif

Yos

Originally posted by Yos:

I wonder if this is being of any help to anybody else? I hope so.
http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/dance.gif

Yos


You betcha, Yos. But I must admit that I'm starting to get confused with all this reline talk, and what I should expect from my dentist. It seems like you are at yours really really often..... He/she sounds terrific.

I think you told me once before what to expect for rough timelines. I think it was a reline (or was that a rebase?) http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/dizzy.gif at around the 2 month mark, and then a rebase or reline (or something! lol) again around 6 months? I really should just go back and find the post because it has escaped this old brain of mine. Or geezzz, it might actually be somewhere in this thread. :eek:

Actually, I've gotta admit that I'm starting to forget everything I've read here.....it's probably because I'm starting to get pretty nervous about my big day next Thursday. omg....Can't believe it's that soon. Thankfully I will only be getting uppers. Yikes!

Hi Yos,

Well, as far as the money is concerned, I paid up front too, and expected (and was told) that as soon as the insurance paid them, I would be reimbursed. Now they're giving me the ol' "accountant has to look at the books" stuff. Whatever! I left a message two days ago for the financial coordinator to contact me about the monies, and wouldn't you know, she hasn't?? Imagine that! :mad:
I am sure it will get sorted out sooner or later, but, it always seems to happen when you need the money the most. Have lots household things to take care of, and can't without that money. I KNOW they don't expect me to bring my son back there. It ain't happenin'!

I've thought about trying a nice Filet Mingon (sp?), they seem to be the most tender next to Prime Rib. Maybe my hubby and I can get out this weekend or next.
I just can't wait until the day I don't have to use "stick um" anymore. My father has had dentures for well over 35 years, and he told me to this day, he's never had a problem, never needed soft relines, hard relines, ect...and only healed about 3 weeks before his dentures were placed. My grandmother was the same way. Now, I ask you, what the heck are we doing wrong here? He asks me all the time why I'm having to use glue, and going for so many appts...what can I say but, "they don't fit yet"???
Gosh, it will be nice when this is over for the most part. I try not to be so impatient, but, sometimes, I just want to scream! :(

The edges of mine are long too, and digging into my gums as well. It's not extremely painful, and hoping I can hold out until I absolutely HAVE to go back for another reline. I am very reluctant to go too soon, with the impression experience being what it was last time. Man that was not fun for me. There is quite a bit of reline material at the ends of the upper denture, so I can see why it slid down my throat. But JEEZ, you'd think they'd be watching for that, wouldn't you? I will make sure she's got her eyes on it next time....otherwise, I think I might have to spit the thing out. :) Think they'd get the hint then? ;)

Have you thought about soft liners for the bottom instead of the reline material? I haven't asked my dentist about them yet, but, I'm concerned that my lowers will never fit snug. Even after the reline, they were loose in the front, not sitting flush on the ridge at all. I guess I will have to wait until the final reline to see what's needed/not needed. I just want them to fit decently....too much money for ill-fitting chompers!

Well, 8-4 isn't bad at all. I can deal with that. Just won't be going anywhere in public. :)

And I am certain you are helping others, but, at the very least, you have helped little ol' me! :)
Please let me know what happens next week with your adjustments. Hope it all turns out for you Yos.

Have a wonderful weekend....smiles :D

scaredstiff70

b-u-m-p

Hi MMMarie, :wave:

I'm glad to hear that someone else is getting something useful out of this conversation. Most of this thread comes across as a personal conversation between me and Scaredstiff which I would be inclined to take "off board" under normal circumstances. I'm sure there are some readers out there wondering if this thread is ever going to end http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/yawn.gif Have you noticed that the "views" counter is messed up on the topic's page. Every now and then I see a higher number of "replies" than "views" which isn't possible. But I digress.

I haven't been to the dentist *that* often :round:. Here is my appointment summary.
Dec 2, 2002 - extractions
Dec 3 to 5 - post surgery checkup and adjustments
Dec 20 - first soft reline
Feb 5 - second soft reline
Mar 5 - third soft reline
Apr 15 - check denture fit - no soft reline this time
June 10-11 - hard reline
June 12 - now - hard reline adjustments

The hard relined denture is my "final denture". I'm trying to resolve the sore spots and fitting problems. My dentist (a He btw) has always been understanding when it comes to impromtu (emergency) adjustments. He'll be seeing me for sure next week :D Once I'm happy with my dentures I'll be on my own. He's been one heck of great dentist/oral surgeon. In the not too distant future I'll be seeing a denturist about having a spare set of dentures made. After the rebase/hard reline experience I'm loathe to go more than a few hours without teeth.

So Thursday is the big day eh! I can't remember what exactly you're having done and didn't have much success in checking the previous posts or threads. Could you refresh my memory please http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/redface.gif I wish you all the best of luck and that everything goes smoothly. If you have any more questions I'll be around to answer them if I can.

Yos :D

Hi Scaredstiff, :wave:

With all due respect to your father and grandmother, I suspect their memories are selective at best or missing at worst. My mother has worn dentures for 20 years and tells me pretty much the same thing. I don't think she would accept that her dentures are loose if they fell out of her mouth. She has lived with her dentures that way for so long it's normal for her. A few years down the road we might be just like they are now. Isn't that a scary thought. :eek:

My lower doesn't fit nearly as snug as it did with the soft reline material. I have to be much more careful now when I eat in case the denture sticks to food and gets pulled up. I'm going to talk to my dentist about it because I don't think it should be this loose. So much for all the impressions that were made for it :( I haven't used any kind of adhesive yet and I have no plans to do so in the future. It's bad enough I have to brush real teeth and false teeth never mind scrape glue off my gums and dentures too. For now I'm going to be patient and give my dentist first crack at fixing the problem.

Whatever happens in the next few days the dentures becoming more loose is an eventuality I'll need to face sooner or later. I really don't want to use adhesive on a daily basis. If the liners that you mention are similar to the ones made by Sea Bond that you have to cut to fit the denture, no thank you. They sound like more of a pain to use than adhesive. I really liked the way my dentures fit with the soft reline done by the dentist. Sea Bond also makes a product called Denturite which seems similar to the soft reline material used by dentists. I'll give that a try first. If I don't like it I'll try to find the same stuff that dentists and denturists use from a dental supply company. I guess the bottom line is personal choice and whatever feels best for you.

If any do-it-youself remedies don't pan out I'll go to a denturist. Now that my gums have healed and my treatment plan, for all intents and purposes is over, I don't need the dentist anymore except for oral checkups. I plan on going to a denturist anyway because I'd like to have spare set of dentures just in case. Like you, I wouldn't go out in public without my teeth and I could lose more in wages from lost time at work than it would cost for a spare set of teeth. With a denturist I can work directly with the people that make/repair/rebase/reline dentures and have much more input on the asthetics too.

So here I am with my "final teeth", more than 6 months after my extractions, and it ain't over yet, not by a longshot. I'll be happy if by Monday or Tuesday the dentures are painless and comfortable to wear. Given my dentist's track record I'm confident that will happen. For the fit, I'll wait and see what happens. If that's my only problem after all is said and done, well, I don't really have that big a problem do I? (That's a rhetorical question and the answer is no :) )

Well I hope hubby got you that steak. My preference would have been the filet mignon but I wouldn't complain about prime rib. Thanks for the well wishes, they are very much appreciated. Now that we can smile we should do it as much as we can. Have a great weekend too! I'll post again later in the week.

Yos :D

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Yos:
Hi MMMarie, I'm glad to hear that someone else is getting something useful out of this conversation. Most of this thread comes across as a personal conversation between me and Scaredstiff which I would be inclined to take "off board" under normal circumstances.

No Way!!! I hate it when people decide to use email to discuss a topic further instead of continuing to post on the thread. I think so many people lose out that way. Seriously. I know this thread has made me feel more at ease about getting dentures and has helped me tremendously.

And thank you for passing along the info re your trips to the dentist. Just reading someone else's experiences....well, I just find it helps a great deal to get info from people who have 'been there, done that'....

Yep.....Thursday. :eek: I plan to hold onto my bottom teeth for as long as I can..... So Thursday I will be having IV sedation and getting all my upper teeth pulled out (by an oral surgeon), and then getting the immediate dentures put in. The following day, I go see my regular dentist. I assume he takes the immediate dentures out and just kinda looks around? or? ..... Yikes.

Something I'm also curious about is whether or not most people get stitches? And would that be in almost every empty tooth socket? I wonder if some people get zero stitches when they are having an immediate put in right away. Just curious......

Anyhow, gotta run. Thanks again for all the info. :)

I'm really glad that this thread is helping you. I know how I felt before and after I found the denture groups. Before, confused about what was going on in my mouth and what was supposed to feel right or wrong. After, assured that what I was going through was normal and reassured that if I did have any questions, answers were at hand.

I think it's a good idea that you're going to keep your natural lower teeth as long as possible. How long do you think they'll last? I hope they won't need a lot of work. At worst you'll go through the experience one denture at a time. Doing the uppers first is a good primer for the lowers. Uppers are much easier to adjust to than lowers.

After my surgery I was told to keep the teeth in until my appointment the next morning. I was given a prescription for painkillers (Tylenol 3's)and instructed to rinse with salt water. I was also given an emergency number to call in the event I had extreme pain that the pain killers didn't take care of. I expect you'll get similar instructions. I didn't need to use that phone number and I only used 3 of the Tylenol :D I hope your experience is as relatively painless as mine. On Friday your dentist will probably do as you anticipate. He'll take the denture out, clean it up and make sure nothng out of the ordinary is going on with your upper gums. He'll ask you if the denture is the cause of any pain and make an adjustment if needed. Unfortunatley, it's tough to tell whether the denture is the cause of the pain so soon after the surgery :( During the weekend you'll probably notice the denture is rubbing your gums or not sitting right and causing some pain. There's a good chance you'll be making a couple of unscheduled trips to your dentist the next week for adjustments.

To the best of my knowledge stitches are only used when the surgeon or dentist needs to cut the gums for whatever reason. I knew that I had a few because I could feel the threads with my tongue but with the dentures in there was no way to tell. I was also reluctant to look into my mouth in those first days :)

I hope everything goes well with your extractions. Good luck!! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/t_up.gif

Yos :D

Hi Yos, :)

Yes, I would venture to say that my Grandmother and Father's memories have definitely "lapsed" over time, but, don't you dare tell them that! :) They aren't the only ones to swear to me they have had no problems, but, again, memories are the first to go! Anyhow, it will be a blessing to be able to forget the bad/frustrating parts of this whole ordeal. I'm not sorry I did it, and I am having the time of my life being able to eat sweets again without worrying I will be thrust into a 4 day toothache! The other stuff will come with time I suppose.

My lower is really loose and getting worse with every day that passes. But, I am determined to go as long as possible without another reline, esp. since I will have to pay for future ones. :( I don't enjoy using glue, but, there's no way it would stay in my mouth without it. The uppers are starting to fall out too, causing me to use glue up top as well. No fun, but the alternative is allowing my teeth to fall out of my mouth, which is also no fun and extremely embarassing! :eek:

The liners I mentioned are soft cushions placed by the dentist, and they last for about a year I'm told. It's basically for those people who are forever having trouble keeping a good fit on tbeir dentures due to ridge problems or whatever else would cause them to be less-than-acceptable candidates for dentures. They take up space within the denture and cushion the gums as well, which would be a bonus. Makes me wonder why they don't use them for everyone, if only just for the comfort level aspect of it. Oh well, guess that's why I'm not a dentist. :)

I thought about the Denturite stuff, but afraid I'd really mess things up for myself. I'd like to talk to someone who's tried it and get their perspective before I do it. But hey, that would surely be a great alternative to running to the dentist for adjustments all the time. Wonder how long it lasts compared to the dentist-reline material? Asking myself if saving some money would be worth it in the long run? Hmmmmmm......

So, it's Monday, how are your chompers feeling?

No steak this weekend....some Brats though...yummy!
I do believe I'll be going for the Filet though once we get the chance to go. Just the thought is making me hungry!

Smiles??? Oh yeah!!! All the time, as much as I can, and enjoying it to the fullest!!!

Hope your weekend was a great one....look forward to hearing from you soon....

Smiles :D
scaredstiff70

PS: I tried the Sea Bond for my lowers today, and to my surprise, it was MUCH less of a hassle than regular adhesive. I got tired of the glue seeping out from under the denture and decided to try something else. I am so glad I did!!! I may try it on top too, as I'm having to use alot of glue up there as well. As I said, I want to wait as long as possible before I go for another reline...it's expensive :(


[This message has been edited by scaredstiff70 (edited 06-17-2003).]

[This message has been edited by scaredstiff70 (edited 06-17-2003).]

Hi Scarestiff, :wave:

I read your other post about your finance probs with the dentist. I think the easiest and quickest way to get your money back is to have the insurance company send copies of the canceled checks to YOU and then you go to the dentist office and demand your money. Give copies to the dentist so that you have a paper trail if the dentist is still reluctant to pay you. They should at least be giving you $666 right away.
Go get 'em!!

My progress is coming along. I haven't decided yet whether it's going along well or not http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/dizzy.gif . Best to rely on hindsight to make that judgement :) Over the weekend they were still making parts of my gums sore but it was at least tolerable. The dentist saw me first thing this morning a made a few adjustments. As usual he did a great job. The gum is still sore from being irritated all weekend but I can wear the denture without any pain at all and can eat relatively pain free. The gum just needs a couple of days to settle down. He didn't want to adjust the depth of the denture gum on the inside yet. It's not that the denture gum digs into the inside of the mouth but rather that the inside of the mouth sometimes pushes up against the denture. When I complained about the loose denture he connected the two thinking that my jaw moving up against the denture could be a symptom of the denture being loose. So, he cinched up the wire retainers a bit so that the denture was held a little more snuggly against the anchor teeth. The lower denture stays in place much better now and everything else seems better but... we'll see. I need to wear these dentures a little bit longer before I can comment objectively.

What SeaBond product did you use? The adhesive? I noticed they even have a product called "Plasti-Liner" which is supposed to "stay in place for weeks". I saw that at their web site, not in a store btw. I can understand why you're reluctant to have a dentist put in the liner. All of my soft relines where included in the total cost. Now that I'm past that stage I'm sure I'll need something, sooner or later. I'd like to stay away from the "daily applications". I don't like to fuss and bother with something on a daily basis if there is a way to do it on a weekly or monthly basis. I'll even pay extra for the convenience. What I would really like to do is get a "dentist grade" soft reline kit because I know it lasts fairly long (that last soft reline I had lasted 3 months and could have gone on longer). I don't think it would be that expensive and it shouldn't be any more difficult to apply than "Denturite". I'm sure it can be had, I just have to find it :D

I think that by this weekend I'll have a verdict on the hard reline. ?? http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/t_up.gif?? ?? http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/t_down.gif ?? I'll post my thoughts then. Good luck getting the financial side of things straightened out with your dentist.

Yos



[This message has been edited by Yos (edited 06-17-2003).]

Hi Yos, :wave:

It seems my husband has better "gripe-power" with my dentist, so we will see if we get at least one check this week. If not, I am certain my hubby will have some very 'nice' words for them.

I know what you mean about the dentures digging into the gums...man are mine starting to hurt. When I tried the Sea Bond, it really felt comfortable, but to my dismay, it didn't last all day as the package claimed. I had one hot dog and it was loose. So, I guess it's back to glue to keep them in. Which by the way, is causing sore spots itself. I guess the dentures are still moving around even with the glue??? I don't know really...just isn't comfortable right now.

The Sea Bond I used were the wafer things. Pretty easy to use actually, and I liked them alot. The denture felt really snug when I put them in, but again, it didn't last all day like the glue does.
I plan to look for that Plasti-Liner in the stores...thinking maybe a Walgreens or something like that might carry it?? If not, I can try the Denturite...just afraid to mess things up. Have you used that before? I'm wondering if you can put it on top of the reline material that's already in place, or would I need to take that off the denture?

My Dad's girlfriend uses something from WalMart that lasts all week, but she forgot the name of it--memory is always the first to go. :)
I will do some looking today for another product that will help me through this transition. She said it was almost like that plastic bubble stuff we used to have as kids. I suppose I could ask a pharmacist if need be.

At any rate, it seems we both have our own set of troubles right now. I sincerely hope your 'woes' get fixed soon.

Let me know if you've tried the Denturite yourself...interested to know how easy it is. Maybe I should start a thread concerning that product??

Look forward to your verdict Yos. My wishes are with you for a great outcome.

Have a good day....

Smiles :D
scaredstiff70

Hi Scaredstiff :wave: and thanks for the well wishes,

I've been living with the hard reline for over a week now. Since Tuesday I've been wearing them in comfort and the sore spots have gone too. Remember me saying that the "digging in" might be a symptom of the sore spot? Either it was that or I just needed to get used to the denture all over again. The lower denture is staying put too and it even passed the popcorn test (nothing under the denture :D)

The hard reline (and this would probably apply to a rebase or a new denture as well) made the denture much lighter and less bulky. There isn't that much difference with the upper because of the suction. I have noticed though that the suction breaks easier. This is probably because the soft reline material is more flexible and stretches some before loosening. But without the liner the upper feels smaller and seems to fit better - the soft reline made the fit feel spongy. Now, the lower. When it had the soft reline material I could feel the pressure of denture around my gums. I can barely feel that with the hard reline. It feels more like it just sits on the gums relying on the clasps to keep it in place.

The verdict; two thumbs up, one thumb down. I don't feel as confident that the hard relined denture will stay in place as I did with the soft relined dentures http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/t_down.gif but the hard relined dentures feel less obstrusive in my mouth http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/t_up.gif. I've noticed that my mouth has a more natural look with the hard reline too http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/t_up.gif.

I hope I'm not giving the impression that I'm complaining. I'm not. I'm still able to wear the dentures and eat meals without adhesive or liner. They're also comfortable enough that I could wear them 24/7 if needed. And that's exactly how a set of well fitting dentures are supposed to be.

Having said that, I think there is room for improvement. To answer your question, no I haven't tried the Denturite liner but I think I will. I was sorely tempted to use it between soft relines but I didn't for the same reasons you aren't. The liner was designed to peel away from denture acrylic not another type of liner. Also, each time the dentist did a soft reline he added new liner material on top of the existing liner material. I didn't want to complicate that procedure. My policy was not to mess with what the dentist did and be patient. If I don't have anymore problems this weekend I won't be having anymore adjustments made.

For all intents and purposes I think I'm done http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/dance.gif. But it's never really done is it? A reline once a year, new dentures every 5 years or thereabouts. I want a spare set of dentures too so I'm going to get that ball rolling in the new year (want to wait until after at least a year of the gums resorbing).

I'm not sure what to suggest to fix the fit of your dentures except to keep on doing what you're doing with adhesive or (I know it's expensive) have a dentist do another soft reline. I don't expect that Denturite would last for months like the dentist reline. I have noticed that "dentist grade" reliner kits are available on the internet but I'm going to preach patience again because I don't believe that "do it yourself" fixes are an answer at the stage you're at. If you can hang in there for another month your gums won't be resorbing nearly as fast as they have been and you can get a dentist reline that might last to the six month mark like it did for me. BTW, did you find out what your dads girlfriend bought at Wal-Mart? Where your dentures "digging in" are concerned I'd definitely see the dentist about that and the sooner the better if it's causing you pain. He shouldn't charge you extra for those kind of adjustments.

Did you get your $666 (bad omen that 666 is) back as expected? Do you plan on ending your "relationship" with that dentist? I guess that would all depend on what you've paid for and haven't received eh? I hope you get it all straightened out one way or another. The denture part is problem enough without the dentist becoming a problem as well.

I'll fill you in on my Denturite experiment when I do it. In the meantime, have a great weekend, let the summer begin (summer begins today at 3:10 P.M. EDT) and keep smiling! :D

Yos

Hi Yos, :wave:

I am SO glad to hear that your chompers are feeling better!!! Congrats!

To hear that a reline is making yours less bulky is so encouraging! I still feel like I have a mouthful of plastic and not enough room to eat sometimes. Tried a 3Musketeers the other day, and almost choked on it...got stuck on my upper plate way in the back and wouldn't come off...it was like glue! Man was that scary! To make matters worse, I was golfing with my husband, and this happened as I was waiting for him to tee-off....he had to stop what he was doing cuz I was coughing....how embarassing...but we laughed about it later...after I stopped shaking of course. :)

I too feel that pressure on my lowers from the reline material. It's getting uncomfortable all over, and I simply cannot keep them in my mouth without help from glue or the SeaBond Liners.
And I didn't find out the name of the stuff my dad's girlfriend uses...but, I did find something in Walmart that must be what she's referring to. It's in a pink and white box (about the size of a small toothpaste box) and it says "Cushion Grip" on the box. It's just like the bubble stuff I told you about. I did use it this weekend, and although there were some mistakes made by myself initially, it really is a great product. It goes on in bubble form, and you press it into the denture groove with your fingers. Then you insert the denture and bite down for a few mintues. After a bit, you can tell if you need more or less and either put more on, or pry the excess out of the denture...I think I used too much the first time and had to do it all over again because it came off the denture in one big piece instead of just on one spot. It's very easy to use though. It made my gums tingle a bit, but that went away within about 5 minutes. It's very soft, and sticks to reline material as well. Lasts for about 4 days according to the box. It did make the denture feel even more bulky, but, I don't have to use glue, so, that made me very happy! :) I really am growing to hate that glue. Only problem that I am having now, is the lower left side is still tipping upwards when I eat, but when I put more on that side to keep it in place, the dentures ended up crooked. So, I tried a bit more on the right side to even it up, and the left started tipping again....SHEESH! The front of the denture still isn't sitting flush on my gums, but, if I bite down, it will stay in my mouth until I laugh or otherwise open too wide. I am going to wait until this first bit of "grip" wears down and try again at the end of the week....maybe it was human error that's causing my lower to be crooked and tip, and not sit on my front gums. We'll see. My gut tells me that the denture itself needs some adjusting...there's just too much space under the front of the lower and on the left side. As I said before, even when I had the soft reline, the dentist told me I would have to use glue in the front because it wasn't sitting the way it should. I certainly hope this works itself out eventually. I really don't want to have to get a whole different lower made!!! :(

I did get the $666 back and should be getting the $736 this week. Thank goodness. At least that is over with (almost).

With the Cushion Grip, I should be able to make it for a while before the next reline. I'm shooting for the end of July. Longer if I can hold out. I will keep using the grip until it's no longer working for me...and then find a dentist near me with experience. Won't be going back to my first one. I would prefer a professional office this time.

Yes, please do let me know how the experiement goes. I don't plan to use that at any time in the near future. I am going to do as you suggested and be patient, use what works for now, and wait as long as possible.

My weekend was great! Golfing Friday, son's bball game Saturday, and took the kiddies to Indiana Beach Sunday. We had a fantastic time! (Pretty pooped now though!) :)
Hope yours was a good one too.

Smiles :D
scaredstiff70

:wave: Hi Scardstiff,

It sounds like you had a great weekend. I never did eat many candy bars mostly because of my bad teeth. It's just as well that I'm still not eating them because after the extractions I lost enough weight to bring me down to the ideal weight for my height and bone structure, 180 lbs. Haven't been there in a long long time and I'd like to stay there for a long long time :D

Anyway, I did my "Wal-Mart run" today and noticed the Cushion Grip, Plasti-Liner and a few other products that I never noticed on any previous runs. I can't be sure if they were there before or if I just didn't notice. Must be old age creeping up on me eh! Oh well. I have the Denturite and I'll do my experiment with that first. If anything I just want to see if it makes a difference or not. I'll let you know the results when I've done it.

It's good to hear the financials with the dentist are getting sorted out. The other thing you might want to sort out with that dentist before you abandon him is how that lower sits on your gums. If he couldn't get it to sit right with a soft reline I would begin to have some doubts about making it sit right after a hard reline. I would hate to see you get stuck having to pay for a new denture if it was his fault or the labs fault. If you let another dentist adjust your denture he could refuse to do any more work on it or say it was the other dentists fault that the denture doesn't fit properly. Also, the way you describe the denture sitting now it could be easy to crack or break. Dentures don't bend much and it could break easily where there is no gum beneath the denture to support it. Hopefully, the Cushion Grip gives it the support it needs for now.

I hope the Cushion Grip works for you until you decide to get the next soft reline. With all the choices out there it's hard to say what works better until you've tried it and that alone can get expensive if you try them all. With a little bit of luck the next soft reline will be the last soft reline before your "final fitting".

Keep smiling :D

Yos

Hi Yos :wave:

I did without candy bars for sooooo long, and I was determined to eat all the junk I missed out on for so many years...guess a candy bar isn't in my future, but, there are other things I can eat to ease my chocolate craving. I too, lost alot of weight, but mine was prior to my extractions, due to infection after infection. My dentist told me it was a good thing I was young and in good health, otherwise, I would have been in the hospital with the infection I had going on. That was scary to hear! I dropped a total of 20 lbs. pre-extractions, and another 5-7lbs. post-extractions. My husband was getting worried, but, we both knew it was from the infections and lack of being able to eat after my procedure. I've gained back about 5lbs. since this all started, but, I must admit, the weight loss could not have come at a better time...summer and all. I'm not complaining a bit! :) At least I can wear my bikini again! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/dance.gif

I didn't see the Plasti-Liner in Walmart. I looked for it, but apparently, they don't carry it in my local store. The cushion grip is working well for me. I do notice that when I place my teeth in the morning, they fit well, and the bite is perfect. After I eat, the bite is usually off and the front lower starts to float upwards again. I'm wondering if it's because I'm a "one-side" chewer? I don't use my left side very much, most likely because that's where I had so many toothaches before, and I am now trained to use only one side of my mouth? That's my guess anyhow. Using one side is probably mashing down the cushion grip, at least it seems that way, therefor, throwing my bite off on that side. Any thoughts?

I am glad you brought up not tossing this dentist out until my troubles are addressed and taken care of. I was so upset with them over the financial stuff, I was ready to say "C-YA"....but, you make a very valid point. The thought of going back to them isn't one I am enjoying, but again, they should be responsible for fixing the problem areas before I seek out a new dentist. Thanks for the input on that! I surely would have made a costly mistake. (You're so smart Yos :) )
Gosh I hope it doesn't break!!! Yikes! I think the grip is doing a good job of keeping it on my gums, but as I said, after eating, it does float. Will have to be very careful and watch what I do and how much pressure I use when eating.

Look forward to hearing how your experiment goes.

Smiles :D
scaredstiff70

:wave: Hi Scaredstiff,

Wow! Your infections were that bad? It sounds like you should have done the denture thing long ago. I had abcessess on a regular basis but not nearly enough to put me in the hospital. But I should have done the denture thing long ago too. Better late than never eh?

You really should get into the habit of chewing on both sides of your mouth. It makes chewing so much easier and comfortable. A few other things to consider too. If you eat on one side all the time it will wear down the teeth faster on one side than the other. That will affect your bite and possibly reduce the life expectancy of the denture. It could have some other long term effects like more resorption on one side of the mouth than the other. But I don't think those are issues you really need to worry about now. Chewing on both sides would make eating easier especially with the loose dentures and the fitting problem. Give it a try. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Thanks for the compliment :D. Unfortunately my "smarts" come and go. I still have those moments of being a complete bone head. The good news is that I'm getting old enough to be able to get away with it sometimes :) Where the denture is concerned, you might want to "make him" figure out what the problem is and fix it when you go for your next soft reline. That way you won't have to worry about breaking the denture and it would make it easier for you to eat for the next four months. Those reasons are as compelling as any to make him fix the denture.

In the meantime the Cushion Grip sounds promising for you. July 22th isn't all that far away anymore. Have you found a way to tell if your gums are still shrinking lots or have they slowed down in a major way? It was easy for me to tell with the soft reline because it lasted for at least a month and even longer later. It would be a lot more difficult to gauge with something that gets replaced every few days or so.

I'm going to be trying the Denturite this weekend. I'm looking forward to the experiment. Will keep you posted!

Keep smiling :D

Yos

Hi Yos, :wave:

Yeah, the infection was so bad that I was sick all the time...whether I ate something or not. I had stomach aches constantly, days-long toothaches, and slept most of the afternoons away when there were no toothaches. Those hit about every month or so before I actually got the courage to find a dentist. It wasn't a fun time, but my fear of dentists over-ruled my desire to get better. It's weird how much fear can grab ahold and take over your life.
Had I known of sedation dentistry earlier, I would have gone a long time ago. Plus, we just didn't have the money for dentures/extractions until recently. I'm glad that's over with now, and my only problems are making these darn things fit right. Will take that over illness any day! :)

I didn't think about the resorption issue. I guess I better get real conscious about the left side of my mouth real quick, huh? I will work on breaking the habit...isn't going to be easy though...I think I've done it so long now, it's like trying to quit smoking or biting your nails, or grinding your teeth...takes time to really conquer it.

You go ahead and have those memory lapses...I won't tell anyone ;)
I planned to be insistant about the fit when I go again. I noticed last night that when the denture sits flush on the back of my gums, that's when the front floats upwards. If I press the front down, the backs float up. When I open my mouth to take a bite of food, that's when the whole thing just rises up to meet the top denture. The cushion grip is helping, but, it isn't curing the problem. :( I don't know if I will be able to make it to the July 22nd goal date I set for myself, but I am certainly going to try. I am certain it's the actual make-up of the denture itself and it needs attention. I suppose I will have a hard time convincing the dentist it was an error on the labs part though. She'll probably tell me it's just the way my gums healed...that way, they still get paid. Oh well, I guess as long as it gets fixed properly, I should be happy with that. Although, the hygenist that's been working with me did have a hard time herself trying to seat the lower so it would all be flush on my gums...that's when she stated I would need to use glue even after the reline. Who knows what will happen? I just cannot wait to get these chompers fitting decently!

I can only say that without the cushion grip, the dentures are falling out again. The top has little suction and is WAY too long in the back...if I don't use glue or grip, it makes me gag again. The lower, well, I know the gums have shrunk alot since my reline, but with the problem I'm having now, it's hard to tell how much. I've always had this problem, and it's getting worse with time...so I suppose the lowers have shrunk alot too. I know they are really long as well, digging into the vestibules on each side of my mouth and in front. With the grip, they don't dig...but they also don't fit well either. What a mess, eh? http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif
I did notice that just between last week and this week, I had to use more grip when I replaced it this time. By the naked eye, the only changes I can see, are that the holes are barely noticeable anymore, and the traumatic extraction site has really healed up quite nicely. It's doesn't look like my gum blew a flat tire anymore. It sounds silly, but it actually looks like it's built up from flat looking, to someting that has a ridge...maybe I'm crazy though.
All in all, without the Cushion Grip, I have no suction, and no way to hold the lowers in place...even a little bit. Boy, I hope I can make it to July!!

Please do let me know how it goes this weekend. I've heard the Denturite tastes funny...for your sake, I hope not. Good luck with it.

Smiles :D
scaredstiff70

:wave:Hi Scaredstiff

I finally got around to trying the Denturite. While it hasn't been in long enough to be considered a torture test I can at least tell you about my experience with it so far. I've had the liner in for over 24 hours so I've gone through the cycle of wearing, eating and cleaning. I'll be comparing it to the soft relines by the dentist because that's exactly what it is, a homemade soft reline.

The very first instruction says the denture should be clean and dry. Clean I can understand but dry? It's my understanding that dentures should never be dry. I wish I had paid more attention to what my dentist did. I can't recall him making an effort to make sure the denture was dry. At any rate, I can't see how it can hurt the denture to be dry for just a few minutes and it could affect how the Denturite adheres to the denture. After mixing the liquid and powder you have to be a little quicker than the instructions imply. The stuff sets quickly and unless you get it on the denture just a little quicker you end up with what looks like stringy cheese. The minute you put the denture in your mouth you taste it. Yes, it tastes gawd awful but it tastes just like the dentists reline. The aftertaste hangs around for about the same time too. Why they don't give it a nice minty taste is beyond me. Once it sets the instructions say to wash it with cold water and then trim the excess with a dull knife. Ya right. The stuff has the consistancy of dried rubber cement. The only kind of knife that's going to cut it is a sharp one but I had no intention of using one. I had some luck with my fingernails and pulling until it broke off but it left rough edges. Unlike the dentist reline this stuff peels off way too easy which is great when you want to get rid of it but not so great if you don't. The box say "it lasts for weeks" but I can't see it lasting more than a few days. I'll find out soon enough. The dentist reline was hard but still flexible. Denturite is soft and rubbery.

No product is perfect and Denturite did what I hoped it would do. The question remains; How long?. At least the denture is less prone to popping up http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/t_up.gif. Sea-Bond needs to find a better instuction or provide a tool, like the mixing spoon they provide, to remove the excess material http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/t_down.gif. Attempting to remove the excess material is the #1 cause of the liner not adhereing to the edge of the denture and will affect how long the liner lasts http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/t_down.gif. Denturite is softer than the dentists material which is another reason why I doubt it will last. I don't think it will withstand more than a few light scrubbings with a denture brush http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/t_down.gif. The bad taste is a non issue. It's gone in less than 24 hours. The last thing to mention is the color. It matches the denture "gum" color well so I give it a http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/t_up.gif

So there you have it. Not exactly a glowing testimonial is it? I'll be looking for alternatives. There has to be something better. But before I start looking I think I'll stop in and see a denturist. The denture fits fine with the exception of the metal clasps not holding the denture in as well as I like. Maybe there's a much simpler solution to my problem than adding a liner.

So how have you been doing lately? Have you noticed if your gums have slowed down shrinking at all? Still plan on getting the soft reline in a couple of weeks? I'll be looking forward to an update :D

Yos

Hi Yos :wave:

Well, well, well!!! It sounds as though you have quite an experiment going on there! :)
This may sound silly, but did you try using some small scissors to trim the excess material? I use them to trim the excess Cushion Grip, and they work great. I, too, tried pulling the stuff off, and it just made things worse...jagged edges and not wanting to adhere to the denture once I pulled on it. The tiny scissors worked like a charm. You are right though, no product is perfect.
(btw, I have to dry my denture to use the cushion grip too, and so far, it hasn't hurt the chompers at all---my dentist also dried them during adjustments, reline, ect.., so I would venture to say it's ok as long as it's not for an extended amount of time)

I look forward to hearing the rest of your story and hope it all turns out perfect for you.

As for me.....
I am having a heck of a time trying to gauge how much my gums are shrinking now. The upper was so long in the back that it was interfering with eating, so my husband used his Dremel tool to trim it ever so slightly. It worked great. There's some suction back on the palate, but the rest of the upper is still quite loose, even with the Cushion Grip. Although it's not falling out of my mouth like it did before without the grip...it's moving when I chew. I have managed to force myself not to use adhesive on the upper. I still need it on the bottoms though...there is no way to keep those in without it. :(

I haven't decided when I will go in for the reline yet. I suppose it depends on my gums, and how much more they shrink over the next few weeks. (The thought of having that goop in my throat again is not my idea of a good time!) Since trimming the top, I will be able to notice over the next week or so if my gums are still shrinking at a fast pace. The lowers are going to be much more difficult to gauge since they never really fit well to begin with. They, too, are long on the sides, but using the Cushion Grip is keeping them from digging into the "vestibule". I've noticed some cosmetic things that need to be fixed as well, on both of them. But, that will have to wait until my final reline.
So, I'm guessing the reline will happen somewhere between 2 and 4 weeks. I'm hoping that reline will get me through until the first of the year, so my insurance will cover my lab reline. 80% is better than nothing, and I will be trying my best to wait until January for that final reline. With any luck, my second reline will work as well as yours, and last for the duration of the year...if not, I know there's products to help me through the rough spots. I just hope the problems I'm having with the lowers are taken care of with the next reline...if not then, with the final reline. I can't really afford another denture right now. Maybe my husband and I should take a trip to Canada and seek out a denturist ourselves? It's silly that there are so few states allowing them here. I don't quite understand it myself. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif

Hope you had a nice weekend. Our 4th of July was hampered by some nasty thunderstorms, and the heat was almost too much. But, I did manage to eat some ribs, and tried corn on the cob. Tried is the key word here. :) I told my husband I would try again in the privacy of my own home...that way, if I lose my teeth, I'm not losing them in front of a crowd of people! :eek:

Keep me posted on your "adventure" in Denturite. I certainly hope you get your problem fixed soon. There will be a day when we are both finished with these issues, won't there??? It seems that day is taking it's sweet time gettin' here!

Smiles :D
scaredstiff

HI,
I am suppose to be going for my first consultation tomorrow about getting dentures.. I am super scared of a dentist and was told four years ago when I finally went to one that it would be over six thousand dollars to fix my teeth.. Well I have finally talked myself into dentures knowing that I would never finish all those appt. w/ the dentist plus not having that kind of money w/ having four kids who I keep in a dentist office so they won't be scared like me.. But anyway.. I am 31 years old and all the research I have done has showed older people getting dentures..I feel like I am the only younger person in the world getting dentures...And then I read all of your messages and am really wondering what I am fixing to get myself into .. My dad, grandmother and aunt have dentures and have had them since their early twenties and they told me they had no problems .. My aunt said she ate chicken the day after her extractions.. I was wondering if yall bought into the first time denture wearer plan where you get semi permanent teeth and then when your gums stop swelling you get your permanent? And also in all this months I read about the problems yall had how did you handle the public.. They told me they could probably do my teeth next week and the week after that I have a concert to go to and the next a family reunion and the next school registrations and the first day of school.. I am lucky that I get to be a stay at home mom.. But with all the slipping yall had how did you talk to people and how did yall stop that gagging thing.. Should I be doing this .. I have a few good teeth and could possible go w/ partials but didn't want have to keep going to back to dentist for fillings cause I have had two filling that I got three years ago that I have cracked and one fell out in the last three months. They said I have no enamel on my teeth at all..Could yall help me please I am so scared..
P.S.I can not afford to loose any weight I only weigh 105 now.. Did yall drink those drinks w/ all the calories(can't think of the name of it) during the time you couldn't eat.
So sorry for the stupid questions but I don't have anyone else to talk to about it.
JLee745

First off...your questions are not stupid. You have a major procedure pending, and like you, I was out of my mind with worry and fear. But, this forum is a great help to those of us who need support.

That said...
My father, grandmother, aunt, and a slew of other family members have told me the same things..."I never had a problem with my dentures"....to which Yos and I have agreed their memories have become a bit "lost" over the years. If you think about it, how could ANYONE have a full mouth extraction done and be able to eat normally the next day, even with dentures? It takes time to get used to dentures, as it takes time for the extraction sites to heal and not be so tender. Heck, even after one extraction, I have heard of people who couldn't stand to eat anything for a week on that particular side of their mouth. So, let's concentrate on you, and what you will be experiencing.

If your teeth can be saved, I would recommend it. If it's not financially possible, or you just don't think you'd keep up with your appts. to treat your remaining teeth, then dentures are your only other option...well, that and no teeth at all! :eek:
If you decide to get dentures, please be aware that you will need to return to the dentist quite often within the first few months. You will have sore spots and the denture will need a soft reline or two. I got immediate dentures, and I will not be getting a new set for another 5-7 years. As for the looseness and the dentures falling out, there are products that will help keep your chompers in place. Soft relines help to secure the dentures until you are ready for your final reline. My relines are not included in my treatment cost, therefore, I am waiting as long as possible for another one. Currently, I have found some products that are helping to get me through this phase. Ask your dentist about relines and if they are included in the treatment plan cost. If not, ask whether or not he/she would approve of you using adhesives or other products while your gums are shrinking.
Your speech will be affected for a while, and you will have an abundance of saliva for a bit as well. All of these things will take care of themselves...you just have to be patient. That is a MAJOR part of getting used to dentures.
I never had trouble with being in public, but again, I am making sure my chompers don't fall out by using products from my local drugstore. Just remember to talk slowly and take your time pronouncing words. Certain letters will be more difficult to master than others. Again, it all takes time and ALOT of patience. Since you are a stay at home mom, you could practice reading outloud to yourself while the kids are in school. It really does help.

I didn't think to even look for a weight gain solution....I was kind of enjoying being back to my pre-kid weight. :)

The gagging will go away, and if it's extreme, you can talk to your dentist about it...it's possible the denture needs to be adjusted a bit. It's amazing how a tiny bit of shaving the denture does wonders! If you do have gagging (and you may not), try to figure out if it's the denture being too long, or if it's just your body's way of telling you "hey, not used to this in my mouth"..in which case, you will overcome it. Patience, patience, patience. I cannot stress that enough! :)

All in all, it is a personal decision for you, and a very difficult one to make. Hopefully, your dentist will talk to you in detail and answer all your questions. It might help to take a list of questions with you to your consult and make notes.

I am personally very happy with my decision to get dentures. I had enough infections, cavities, and pain to last two lifetimes! Now, I can have all the foods I missed out on before my dentures. No more 3 day toothaches, and no more losing my teeth piece by tiny piece. There have been frustrating times within the last 3 months, but, I wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again if I had to.

Hope this helps some.
Best of luck to you....please let us know how it goes tomorrow.

Smiles :D
scaredstiff70

Thank you so much
I know you said that about the talking do you think I should avoid attending the concert in three weeks and the family reunion..It is my husbands side of the family and they think they are above all other and I don't won't to look goofy trying to talk.. When they were molding your teeth did you get to choose the shade of your teeth and whether you would to correct or change anything on the mold..the people that I have told that I was doing this says I am way to young and I am crazy but they just don't know how it is not to be able to eat but on one side of your mouth and worrying if anther tooth is going to break.. My teeth turn white and break.. I was told I have no enamel.How does your husband feel about your teeth. Mine has perfect teeth. His parent took him to the dentist where mine didn't and he had braces and caps... I feel like he is going to be embarrassed of me.
Thanks again
Lee

Hello again :wave:

Avoiding people and events is something that you will have to decide for yourself. I was weary of talking to others, but, I figured if they had a problem with the way I talked, that was most definitely THEIR problem, not mine! :) I couldn't care less what others think of me...but everyone is different. After the first few weeks, you will be able to tell whether or not going to a reunion or a concert is something you'll be able to do with confidence. I am sure you will be fine.

I didn't get to change anything about the mold at all. That was for the dentist and lab to do I thought???
As for your friends, it's not for them to understand, and you shouldn't have to have their approval to feel better about it. If they have never been in your situation, then how could they possibly have an opinion about it? I have been in your position, with only being able to eat on one side, and then only being able to use my front teeth! It was pure he**!!!! Just concentrate on what YOU need to live a happy, healthy life. Don't worry so much about others' opinions.
My husband was fantastic! He loves my teeth, and thinks it's "cool" when I take them out. He is amazed with the whole process....weird maybe, but I love that he's cool with it all. Talk to your husband about it....ask him how he feels. I am sure he will love you just as much when this is all done and he sees how much healthier you are. It can only make you a happier person, which will spill over into your marriage.

Smiles :D
scaredstiff70

Hey,
What I meant by correcting is like I have heard that they can make the teeth exactly like your real ones. Well I have one tooth that sticks out a little further in the front.. It is beside the front teeth.. It is from overcrowding in my small mouth.. I was told I could keep the same look or I could choose for it not to be there and be straight.. My aunt had a small gap and she ask the dr. to keep it that way so she would have the same look... Well I think I have ask everything and I will write back tomorrow with the results.. Thank you ..I was just telling my husband how much you have helped.Thanks alot
Lee

Glad I could help even a small bit....
I look forward to your post tomorrow.

I opted for straight teeth, and a bit whiter than what I originally had over the years. Personal preference I suppose. You should take some time to think about exactly how you want to look afterwards though. After going so long with broken, terrible looking teeth, opting for straight, white ones was a no-brainer for me. I had longed for the straight, pretty teeth I had when I was a teenager. I got just that! :)

All my best to you.

Smiles :D
scaredstiff70

I totally agree about the straight teeth .. After your fist consultation how long was it before they done the extractions and why did you have to go back the second time..

My consult was in Feburary...I had my impressions done on the 10th of April. I had the uppers extracted on April 22nd, and the lowers done April 29th. Between Feb. and April, we were having to save up the money for this procedure...$6100.00. I couldn't have it done without paying upfront...which has been a nightmare in itself...but that's another thread! :) The reason I had them done a week apart is this:
My first sedation appt. was set for 2:30PM. I had to go without eating or drinking anything from 12 midnight the evening before, up until my appt. time. at 2:30. I didn't get into the chair until 3:30-ish, so it was about 15 hours with no food in my tummy.
When it came time to wake me a bit, so I could use the restroom (with my husbands help), they gave me juice (gatorade i believe), and let's just say my stomach wasn't havin' it at all!!! I ended up vomiting all over the blanket they had placed on me, the nurses, and the floor. I made it to the restroom after that, and sat back into the chair, ready for another sedative so I could have my lowers done. They gave me MORE gatorade to take the next pill with, and guess what?? YEP!! All over again. The pill didn't stay down long enough to sedate me, so they decided it would be better for me to come back in a week to have the lowers done. They were adamant about me having a good experience in the chair, not feeling any pain, and not remembering anything....so, they spoke to my husband who agreed it would be best to quit and go back for the lowers. I was upset at first, but, after thinking about it all, I am so glad they chose to send me home. Had I felt any of the lowers being extracted or stitched up, I would have still had my fear of dentists....as it is now, I don't.
The second appt. went so much smoother. I was in and out with no problems....I told them to give me Diet Pepsi to wake me since I rarely, if ever drink juice of any kind. They gave me Diet Pepsi, and all was good. :)
I think it was a combination of not eating from midnight until my appt. time...my nerves (I was a basketcase that morning)...and the whole idea of getting all my teeth taken out. I was one heck of a mess before my first appt.
Everyone is different, and most I have talked to have never had any problems with drinking fruit juice after being sedated. So, I suppose I was one in a million. Leave it to me to do things the hard way! :)

Smiles :D
scaredstiff70

Hey :(
I just wanted to let you know I went to my appt. and he told me I did need dentures but his prices was so much higher than this other place that is about an hour from here.. He is a small town dr. that only does dentures and this other place people start lining up at six thirty in the morning to do a all in a day visit.. He wanted me to come back four times and his prices was off by 2000. compared to this other place.. I had not heard anything about this man till after my appt.I told a lady I had went and she said he was awful.. Wish I would have known it before I went I was just trying to give my money to a local but I don't want to give him that much.. So what I am going to do is in three weeks when the things I have to go to is over I am going for an consultation(xrays and emparsions) and then get them done that week or the next.. U do not have to have a consultation or an appt with this other place but I would rather do all that then having to stay all day.. and then them not get finished.I was so nervous this morning my head is hurting .. But when I got there it wasn't bad.I did tear up when he started looking in my mouth but it was ok. This man was old his equipment was old. his nurse was old... I almost walked out but my husband said we needed two prices so we did.. I will let you know more in a few weeks
Thanks for listening
Lee

Ray
You are so brave to take the pics that you did.. I don't know that I will be able to look in my own mouth when I have mine done.. How do you keep your mouth from getting infected.. Do you have to rinse and how does the dentures fit with all the swelling.I am going to have mine done all at one time cause I am scared if I do it a few at a time I will not go back. What did you mean by having the two front teeth bonded.. I am trying to learn all this before I go in four weeks.. U are very right about this message board being helpful. :) Thanks for the website..

Hi all,

I've been reading this thread for about a month now, and it's helped me tremendously. Thanks to all of you so very much. I'm 39 with "rapidly progressive periodontal disease" & I just got an upper denture yesterday. I am now in serious need of help and advice.

I'm to take the denture out tonight briefly to clean it and to gently salt water my mouth. The problem is that it hurts so badly when I try to take it off and I forget how the dentist recommended I remove it. Whether I try the back first, or the front, the pain is so sharp, I chicken out. Any ideas? I'm on a pain pill and even added tylenol, but it still hurts too much. I admit, I've got a low threshold for pain, VERY low, but this can't be impossible.

If anyone happens to read this tonight or tomorrow, and has any ideas, please, please reply.

Thanks in advance,
Tali

Tali - To loosen my upper denture, I sort of tip the front teeth upwards towards my nose, so that the plate loosens from the roof of my mouth first (near the top back). I hope that makes sense.

Perhaps you could just leave the plate in and call the dentist in the morning? I know when I got my immediate denture put in, I was specifically told to leave it IN for 24 hours (until I saw my dentist the following day). So he was the first one to remove it.

Sorry to hear you are having pain. Have you tried ice packs on your cheeks? That might help.

:wave: Hi Guys and Gals

Its amazing how much can happen in so little time. One week this thread is virtually dead and the next it's buzzing with people :D

Sorry I haven't posted lately. Last Sunday my computer crashed and burned in a serious way. To make a long story short I had to buy a new computer and it wasn't ready until yesterday. The bad news is that I was still paying for the old one :mad: Anyway, I've got the basics back up and running. I still have my old data to restore and to reinstall all the other software I use.

I'd like to say hi :wave: to jlee, Ray and Tali.

Jlee: I think your decision to wait until your immediate commitments are done is a smart one. After the extractions you're going to need time to heal and adjust. It'll also give you some time to think about how you'ld like your teeth to look :)

Ray: I haven't been to your web site for obvious reasons but you've piqued my curiosity and I will go there sooner than later. I can't say that I can agree with pulling good teeth from good bone. I'm a firm believer of "If it ain't broke don't fix it". I'm hoping your website will give some insight about the reasoning behind your decision.

Tali: Try to break the suction on the upper denture by making it "tip" on purpose. Turn a common complaint into a tool so to speak. New denture wearers often end up tipping the denture by chewing on one side of the mouth. It might be more difficult to do on purpose than it is to do when you're not thinking about it but it can't hurt to try. In the meantime I hope some of your pain has eased. You're at the point where just about everything is at it's worst. Hang in there, be patient and try to keep a positive attitude.

In the meantime, good luck everyone and keep smiling. :D

Yos

Thanks Marie & Yos. This am, I was able to take it out by pushing up like you suggested M, and then tipping it out. I think the swelling had gone down some...I hope this is the worst part--UGGGH. It hurts to smile, eat, think positive ;) I can't wait to smile. You know, that Garfield the Cat grin from ear to ear.

Thanks again, T-

Yos
I was wondering what options do they give you when you are choosing your teeth.. Or do they tell you what they think is best... How many days does the PAIN last. I am going for a consultation with another dentist the first of August.. I prey they offer the sedative that I have read everybody talking about..How could anyone sit there with just a local while they pull everyone of their teeth.. Yos Did you get all yours done at once.. That is the way I think I want to go cause I don't want to suffer twice.. I want to get it over w/.How many trips to the dent. did you have to make. Because the one I am going to use is over an hour away..Everyone brags about them and their price.. It is a part of a chain .I think they have several around the us.. I am so dreading doing all this but yet I am ready to smile again too. I hope I am one of the ones that gets along great instead of one of the ones that regrets what they have done but I really don't have a choice.. I am def. getting the semi permanent and then later the permanent.. Did you do this route or did you get ur perm. first..Again please let me know what options I have when choosing the dentures. Thanks everyone for listening..
Lee :)

:wave:Hi Lee,

I didn't know anything about getting dentures when I got mine. I was given a choice in color and that was it. I trusted the dentist and the lab to do a decent job of making a good looking set of dentures. I was extremely happy with the results. You can have dentures made to look like some of your original teeth but that may cost more. When you go for the consultation ask the dentist what options he can offer you.

I had my teeth extracted and the dentures put in all on the same day. I was sedated with a general anesthetic but there are other options other than just local freezing. Again, this is something you'll have to discuss with the dentist. Different dentists offer different methods of sedation. Before the extractions I made only two visits. One was the consultation and the other was for the impressions. The number of visits after the extractions will depend mostly on you. The dentist will want to see you the very next day. You'll probably have to go back for some adjustments in the first couple of weeks. After that, plan on visiting the dentist once a month for 3 or 4 months for relines and checking to make sure that everything is healing as it should.

I had very little pain and only for the first 24 hours. I was prescribed pain killers but only took three because I thought I might need them. I still have a bottle with 37 pills left :D How much pain you have will depend on you and how difficult or not the extractions were. The skill of the dentist will be a factor too. It's impossible to predict how much and for how long. Hopefully, it won't be much and not for long. With or without pain the healing process is fairly long. The first 2 to 4 weeks are the most difficult. It takes about 3 months to really get used to the dentures being in your mouth and learning to adapt to them. It will be at least 6 months, probably longer, before you get the permanent dentures.

It sounds like you're going to "Affordable Dentures". I've read of both good and bad experiences with them. I think that the differences in experiences is more a result of the dentist running the franchise rather than "Affordable Dentures" being a chain denture clinic. It's important that you feel comfortable with the dentist and trust him/her. It doesn't matter much if it is a "chain" store or not.

I don't think I've read of anyone regretting to get dentures. I certainly don't. Except for sore spots after my hard reline (my immediate dentures are the permanents) I haven't had any mouth pain for months. I'm eating foods I never could before and I can smile and laugh without covering my mouth. My life with dentures is much better than my life was with bad teeth.

If you have any other questions please ask. Good luck with your next consultation.

Yos :D

Hey Yos
Yes it is affordable dentures.. It is a little over an hour to it but everyone in this town knows about it and has heard great things. I have only been in this town for 7 years. When u said you had local u mean u laid there with just the shots in your mouth while he pulled all your teeth top and bottom.. How long did it take.. Was it alot of jerking and pulling..I had a tooth pulled a 17 and he busted my lip pulling it.. That is y I am scared.. I wish I could afford an oral surgeon.. When U said it took 3 months gettin use to them .. How did u manage going out and dealing with others. Talking about handling pain..I had a hysterectomy back in nov. and was told I would be in the hosp. for three days.. I was able to go home the next morning.. and was up taking care of the kids four days later.. would have been quicker but I was going to take advantage of my husband taking care of everything.. It wasn't bad at all.. Dreaded it before and got done and it was nothing.. That is what I am trying to tell myself know.. that It want be nothing to it and the finished product will be awesome..
thanks
Lee

:wave:Hi again Lee,

I think some terms are getting confused here. I had my extractions done under a general anesthetic. In other words, needle in the arm and lights out until it's over. The whole process took about 3 hours.

After the extractions and having the dentures put in it takes about 2 to 4 weeks for the initial healing. The first month is the most difficult because the gums shrink fast and the dentures will be loose. Even an experienced denture wearer will have a difficult time eating and speaking with loose dentures so don't feel too bad if you can't. With dentures you have to learn a whole new way to eat. After the first soft reline things get much better. A soft reline will make the dentures fit which will make eating and speaking much easier. You'll spend the next couple of months learning how to chew and bite and what discovering what foods you can eat easy and which are difficult. Your gums will keep on shrinking in those months too. You'll probably have more relines in that time too.

Hopefully, the dentures will be nothing like the hysterectomy was. One thing is certain, you'll get a lot more use out of the dentures :D

Yos

Yos,

Thanks for all of this great info...Quick Q--When did you have your first reline and how many relines total over the first 6 months? I ask because my dentist said I'll only need a soft reline at 3 months and then get a new permanent denture at 6 months.

Btw, I've had this denture for 6 days and I still can't really eat. It hurts, for me, where they gave me the numbing shots and not at the extraction sites. Go figure. You're lucky you were just put under.

Thanks, T-

:wave:Hi Tali,

Still hurting from the needle shots after almost a week? Something doesn't sound right about that. I'd talk to your dentist about that if it goes on for much longer. Three months before the first soft reline doesn't sound right either. Your dentures will be falling out of your mouth by then. Here's the timeline for how my treatment plan went from start to finish. I had 3 soft relines in the first 3 months and none in the last 3.

Dec 2, 2002 - extractions
Dec 3 to 5 - post surgery checkup and adjustments
Dec 20 - first soft reline
Feb 5 - second soft reline
Mar 5 - third soft reline
Apr 15 - check denture fit - no soft reline this time
June 10-11 - hard reline
June 12-14 - hard reline adjustments

I had a hard reline instead of getting a new permanent denture. I plan on having another set made after a year or so once I know my gums have stabilized and stopped shrinking from the extractions/surgery.

If you have anymore questions just ask. I hope you can start eating soon.

Yos

Hi Yos,

Thanks for all the info on your relines. I'll feel more confortable now if I feel I need ask for a reline before 3 months. I'm eating, not yet like I used to, but I'm getting nutrients. I'm also smiling. And you're right, I'm starting to actually like having dentures.

Thanks again, T-

:wave:Hi Scaredstiff,

Congrats on getting a steak down! I know you've been waiting a long time for that. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/dance.gif

When do you plan to have the soft reline done? After 3 months your gums shouldn't change much anymore, mine didn't. The dentures will probably feel a whole lot more comfortable too. The other thing to consider is that you're not doing your gums any favours by using glue to keep in loose dentures. Have you been back to the dentist at all in the last couple of months? I was just thinking about the one side of your mouth where you had that bit of trouble with your gums and whether it sorted itself out or not.

The denturite liner I put in is still hanging in there. I'm a bit surprised it lasted this long. I haven't used the other half of the box yet so I've held off on seeing a denturist for now. If the truth be told, my mouth isn't much of a priority anymore. The dentures are a part of my everyday life and I don't give them much of a thought in the course of the day. And so it should be after almost 8 months eh?

Let us know how the soft reline goes when you get it done. In the meantime, keep smiling!

Yos :D

Hi Yos :wave:

I was soooo elated to get that steak down...wow...what a milestone for me! It was so tasty, and not extremely tender, but, just enough for me to eat it. I'm still on cloud nine over that!

As for the reline...I know I should be getting one done very soon. I know it's not good to keep using the glue, and have managed to wean myself off of it for the most part. I still use it if I'm going out for dinner to a restaurant, or going to be around alot of people...but at home, and with friends, I don't use it at all. I can manage to eat without it, but there are certain foods that give me trouble when I'm not using it...like breads, and chewy stuff. Other than that, I'm good without it. :)

The one side of my mouth isn't causing any discomfort now. I honestly think the hard reline will take care of the fit problems. I have been using the Cushion Grip for awhile now, and that seems to help hold them in place, with the exception of the "troublesome" foods. That one side is just not the same as the other, because of the extraction the oral surgeon had to do...I guess it never will be the same as a non-traumatic extraction site. All I can do is wait until it's time for the hard reline, and pray it's going to take care of that side of my mouth being different from the other.

Haven't been back to the dentist since my 1st reline. I do have another dentist lined up to take me through the final stages of treatment, and then afterwards, my annual check-ups...just haven't been real concerned about making another appointment thus far. I didn't really think waiting would cause more harm than good, but now that you mention it, I don't know why I didn't think about it myself. They aren't loose to the point where they are shifting and causing sore spots...so I guess that's why I didn't think getting the next reline was so important. I'm eating fine, they aren't hurting, pinching, sliding, floating, or otherwise being a pain....so, my thought was, "if it ain't broke..."
I suppose I should be making the appointment though. I don't want to cause any damage to my gums after I've come this far. Probably within the next few weeks I'll be going.

Good to hear your experiment is holding up for you. Is it comfortable? Is the Denturite pliable or spongy like the soft reline material? The Cushion Grip is very squishy when I run warm water over it...which makes it very comfortable when I put the teeth in every day. It kind of re-adjusts to my gums after it's been warmed up, and once I place the dentures in my mouth, the Cushion Grip helps keep them snug.

I am looking forward to getting to my 6 month mark. I know I have about 3 months to go, but things have gotten so much easier for me. I don't feel like these chompers are such a pain in the bottom anymore. :)

It was good to hear from you again. And I will definitely keep you posted on my progress.

All my best.....
Smiles :D
scaredstiff

Hi Yos, scaredstiff et al,
Just discovered this board and I'm thrilled! I've had to deal with all the hassles of new dentures for the last two months with no support from other denture wearers. Because of ridge problems, I didn't bother with soft religns and went straight to a hard relign after two months. Just got the lowers back today and they fit very well, although I still need adhesive in order to chew but I expect that's because of my bad ridge, little to hold onto.
Appearing in public without your teeth is very embarrassing, but if you wear only your uppers and avoid smiling, nobody will know and it doesn't affect your speech very much. Just grin a lot. :)
I was unable to wear my lowers before the relign, they were that loose so I've been functioning with only uppers. Even went to the Olive Garden last night with only my uppers. Had ravioli, soup and even breadsticks.
Has anyone figured out a way to remove excess glue from gums without digging it out with your fingernails?? Those commercials where they advertise "super hold" never bother to mention that it sticks like crazy glue to your gums forever, and tastes like somebody's dirty sock!! I managed to beat the rotten taste during removal by taking a mouthful of mouthwash and holding it in while removing the dentures. It's messy but beats the godawful taste of the adhesive. Of course you need to do this over the sink :) For those who haven't tried it, Seabond doesn't hold quite as well, but it doesn't have any bad taste either and is very easy to remove. Just peel it off and throw it away.
Tried some peanut butter yesterday and it stuck so badly to the upper denture palate that I'm considering using it as an adhesive. :) Despite the many hassles, it's sure great to look in the mirror and not see a redneck with missing teeth looking back at me. I lost the front lowers a few months before I got the dentures and it was really embarrassing. I'm a bass fisherman so my wife calls me a redneck anyway, but with those two teeth missing she told me I should have been a regular on Hee Haw!
Now that I have my lowers back, I can't wait to bite into a nice hot dog, brat or chicken leg. They just opened up a combination KFC/Long John Silver's a mile away. My two favorite fast food places. I'm going to hold off on the steak until I get more used to chewing again. But shrimp and chicken are fair game.
It's amazing how inventive you can become with meals when you don't have teeth! One thing I discovered is that if you overcook pasta for about 2 minutes, it's soft enough to break down with only your gums.
For those of you preparing to have the surgery, I found that Campbell's Clam chowder, mushroom soup, etc. were great for the first two days along with lots of scrambled eggs, rice, and pudding! Fresh baked or broiled fish is excellent just make sure not to overcook it or it gets dry and hard to break down.
If it all possible, I'd suggest taking a week's vacation from work, 3 days at the absolute minumum. I was on Darvocet for four days after my surgery. My surgery was on Thursday. Saturday morning my face looked like a basketball and I was talking like Don Corleone. By Monday the swelling had gone down and I was able to function on Ibuprofen 600mg with occasional need for stronger relief. However, I'm very resistant to pain meds so my case may not be typical.
If I had to do it again, I would have done the uppers first and gotten used to them...then gone for the lowers. And I wouldn't have gone with immediate dentures. It spares you the embarrassment of having to go without teeth, but, in my case, the fit, especially on the lowers, was very bad. I'd have preferred to wait until the gums healed and have impressions taken then. But I'm not working so that IS a consideration.

It's great to have a place to ask questions and make comments about this situation. Nice to know I'm not the only one floundering in this boat.

I'm certainly no expert in dealing with new dentures, but the one piece of advice I can give to those of you who are getting them soon is: try not to be frustrated and keep your sense of humor. It's easy to get depressed. After I accepted the fact that for a few weeks I wasn't going to be able to eat the stuff I wanted to, I started making it a challenge to see what I COULD eat. I discovered about the only foods I couldn't eat were steak,
Later all,

Rick

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[This message has been edited by Well-come (edited 07-31-2003).]

Hi Branes :wave:

You had asked about removing the glue...
It sticks like crazy, you are right about that!!!
Once I get the denture out, I pull out the excess with my fingers, then I rinse with very very warm water to help dissolve the glue. After that, I take a toothbrush, warm water, and just brush the gums. After the glue is gone, I use toothpaste and brush again. It works for me. I don't know what brand you are using, but, I have used Super PoliGrip (ex. strength) and Fixodent Complete. Neither of them leave a terrible taste in my mouth afterwards. Actually, the Fixodent has a minty taste to it...as I think some others do too. I have also used the poligrip and fixodent "free". I prefer the minty taste myself, but don't use it all the time....it does get to you after a while. :) So, I switch off with the "free" and the "minty".

Another product I have found to help the fit and grip. I found it at WalMart..no one else carries it. It's called CushionGrip. It's a thermoplastic adhesive that works something like reline material, where it conforms to your gums after application. It's very soft and pliable...more so than reline material. I have been using that since about 2 weeks after my first reline, because my next reline isn't covered, and will have to pay out of pocket for it...very expensive! So, although a reline would be better for me, I just can't swing it right now, and have to use other things to get me through this period until I can afford it. That is where the CushionGrip comes in handy. Like you, I have trouble with my lowers. They haven't really fit right since about 1 week after getting them. Even with the reline, they floated. Hoping a hard reline will solve that problem, but I am about 3 months away from that as well.
If you choose to try the CushionGrip, it's in a small tube, the box is pink and white, and it says "CushionGrip" on it. It's very easy to apply and remove...I change mine every week. It says you should remove every 3-4 days, but, I manage to stretch it out a bit longer. It does start to break down after about the 4th day. I think it's a great product, and much better than glue, although, when I'm going out for dinner, I use glue with it, simply for confidence purposes. Don't need any embarassing situations in a restaurant. :)

Hope things work out for you...and I hope I have helped a little.

Smiles :D
scaredstiff

thanks, scaredstiff. I tried Cushion Grip, but it didn't hold for me at all. Maybe I didn't use enough. I use both Super Poligrip and Fixodent Mint and both taste lousy to me.
I saw the dentist again yesterday and he ground off a few high spots on the bottoms that were bothering me after the hard relign and lo and behold I was able to finally chew a meal in comfort. Had Long John Silver's fish and could even chew the hard breading bits that always seem to be left over in the tray. Ah, the wonderful sound of "crunch."
I also have a box of Denturite but haven't used that yet. Guess I'll give it a try today. My dentist says that because of my poor lower ridge the only real option I have for permanent hold, other than adhesives, is to get a couple of implants to use as anchors. But that's at least a year down the road. Talk about expense! Those are about $1500 each!
I know what you all mean about cost. I didn't have insurance so mine was all cash! My father passed away last year and I got a decent inheritance so I can thank him for the new choppers. Without that I would have been up the proverbial creek, sans paddle.
It seems inconceivable to me that with all the incredible advances in medical science in the last 30 to 40 years, that denture technology has basically remained unchanged. There must be a better way of securing a piece of plastic in the mouth than paste!

I got my first soft reline today. I haven't tried eating yet, but it feels so much more comfortable !!! My extractions were 3 weeks ago. This thread has been very informative !!! I have had 3 adjusts over the past 3 weeks. Most of my sore spots were on the roof of my mouth. For some strange reason my immediate upper plate plate came with 2 raised ridges on the palate part of the plate. On my 3rd adjustment visit, they finally ground those two ridges down all the way and the denture felt and fit wonderful !!! I have not used any adhesives. I have not had problems with denture being loose except when biting on something. I have not done much chewing as I have several bone splinters on both sides of my mouth which make it painful to bite very often. The dentist said he could could sugically remove them, but recommended against it as it would delay healing. I have lost 10 pounds, but consider that a bonus, as I was about 30 pounds overweight. I am interested in trying a few more foods soon. I do want to thanks everyone here !!! This has been the most helpful site I have found in all my searching on the internet. This thread has all the information one might need for the year adjustment period after getting dentures. I'll will post again soon, after I have experiment with more foods. :-)
P.S. My reline today was part of my treatment plan. From now on I will need to pay extra. When I left today they told me to call back in 6-9 months to make my " Permanent upper denture". When I was fitted I was given the choice of 3 grades of denture. I wanted to pick the most expensive, but the dentist talked me out of it as I was getting an immediate upper denture plate. Personally, I like this plate and the teeth. They look wonderful and not cheap at all. My plate only coast $159 plus $20 extra for it being an immediate. The most expensive one was only 298 per plate. The place I went specializes in low cost dentures, but also does complete dental work. I switched from my old dentist due to the price difference. I paid $40 per tooth for 11 of my extractions and $80 for my one surgical extraction. my old dentist wanted $90 per extraction and $165 for any surgical extractions. I must admit I have no complaints, and actually prefer my new dentist. My full xray was only $40 wheras my old dentist charged $140. For those tight on funds, I recommend checking around.

:wave: Hi Coasternut,

It's great to hear that this thread has been useful to someone yet again http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/t_up.gif The thread is long but it covers lots of ground and answers many questions.

Did you go to Affordable Dentures? I've heard both good and not so good stories about them so I'm guessing the type of service one gets will vary from clinic to clinic. What's important is that you are happy with both the service and the product and it certainly sounds that way :)

Those bone fragments will slowly resorb. The soft reline should help make chewing a little less painful near the bone fragments because it would have formed a bit of a cushion around them. There are some over-the-counter products that might help make chewing more comfortable as well. Be prepared for your gums and bone to shrink quite a bit in the next couple of months. You'll probably need at least one more soft reline done by the dentist between now and a hard reline or new denture. Again, there are over-the-counter products to help tide you over if your denture gets loose between relines.

It sounds like you're making good progress after 3 weeks despite the bone fragments. I think that one of the "tricks" to a successful transition to dentures is a slow but steady rate of progress. The cliche "you have to learn to walk before you can run" is a good fit for dentures. With dentures you need to comletely relearn how to eat. Today you're chewing carefully and tentatively but in the not too distant future you'll be sprinting through meals :D

Let us know how you're doing and progressing. If you have any questions please ask. In the meantime, keep smiling!!

Yos

Just an update after the reline this morning. I was able to eat soft chewable foods MUCH BETTER !!! :-) I did however, not have much luck trying to eat a soda cracker. Although I was able to bite it off, even this caused pain so I stopped. I guess biting on even slightly firmer items is still many days away. Also, that taste from the reline : YUCK !!! I like to reline, but how long does that awful chemical taste linger ???
Thanks !!!

:wave:Hi again Coasternut

LOL, that taste should be more or less gone by tomorrow morning after the dentures have been left to soak in some fizz for a little while. I'm glad to hear the chewing is much easier. You'll probably find that you'll start to eat more normally now that the dentures fit properly. As for biting, it takes time to learn. Those bone fragments aren't helping either :( Don't be in a rush to learn how to bite if it's painful to do. Besides, wouldn't you rather chew on a steak than bit into a burger? Hang in there! There's a good chance you'll do both before this BBQing season is over.

Yos

I didn't go to Affordable Dentures, but a similar type dental group that is in Western Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Personally, I feel I have received much better personal care than what I received from my old dentist of 20 years. Before I made the switch I had had several months of pain above my upper front teeth. This also caused repeated sinus infections. My old dentist seemed very unconcerned and never prescibed anything. My treatment came from a regular doctor, other than my old dentist charging about $ 200 from two visits where he actually did nothing, my old dentist was totally unconcerned about my pain and infections. It was I who suggested to him getting the things pulled. I actually spent less on my new denture, than my old dentist charged for doing nothing. Of course the extractions were a little over 500.
The taste is still there but not as bad. I swear that reline stuff made me ill, I became nauseated and had a severe headache last night. But that is gone now. They still feel wonderful.
Thanks for your help YOS, it sure has come in handy many times during these depressing first 3 weeks. :-)

So all in all - is everyone happy they got dentures? Because I need about $10,000 or more work on my natural teeth to fix them and I am not sure I want to spend that much money on teeth I will lose eventually. I am embarassed to smile (I love to laugh) but right now that much money is more than I can handle.

My husband just got new dentures - he had full uppers and partial lower for several years now. His teeth look so beautiful.

My teeth are savagable for the short term but I am sure in about 10 years I will have to have crowns and such redone as my gums recede. Plus some of my teeth under the crowns are just little stubbles or root canals.

If any of you were in my place would you go with the dentures or keep the natural teeth?

By the way - my husband's dentures were $1200.00 at Dental World. He got the medium priced dentures. They look very natural.

Also on partials do they have them hook on with metal still or do they have something less noticeable?

Thanks - I really need advice. By the way I am 54.

In response to your question about getting dentures. I am 50 almost 51. I had spent untold thousands trying to maintain my real teeth. I knew due to bone loss, that dentures were inevitable at some point. After enduring pain and repeated infections above my front upper teeth, it was I who decided that I had had enough of it. The upper teeth looked fine. There was no decay or need for root canals or crowns that had not previously been completed, but I had hollows in the jawbone above my 6 upper front teeth. It was next to impossible to clean these even with my Waterpik. Once one infrection would clear up another would arrive. These infections often spread up into my sinus cavities and necessitated my General MD prescribing antibiotics. I am sure that even though the pain and trouble of getting a denture is a hassle, that in the long run, it is for the best. No more infections from those teeth !!! Although I still have my bottom teeth, the bone loss on the bottom is minimal compared to the condition of the upper jaw. I know probably in another 10 years I may need to do the bottoms as well, but I never have had the problems on the bottom I had on the top. However, I am sure that if the bottoms ever start the same process as the tops did, I will have them removed without hestitation. Hope this helps !!!

:wave: Hi Maxsam,

I read your other post too. I get the impression that you haven't seen a dentist for an evaluation of your teeth or an estimate to fix them. Until you do that you can't make any fair comparisons. For instance, the $1200 you mention for your husbands dentures is probably just for the dentures and doesn't include extractions or post extraction care and services. Expect a set of upper and lower dentures (full or partial) to cost around $5000 the first time around. Ask your dentist for an estimate for both dentures and to restore your natural teeth. The price of the latter may come down if the dentist knows the former is a serious option :D.

My teeth were in such bad shape I had no choice. For me it was a practical decision. For many other people, they've "had it up to here" with their natural teeth. Even after crowns, fillings,root canals and thousands of dollars their teeth and mouth still hurt. While the dentist says your teeth can be salvaged he/she doesn't have to live with them or pay for them. If you want a healthy mouth and dentures are the only affordable way to achieve that, then it may be that the only "right" decision is a practical one.

If you do make the decision to go with dentures you must be resigned to it. You will never be happy with dentures if at any time you question your decision. The first few months with dentures is difficult to say the least. Your greatest asset in those first months will be a positive attitude but you can never have that attitude if at any point you think that the decision to get dentures was a mistake.

Denture wearers are happy with their decision because their mouths are finally pain free and they can begin to eat again. They're happy because eating a steak and corn on the cob can be a reality instead of a dream. They're happy because they can smile without being ashamed anymore. They're happy because for once in a long time they think they look great.

In a nutshell, if you feel that dentures are the only solution, go for it. If not, explore and exhaust all other possibilities before committing to dentures because once your teeth are pulled there's no putting them back.

About the partials, yes they still hook them with metal but other methods are available at an extra cost of course. There are "Valplast" fexible dentures without the metal clasps and there is also a clasp similar to a rubber gasket that is available as well.

I hope your decision isn't a difficult one. Talk to your husband about wearing dentures, get it from the horses mouth so to speak. Good luck!

Yos

Just an update on my progress since my first temporary reline 8 days ago. Today I went in for an adjustment, the first since the reline. My adjustments were free for 30 days, so the next one I'll have to pay for. They charge $10 for an adjustment. I inquired today about the cost of additional temporary relines, as only the first was included in $179 charge for my immediate upper plate. The charge for a temporary reline is $20. I am so satisfied I can't believe it. My bone splinters are history. I am eating most foods that are not extemely tough with no touble in the slightest. I am still holding back on biting with the front teeth, but will try again soon. ( This is because of pain, not looseness. ) I just got back from eating out for the first time. I ate in a cafeteria. I had meatloaf, mashed potatoes, macoroni and cheese and a big slice of coconut cream pie. I had no problems whatsoever. My denture fits perfectly with no need for adhesives. All I can say is the teeth look great, feel great, fit great, and are great for eating. I can't believe the difference the first temporary reline made and a week's time. :-)

Hello everyone,
I've been following this thread for a couple of weeks its been very helpful to me in my search for info about dentures.
I'm scheduled to have the last few upper teeth pulled and a Immediate Denture put in next week, my question is has anyone had to deal with what the Dentist call a short ridge in front?
He said that I would probably have to use an adhesive to hold the denture.
At this point my upper teeth or what is left of them are so bad that I think that an upper denture is my only option since I do not have the money for root canals and crowns on every tooth, but I wanted to see if anyone had dealt with a short ridge on the upper and get an idea what to expect.

Thanks Hermitguy!

:wave:Hi Hermitguy,

I'm sorry to say that I don't know a thing about short ridges. Come to think of it, I'm not even qualified to talk about adhesives either because I don't use them. Hopefully, your dentures will stay in all on their own despite the short ridge. It sounds like you at least have a chance that it might. If not with the immediate denture, you might have more luck later after your gums have healed properly and the immediate denture has had a hard reline (or you get a new "permanent" denture) because they'll fit much closer to the gums. There's even a chance that a soft reline or over the counter denture liner might help. If the denture still doesn't stay in place, using an adhesive of some kind (there are lots) is your only alternative (other than implants which are very expensive). Many people use adhesives on a daily basis if only for that extra "confidence" you hear about on TV commercials. I also know of a couple of new denture wearers who gagged so bad they had to cut the pallate off the denture just so that they could wear it. They have no choice but to use adhesive. My mother says her upper won't stay in without adhesive although I'm not sure of the reason for it because she doesn't seem to know herself. If your worst case scenario is the need to use adhesive every day then wearing the denture won't be much different for you than thousands of other denture wearers. Hopefully, the denture will stay in and save you the hassle of putting the glue on in the morning and cleaning it off at night. Good luck with the denture when you get it :D

Yos

I just wanted to say thanks for providing such great insight into what I will probably be experiencing myself as a new denture wearer in a few months time. Yos, you certainly seem to be ahead of the pack and are the somewhat more "experienced" denture wearer and can therefore impart all the wisdom of your experience.

I'm also really pleased to find so many young denture wearers as I was quite self conscious to find myself in this rather toothless situation at age 35. My gums are really healing well and eating on the raw gums is not as traumatic as the early days after the extraction. Its two months to the day since my extraction and I am counting off the days until I can be fitted for my dentures.

I had all my teeth extracted in one go and found that little bits were still popping to the surface about a week or so after the extraction. I just basically picked them off as they popped up. The swelling and puffiness after the teeth were pulled lasted for about 3 to 7 days.

Anyway, maybe soon I will be able to share my experiences with you as a new denture wearer. Will keep you all posted as to how I adjust.

Cheers
Charmaine

Thanks Yos,
I'm hopping to get some hold without adhesive but I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to wear them, super glue maybe.
Don't worry that was just a joke!



[This message has been edited by hermitguy (edited 08-22-2003).]

In reply to the question about the short ridge. My dentist told me that due to bone loss in my 6 upper front teeth area, I might need to use adhesive. Since actually have my extractions a month ago, I have never needed any adhesive. My denture fits wonderfully and since my first temporary reline last week, it has never came loose while eating anything.

Thanks for your reply jcoasternut,
I hope my result turns out as well and I hope you continue to have good results also.
I'm a little concerned because mine is apparently partially due to a congenital defect, I was born hare lipped and with a cleft palate and have been told this possibly contributed to the short ridge.
How much shorter I don't know but the Dentist did say probably when talking about adhesive so I guess I'll just have to hope for the best.

Just another update, anyone with any suggestions please reply.
I am gradually increasing the chewing difficulty level in the foods I eat. My extractions were almost 5 weeks ago. I am increasing the difficulty level slightly every 3-4 days. I have worked my way up to Salisbury Steaks, cooked vegetables, pies with crusts, etc. I finally discovered something I could bite into with the front teeth with no pain: Pringles Chips. I am sort of at a loss for the next step in biting, as bread is still off the list as are soda crackers. Any ideas ??? It is at this point due to pain above the front teeth when biting rather than upper plate coming loose.
Thanks !!!

I think you and I had our extractions exactly at the same time. I have been quietly following your progress and also all the helpful advice from everyone.
I am finding that I can't "bite" directly on my front teeth as I used to but slightly to the side seems to work for me.
I actually had BBQ'd burgers yesterday. What a treat!!! I was the last one eating and enjoyed every morsel. I also managed a small salad. Again slowly but am making progress.
I am sure that this is such an individual healing process. Everyone can handle different foods at different time.
The pringles are easier to eat because they just crumble with very little bite.
Try again in a few days and hopefully the discomfort will be improved.

Hello jcoasternut,
Maybe bitting into those pringles until you've given the area above the front teeth enough exercise to get used to having the denture push up against it is the answer to your problem.
Do one, then work with two until you can do that... and so on and so on!
That area of the mouth certainly isn't used to having something pushing up against it.

It's not much but I hope it helps Hermitguy!

Thanks for the suggestions !!! :-)
I will try the double Pringles and try the bread in the side in a few days. I did try the bread in the side once, but was unsucessful, maybe in another few days. I have found if I go very slowly, I can take bites of a bananna with the front teeth, if the bananna is almost over ripe. I wonder if the pain is normal or comes from the fact that I had so much bone loss above the upper 6 teeth prior to the denture? I know I could do the BBQ Burger with ease if I cut it with knife and fork, but I am sure I couldn't do it as a sandwich. I am so glad you are able to !!! Someone else with the same extraction time. :-)
Thanks again !!!

:wave:Hi Coasternut,

If you're still having pain more than 5 weeks after your extractions I would suggest you see your dentist. To have the kind of pain you describe this long after the extractions is NOT normal and I doubt that bone loss has anything to do with it. The pain could be caused by bone fragments but after this long they should be looked at if they impede your ability to eat (especially something as soft as an over ripe banana).

Yos

To Yos
I must not have been clear. I can bite into an over ripe banana without pain. The only time I am having pain is when I bite into firmer foods with the front teeth, it is not painful otherwise. It is not extreme pain by any means, nor does it continue after the attempted bite.
Thanks

Jcoasternut,

Are you experiencing pain at the extraction site while biting down or is it more along the gum along the front teeth?

Is it possible that you could need a little adjustment to the denture along the front teeth?
I have been told that the "bite" changes a lot and very quickly especially with our "bone loss" issues.
I have had a few tender spots and I find that it is most acute when I initially bite down but then it subsides.

Just a thought??? I am sure you would like to know the reason. Maybe a quick visit to the dentist??

Thanks !!! :-)
It is when I initially bite down. I tried the soda cracker test again, despite a small amount of pain on the intital bite, it quickly went away. I then tried a single slice of bread, SURPRIZE !!! No Pain !!! I ate the whole slice. I think it is just that this area was my worst before the extractions ( I even had pain biting with the real teeth in this area), it is just the last to heal. I will keep you posted. It was the extraction sites or the bone above them. It is not sore spots on gums.

Just another update on my biting. I was able to eat a peanut butter sandwich with 2 thin slices of bread with no pain. I tried the biting up with the bottom teeth, put did better biting down with the plate. There was no pain. I guess I was just too impatient to bite into something. I used peanut butter as I felt even lunch meat might make biting through 2 pieces of bread and it too hard. I think I am finally on the road to normalacy again. :-)

jcoasternut..

Way to go!! Progress. Isn't it amazing what we take for granted.

You might want to try a ham salad,chicken salad or tuna salad sandwich at first if you are craving a meat based sandwich. I really enjoyed that.

We are slowly getting back to some sense of normalacy.

Hi all :wave:

I was wondering, for those of you who have tried eating salads.... did you have the problem of the lettuce sticking to the palate or other "gum" parts of your dentures?
I tried eating one the other day, and although I am 5 months into my treatment, I had quite a problem with the lettuce sticking. Mainly the really green leafs, but some of the 'whiter' leafs as well.
Anyone have any suggestions/ideas/advice?

It sounds as though everyone is coming along very well...with the exception of those minor annoyances here and there, like my salad escapade. :)

Yos, hope you're doing well! I have been really out of touch lately...busy, busy, busy. Hope to be around more now that school has started and I have some free time. Let me know how things are going.

All my best to everyone!
Smiles :D
scaredstiff

:wave:Hiya Scaredstiff,

Long time no hear but I guess that can be considered a good thing in some respects :D Life after getting dentures eventually becomes normal again. In your case, it looks like busy is normal :)

I find that quite a few types of food stick and it isn't restricted to salad. Soft baked goods like to stick too. It's too bad you can't take something like Pam, spray it on in the morning, and have a stick free palate for the whole day (are there any inventors out there reading?). I don't think there's much that can be done and I'm open to ideas too. I just resist the urge to try and unstick whatever is stuck until after the course or the meal. That leaf of lettuce might get unstuck in the next mouthful or it might be a few mouthfuls later. A drink of whatever beverage you're having just might do the trick too. If dessert is coming up and it's still stuck, then you might have to excuse yourself and take care of it in the bathroom. At least you won't need a tooth pick or crane your neck into an un-natural position to see in the mirror where it is to take it off :D When you think about it, having food stick to the "gums" or palate isn't all that much different than it was having food stuck between your teeth. An old problem with a new twist. Too bad it happens more often. Oh well.

I'm doing fine, no complaints. It's been over 9 months since the extractions and 3 months since my hard reline. There doesn't seem to be any change in my gums since the hard reline or even since the last soft reline for that matter. I've still got that original denturite liner in the lower denture. I'm more than a little surprised it's lasted this long given the overnight soaks in Polident and a good brushing twice a day. But I don't use adhesive so that may be contributing to the longevity of the liner. Other than when I pop the dentures out at night and pop 'em back in in the morning I don't give them much thought. What I do need to think about soon though is to make an appointment for my one year checkup. Haven't got much to be afraid of going to the dentist now :D

Yos

Hello everyone,
Its been an over a week since I posted last, good to see your progress on biting Coasternut.

Well I didn't get the teeth extracted last week as I thought because they had to make an adjustment to the new denture, so here I sit today five hours post extraction.

So far so good I think I may have quite by chance stumbled on a good dentist.

He did what I think at this point was very good job getting my teeth out with as little trauma as possible
He is also excellent with that needle I so dread, I think he must have given me eight or ten shoots (all but one of the teeth were front teeth the worst for shoots) and I can honestly say I hardly felt them.

Boy am I glad that's over, now to get used to this peace of plastic in my mouth, I can already tell am going to like it better than my painful teeth.

Just wanted to say hi to everyone and say thanks for this great thread about new dentures, I know I'll be back in the weeks that come to recheck all the good advice here.

hermitguy

Hermitguy
Good to hear from you !!! Please keep us updated on your progress. Hope you are able to hold that plate in without adhesives with the short ridge !!! Keep us posted !!!
As far as my biting goes, I am going in leaps and bounds. I ate out yesterday I had a huge breakfast to try alot of more difficult foods. The bacon was very thick and crisp ( almost burnt). I had no trouble at all biting it off with my front teeth. I did intially have the denture come loose while chewing it on my molars, but soon adjusted on holding them in when chewing on this firm bacon. I also had ham which was fairly thick. I cut it with a knife and fork and had no problems other than having to chew longer before swallowing than with my real molars. The sausage links were a breeze !!! The Hash Browns were very crisp, but not a problem to chew. Naturally the eggs and pancakes were easy, been eating them for weeks. I find that I have been eating a vastly more varied menu. I even find that I can now eat many raw vegetables and many sandwiches if they are thin and the meat is not to tough. Just remember, it takes time and everyone heals slightly different and at different rates. I haven't been in a dentist office in two weeks. Seems strange but nice not to be going weekly any longer.
P.S
Hey Paula and Rileysmom: How are you two getting along with your denture(s).

Boy jcoasternut,
You don't know how good all that food you're talking about eating sounds right now, or maybe you do. :D

Its been thirty two hours or so since extraction and I just got back from a midnight run for pudding cups and now I'm sitting here reading about eggs, bacon, ham, pancakes, and link sausage my favorite, oh well it gives me something to look forward to. :)

I'm glad to see you're getting back to normal!

I seem to be doing well, very little soreness so far and it feels like its just going to get better from here.

The denture doesn't feel uncomfortable at all but although it stays up by its self it did come out a little to easy for my taste when I took it out.

I just removed it for the first time to rinse it real quick in salt water and pop it back in and it came out with little effort on my part. We'll have to see where that goes!

I was also surprised because I thought it would be nasty looking in the top of the denture but it was quite clean of any blood or other stuff, was that your experience.

Also What is your advice on taking the denture out for cleaning the first few days, how often and what method.

Thanks Hermitguy!

Hermitguy:
I took the denture out and cleaned it after I ate anything, so several times per day. I used Polident Denture Cream to clean it. I also rinsed my mouth very gently with warm salt water at the same time. Of course for the first few days I then immediately put in back in my mouth. I started leaving the denture out at night on the 10th night. At that time I also begun soaking the denture in the Fizzy Cleaners overnight as well.
Good Luck !!!

Hermitguy;

I was advised to rinse my mouth gently with salt and lukewarm water ( 1tsp. salt to 1 Cup water) every 2-4 hours in the first few days and weeks post extraction. It was very soothing and helped to keep the extraction sites clean. I rinsed the denture in running water while I was doing this. I think this was helpful in the healing process. I keep my denture in at night and only soak my denture in Polident cleaner in the morning and at night for 10 min . before bed. I also brush the denture with the same solution.

You will find that the denture will start to become looser as the swelling and healing progress. Your dentist will see you frequently and add the liners and make adjustments etc. as required.

If you develop any sore spots the salt water rinses are helpful as well.

You will be eating again before you know it.

Jcoasternut;
I ate steak last night for the first time and I really almost forgot that I might have problems with it. It was half way through dinner and I realized that I am eating almost everything now. I still have trouble with a salad. It just feels so different in texture.

I am seeing my dentist this week for the beginning of impressions again so we can start my permanent denture.
It is a little soon but my son is getting married in November and my dentist promised me that I would be all ready for his big day!!!

It is so nice to be able to hear about everyone's progress. It's been 6 weeks now and I am getting close to being back to normal.

Have a great week!!

HeyPaula
Good to hear from you !!! I haven't tried steak yet, but it will be soon !!!
Since my last post my upper plate has gotten suddenly quite loose. ( Amazing how fast things can change with these dang things!!!) It is so loose it is rubbing in several spots, I finally just took the dang thing out. I guess I will go on Monday and get a temporary reline, it will have been just 2 days short of 4 weeks since the first temporary reline. I know that will make them fit better again. ( I think ??? I hope !!!) I just hate the thought of that awful taste again, but that is the breaks !!!
HeyPaula: I noticed you are starting on your permanent fittings. My dentist told me to come back at about the 9-12 month mark for the permanent fittings.
Yos: I know you had yours done around the 6 month mark.
I am just curious about when I should do it. The dentist will do it when I want, as I have to pay again, but don't want to jump too soon.
Yos: Do you think 6 months was long enough ???
Thanks Gang !!!

jcoasternut,

Try the salt water rinses for those sore spots and also if you have any fixodent or polident paste--- try that so the denture isn't rubbing when you are eating and talking. I apply it only to the palate area since the extraction sites are still quite deep.

My permanent denture is being done fairly soon because of my son's wedding . I had the original surgery done fairly quickly and due to some unexpected problems even though I knew this would be the end result (just not at this particular time).I have had so many problems that my relationship that I have with my dentist is very good. She is excellent in her field and is very empathetic to my situation.I think that is one reason she may be willing to go for the permanent denture sooner.

I hope you mouth feels better soon.
Stay in touch. Our problems are not unique and am sure others will benefit from our experience.
It certainly has helped me.

jcoasternut
Thanks for the info it's a big help, I'm going have to run down to the drug store for some Polident Denture Cream I think this denture can use it.
Wonder of wonders I actually chewed a little today, granted it was only mac and cheese but its been only 48 hours.
I can put a fair amount of pressure on the denture without pain, but I'm not going to get cocky and over do it. Also the last time I took it out for cleaning there was some suction action, hope that's a sign of things to come.


Hello heyheyheypaula.
My dentist had mentioned the salt water rinses and said I'd get full instructions before I left.
Well after he was done I went up front with check book in hand thinking I had a $150.00 check to write and was told that there was no charge to me, my insurance would handle it.
I had thought that was my charge after insurance. I was so surprised I left and forgot to wait for those instructions. A big DUH on my part!
That's why was I wondering about the number of times to do rinses, I was afraid that doing them to often however gently might tend to dislodge the blood clots and mess up the healing process.
I see you did them every two to four hours so that certainly sets my mind to rest on that.

Thanks, Hermitguy!

Hermitguy,

I was told to rinse with salt water after the first 48 hrs. I found it so soothing and actually aided the healing process. After all, our normal saliva is part salt. Use about 1 cup each time and gently rinse for 10 mins or so.If there are any clots that dislodge it should not cause any difficulty. It didn't happen to me.

You sound like you are doing great. Keep up the good work.

:wave:Hi coasternut,

Done the traditional way, permanent dentures are fitted at about 3 months after extractions. That would suggest that 3 months is about the earliest you would want to have a hard reline or new denture made. Ultimately, it depends on how quickly or slowly your gums are shrinking and when you begin to notice how much change isn't happening to your gums. I felt comfortable with having the hard reline done after 6 months. I think that if you go about 3 months with very little change in your gums it would be as good a time as any to have a hard reline done or have a "permanent" denture made.

Yos

Hello everyone,

Just an update, everything seems to be going pretty well at this point.

I did manage to bump my mouth Sunday right over one of the exstractions (the most problematic exstraction of course) which I think caused some extra soreness to develop by Monday morning but with the saltwater rinses, that seems to be resolving.

I have also developed one sore spot in the right back corner near where the jaw meets the edge of the denture, the soreness there seems to come and go and is possibly caused by the edge of the denture.

Anyone else have this type of soreness, it's not the gum under the denture but the jaw next to the denture.

I consider it a minor irritation, besides the saltwater rinses I've started dabbing some medicated mouth rinse on it with a qtip, that seems to help it.

Other than those two problems everything is going fine, The denture feels pretty comfortable.

I feel like the gums are healing ok, now to just get back to the Dentist Thursday and have him confirm it before I really start seeing what I can eat.

Have a good week all, Hermitguy!







[This message has been edited by hermitguy (edited 09-09-2003).]

Hermitguy: It sounds like you need an adjustment for those sore spots. You will probably need an adjustment every week or so for ahile. Good Luck !!!
An update on my second temporary reline. I went to the dentist on Monday morning and requested another temporary reline. The dentist said you just had one in August. I said, yes, but that was almost 4 weeks ago and they are very loose. He said if we build this denture up again, we won't be able to hard reline it later as a permanent. I told him I had planned on getting a totally new denture made when that time came. ( Note: It was the dentist who had insisted that I get the lowest price denture plate of the 3 offered in the first place as I was getting an immediate and would surely need an entirely new plate for a permanent.)He then said you know you have to pay for all relines except the first, I said yes that is no problem.He said ok. Then one of his assistants took my denture and brought it back with the soft reline material in it, put it in my mouth and told me to bite down. ( The first reline another assistant did it, but had me hold the denture with the reline material inside on both sides pushing up with my thumbs. I wish I had remembered that at the time the second was being done.)
I bit down as instructed, after the 10 minutes or so it was removed. She brought it back and I tried it in. There were a couple of sore areas she ground down. There was no mirror in the room, but it felt snug and comfortable. When I checked in, I enquired as to the price, they said $20. When I went to pay, the secretary said sorry, I told you wrong. It was just raised to $35. I paid, only slightly peeved.
Now the bad part. As I was driving home I looked in the rearview mirror. My teeth seemed cockeyed. I thought maybe it is just because this is a bad mirror to look in. I got home and looked in the bathroom mirror. The denture is cockeyed. Evidently when instructed to bite down it became uneven because I have no molars on the right side on the bottom. This caused it to tilt lower on the right side. I wish I had remembered the thumbs from the first time. Anyway, it feels comfortable and fits comfortable. Eating is once again much better. The only problem is cosmetic as the teeth are slanting down from left to right.
I doubt I could convince them to do another reline as they didn't want to do the second. As this was a bargain place, I may just hold out a few months, get another $159 denture and then at 9-12 months get a better denture either there or someplace else. I had been satisfied up until today. I can deal with the cosmetic problem for the time being though.

jcoasternut;

Sounds like a bad start to the week!!!
If I were you I would go back to the dentist with your slanted denture and ask them to re-do it for you. The re-line material can be pulled out and done over.
With the denture on a slant it will cause your bite to be off and then it is a vicious circle....sore spots, difficulty chewing and problems with any existing teeth and your jaw. I am sure your dentist would not want that for you. The assistant doing the reline obviously didn't do a proper job.

Hermitguy:

Have your dentist look at those sore spots, use the salt water rinses. You don't need to have to be uncomfortable.

Keep us posted. Good luck to you both.

Thanks jcoasternut, heyheyheypaula

I have an appointment tomorrow and will certainly be talking to him about adjustments and having him look at the sore spot.

The good news is that the one I mentioned at the back of my mouth seems to be clearing up on its own with the salt water rinses.

I am still going to mention it to my Dentist!

jcoasternut,

Just my opinion but if the slanted denture is their fault, and it is their fault because it's their job to make sure it's straight, they shouldn't have a problem fixing it. You shouldn't have to remember something from your last visit for them to get it right.
Of course you might want to remember to ask for the other assistant on your next appointment.

Good luck with that jcoasternut.

My thanks to you both for your advice Hermitguy!




[This message has been edited by hermitguy (edited 09-10-2003).]

[This message has been edited by hermitguy (edited 09-10-2003).]

You need to let the gums heal first. That may take up to 3 months to happen completely. You can have a soft reline done after a few weeks to help them to fit better. After about three months, go the dentist for an impression inside the denture. The lab will add acrylic to the denture for a better fit. Ask for a "double-butterfly post-dam" on your top denture. It helps to create better suction to the palate. Lower dentures NEVER fit that well, they are a pain in the hind and there is not much you can do but get them relined too. After that you might have to do relines once a year or less, depending on how they fit. Don't be afraid to use a a little denture adhesive like Fix-O-Dent or whatever. Try to wear them at night too. If you are going for an adjustment, wear them for up to 4 hours prior so the dentist/denturist can see the sore spots. I hope this helps. Any other questions, please let me know.

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[This message has been edited by Well-come (edited 09-10-2003).]

Hi all, I am new to this board.
I had new dentures put in, in decenber, and then in January, I heard this thumping in my ear, and then again in Febuary, and then in july, I got the thumping, and bad head aches, and a dizzy feeling, and a feeling in my ears, like they are clogged up, and the same in my head, nearly driving me crazy, does that mean that my bite is off.
I feel so bad, do you think that the bite could be out of wack, my ear sfeel like they are very tight in side.
any answers please.

:wave:Hi Boomerue,

I doubt very much that the bite of your dentures would be the cause of your symptoms although it probably wouldn't hurt to see your dentist and have the bite checked and adjusted if needed. Your dentist might also be able to determine if your symptoms are oral in origin. Otherwise, I would suggest you see your family physician. Good luck!

Yos

bump for legaldiva007

I just had a full extraction with immediate dentures on June 8th; a day I'll always remember as that was the beginning of finally, a pain free existance.

One of my greatest supporters is my denturist; a thoughtful individual with loads of information who does not hesitate to talk to me. I knew from the minute I went for my first adjustment, that I was in good hands. DO not hesitate to be open with your denturist and ask as many questions as you need to, to alliviate fear.

I've been for perhaps 6 adjustments. I try not to go for an adjustment until at least 3 days after a sore spot appears as the reality is, that THAT sore spot will probably change within 24 hours.

Structural changes I had made were to have the denturist, thin out considerably the back of the upper denture. It was so thick, it was gagging me everytime I put them in. It is now sloped like a ski slope instead of the edge of a sidewalk.

Another structural change was in the front. My front uppers were sticking out so far I looked like a beaver. My denturist skillfully adjusted the front so that the plastic was not as thick, and my upper lip now rests naturally.

It has now been 6 weeks and this is what happens from here on in. You may go for several more adjustments and have the relining put in every 3 months. However, after about 8 or 9 months of adjustments, you will be ready for a complete relining. The denturist will take an impression of your gum, and the entire inside of your denture will be realined.

At this early stage, yes there are constant changes. But everyday, it gets better. Everyday I am amazed at the way in which your body adjusts to the object in your mouth. It is gradually becoming a part of me. I also wear contacts which I pop in in the morning and take out at night. Dentures are no different. It is an adjustment; a change and it will gradually become better.

My cost was $1600 for the dentures including all adjustments.
Surgury was $1395.00 (depends on how many extractions you have)

In 5 years (1825 days) you will want new dentures. They only last that long. So if you know this NOW, prepare for that cost. Put $1.00 away in a jar everyday and bingo, its paid for. My contact lenses cost WAY more than that.

But again I stress the importance of your relationship with your denturist. He/she is a wealth of information and they LOVE to talk about their profession just as you love to talk about yours. Ask questions, take their advice as they will be in your life for a long time to come.

Enjoy your new found freedom of being painfree.