hI
i am new to this site, but i read a lot of good things
i am 39 years old, with really bad teeth all my life. In Jan 07 i have to have all of my top teeth pulled, and get a top plate, i am so nervous about it all, how long will it be before i can eat, talk and such, and also i am so nervouse of what my husband is going to be like when i have them out?? can you sleep in them? I want to wear them 24/7:confused:

Hi there! Getting dentures is a pretty scary thing, but if you have bad teeth, I think it is well worth it! I usually wear my dentures all the time. I have a full set. Sometimes I take the bottoms out to sleep, but most of the time I leave them in. Eating takes a little while to get used to, but I eat better now than when I had the bad teeth. Talking is kinda hard for a few weeks. The letter S is the worst. If I had known how easy of a time I have had with mine, I would have done it years ago. Living with bad teeth is a nightmare!!!!!! If you have any other questions, I will be happy to answer them if I can!

Cristie

Hi DFW....I am in Texas too...EAst TX....Crisma gave you some good advice girl, she gave me some too. I just had all my top teeth pulled a week ago this past Wed....also had 4 pulled on the right bottom. So far I have done great, much better than I had conjured up in my little ole mind. My dentist gave me two 5mg. Valium to take abt. an hour before my appt. and they had me really relaxed...not sleepy but very relaxed, which made it easier to get past the needle...that was what I worried abt. most and it was really not that bad. Once I was deadened good and he started pulling I did not feel a thing, just a little pressure a few times but NO pain at all. Also I was only in there abt. an hour total and it was over. When I got ready to leave they gave me a prescription for an antibiotic (he said he always does this to be safe) and a presc. for Vicodan for pain. I only had to take the Vicodan 2 or 3 days and I was never in any bad pain, just a little uncomfortable. Be sure before you go to stock up on soups, puddings, jello, yogurt, ice cream and such, soft foods. For breakfast I usually eat scrambled eggs or cream of wheat, oatmeal and such. I am a big iced tea drinker and the nurse said that was great, that the tannic acid in tea helps the healing. No carbonated drinks for a few days and nothing real hot at first. Tomorrow I go in to get the bottom teeth cleaned (9) and one filling and they will prepare two teeth for crowns and put temp ones on. In abt. two weeks I will get perm crowns and about 5 wks. after that I will get a bottom bridge or partial. Try not to worry too much and thats easier said than done, as Crisma told me...lol....but it really isnt as bad as you imagine...I promise. The dentist told me to leave my denture in at night for now. After the 2nd day I was to take it out 5 or 6 times a day and rinse gently with warm salt water but I do sleep in it. I do not want to sleep without mine either and the Dr. said that was ok but to leave them out at some time during the day to let your mouth rest and breathe. When I shower I put them in the denture cleaner and then brush them and rinse my mouth good and put back in before I leave the bathroom...lol. I guess I am very vain but oh well. Crisma is right too, I would have done them sooner if I had known it would go this well. If you have any questions I will be glad to try and answer you and I am sure Crisma will too. Hugs...Marcia....got to help a fellow Texan!!

Getting a denture or dentures is a big life changing step. If you look back at the problems you have suffered with, a denture may be a welcome change/cure. As with anything you do to your body, there needs to be time for healing to take place- both mental and physical. Give yourself time for this.

Learn all you can about dentures before you go in. If you have any friends or family that have dentures, pull them aside and ask some questions. The more you know and understand the easier the process is.

About your husband- get him involved in this process every step of the way, the more he understands the better for both of you. Also let him know your fears and concerns about your relationship with him. About your social interaction with other people. He is your partner and he is probably best equipped to help you.

Feel free to ask questions here. I am 41 and have had full dentures for 6 years.

Sandy

DFWGIRL:D
YOU SHOULD BE NERVOUS! MY EXPERIENCE WITH A TOP DENTURE WAS A NIGHTMARE! :confused: AND STILL IS.ALL I CAN TELL YOU IS MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A VERY GOOD DENTIST, AND IT WOULDN'T HURT TO VISIT A FEW DENTURE WEBSITES TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE PROCESS.SINCE YOU SAY YOUR TEETH ARE IN VERY BAD SHAPE YOU WILL PROBABLY BE VERY HAPPY WITH NEW ONES! MAKE SURE THEY TAKE IMPRESSIONS AND THAT THEY DONT LOOSE THEM! LOL.. ABOVE ALL,MY ADVICE TO YOU IS WHEN YOU TRY ON THE "WAX" IMPRESSIONS, THAT YOU ARE COMPLETELY SATISFIED WITH THE WAY THEY LOOK AND FIT.BECAUSE NO MATTER WHAT THE DENTIST TELLS YOU ABOUT HOW THE PERMANET ONES WILL DO THIS AND THAT DIFFRERENTLY THAN THE WAX ONES,IT IS A BUNCH OF BULL! :nono: AS FAR AS THE REST OF IT GOES,YOU'RE ASLEEP WHEN THEY ARE PULLED AND THEY ARE IN WHEN YOU WAKE UP.DEPENDING HOW FAST YOU HEAL WILL DETERMINE WHAT YOU CAN EAT.IF THEY FIT RIGHT THAT SHOULDN'T BE A PROBLEM.YOU MAY LOOSE A FEW POUNDS BUT THEY TOO WILL RETURN.AND DON'T WORRIE MY DEAR, ONCE YOU LOOK AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR,YOU WILL "NOT" LET YOUR HUSBAND LOOK AT YOU WITHOUT THEM! TRUST ME. LOL.. :jester: GOOD LUCK TO YOU.:wave:

Hi Dfw, its me again in East Tx...lol! You know, everyones experience is a little different, so far I have not had any problems. I did go back today and they prepared the two teeth on the bottom left that need crowns. The hygenist couldnt be there today, so when I go back in 2 weeks for the permanent crowns they will do the one filling on the bottom right and also clean the bottom ones. My dentist said I was healing up very well, especially since it has only been a little over a week since all my top ones were pulled. I was not put to sleep for mine, around here that is MUCH more expensive so I could not go that route. But I promise you the valium helped to calm me because I was very nervous also. My top denture fits really well and in two months they will do a reline because my gums will have shrunk. And to me they look very natural and I also have not even had any trouble talking from the get go and I was worried abt. that too. My grown children and my husband says I dont sound any different than always and I dont think I sound different either. I still have to eat slowly but I feel that will be remedied some when I get the bottom partial because right now I have no back bottom teeth, only 9 across the front. Just hang in there and do some research on your own and as sone poster suggested, talk to anyone you know that has dentures. Some will have a good report and some not so good but I pray yours will go well. Is January the soonest you can get in to the dentist? Hope this helps some....Marcia Ps. I forgot to tell you too, that I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and take a lot of powerful medicines and frequently, RA patients heal slowly, but I havent. I also could not take some of my RA meds while taking an antibiotic and I was afraid my RA would really act up with the cold fronts we have been having, but that has not happened either.

Hi DFW....I am in Texas too...EAst TX....Crisma gave you some good advice girl, she gave me some too. I just had all my top teeth pulled a week ago this past Wed....also had 4 pulled on the right bottom. So far I have done great, much better than I had conjured up in my little ole mind. My dentist gave me two 5mg. Valium to take abt. an hour before my appt. and they had me really relaxed...not sleepy but very relaxed, which made it easier to get past the needle...that was what I worried abt. most and it was really not that bad. Once I was deadened good and he started pulling I did not feel a thing, just a little pressure a few times but NO pain at all. Also I was only in there abt. an hour total and it was over. When I got ready to leave they gave me a prescription for an antibiotic (he said he always does this to be safe) and a presc. for Vicodan for pain. I only had to take the Vicodan 2 or 3 days and I was never in any bad pain, just a little uncomfortable. Be sure before you go to stock up on soups, puddings, jello, yogurt, ice cream and such, soft foods. For breakfast I usually eat scrambled eggs or cream of wheat, oatmeal and such. I am a big iced tea drinker and the nurse said that was great, that the tannic acid in tea helps the healing. No carbonated drinks for a few days and nothing real hot at first. Tomorrow I go in to get the bottom teeth cleaned (9) and one filling and they will prepare two teeth for crowns and put temp ones on. In abt. two weeks I will get perm crowns and about 5 wks. after that I will get a bottom bridge or partial. Try not to worry too much and thats easier said than done, as Crisma told me...lol....but it really isnt as bad as you imagine...I promise. The dentist told me to leave my denture in at night for now. After the 2nd day I was to take it out 5 or 6 times a day and rinse gently with warm salt water but I do sleep in it. I do not want to sleep without mine either and the Dr. said that was ok but to leave them out at some time during the day to let your mouth rest and breathe. When I shower I put them in the denture cleaner and then brush them and rinse my mouth good and put back in before I leave the bathroom...lol. I guess I am very vain but oh well. Crisma is right too, I would have done them sooner if I had known it would go this well. If you have any questions I will be glad to try and answer you and I am sure Crisma will too. Hugs...Marcia....got to help a fellow Texan!!


oh that helps me a lot
thank you!!!

oh
you are funny
what you have said has really helped me alot-- I am haveing to wait until Jan because he has to fix my bottom teeth, first- 6-fillings 4 next monday and then 2 later, and in Nov is is pulling the top 2-in the back top of my mouth:dizzy: he wants those to heal, and do repairs on the bottom so my new teeth will work. Your responce has helped me feel a lot better
thank You:wave:

Hi girl....just read your post. I am so glad I was able to make you feel better about it all. I was just as nervous as you are and as I said before, had all these awful images and scenarios in my little mind, about how bad it was going to be and none of those were right!! Keep us posted as you get things done and if you want to email me that is fine...[Removed]. I did have one little snag come up this weekend....I now have oral thrush in my mouth caused by taking all the antibiotics, but I have had that before. The Dr. has called in Nystatin and Diflucon so that should clear it up. Since Rheumatoid Arthritis is an immune disorder it makes it easier for me to get stuff like that...wooo hooo...lucky me...lol! Hang in there and it will all work out...Marcia

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IBLADY: YOu sound like ME! I to will NOT let my man see me and he gets really upset over it, but I tell him "I DON'T WANT TO SEE ME, WHY WOULD I WANT YOU TO SEE ME WITHOUT MY TEETH" On the other hand my friend who I thought would never like a man with no teeth (she is a big teeth fan) she loves her man taking his teeth out and nibling on her neck and well you know the other parts to. Ok gotta go! IT IS ALL MENTAL. If you have a great relationship with your hubby you should not have a problem. At first the sight is pretty ugly (mine was) Don't freak when you see green yucky stuff and smelly it is the infection inside your gums, it really does go away,I called my dentist 3 times over it and cried my eyes out. It is all ok! The nice thing is you can soak your teeth in bleech and it is pretty cheap for white teeth! l.o.l.

I just had my top pulled also, I was awake through it, it wasent as bad as I thought only was in pain when the shots were in the front and with the air - must have hit a cavity, As for the dentures I'm getting used to them, everyone says the look great, they loose and thats what I dont like, I'm going back on the 31st to talk to the dentist about how I feel, I'm hoping he will make them fit.
As for your husband, my husband and I were high school sweathearts so were best friends and he sees me all the time with mine out, He doesnt mind at all and I dont care, I do not leave home with them out though, I feel it I have a sore spot and I'm at home I'm going to take a break from them, He took me to get them removed and has been very involed through every step. I do not sleep with mine, I cant relax with them.
Good Luck

Hi there! Getting dentures is a pretty scary thing, but if you have bad teeth, I think it is well worth it! I usually wear my dentures all the time. I have a full set. Sometimes I take the bottoms out to sleep, but most of the time I leave them in. Eating takes a little while to get used to, but I eat better now than when I had the bad teeth. Talking is kinda hard for a few weeks. The letter S is the worst. If I had known how easy of a time I have had with mine, I would have done it years ago. Living with bad teeth is a nightmare!!!!!! If you have any other questions, I will be happy to answer them if I can!

Cristie

I am 47, and am going to go in thursday and have all my front teeth pulled(7) and one on the bottom pulled, and then get upper dentures. The dentist thinks two will have to be surgically removed, and will do that then too.
I am SO scared. I am going to a place in Oklahoma. They have prescribed me Valium to take the night before and the day of. I work talking on the phone, please can you give me some advise. How long did it take to do the procedure? I am terrified.
I have all these horrible images running through my mind. So afraid they wont fit right, that I wont be able to eat, or talk. Just pure fear I know.
Please help!

Here's a question I havent seen brought up.
What about smoking? I smoke so?

Hi Roxanna,

First off, everyone has the same fears about the dentures fitting right and how will they look and so on. Since they are immediate dentures you can expect some imperfections in the fit. The fit of immediates is basically educated guesswork and will require some refinement along the way- you have to expect this. It will mean several trips back to the dentist and you will be frustrated but this is better than going with no teeth. Your speech will sound worse to you than to anyone else. The best thing to do is to practice talking- talk to anyone who is around, talk when no one is around- just talk.

Smoking- what better time to quit. You should probably ask the dentist about it, they will tell you not to use a straw to drink with so sucking air is not a good thing for your extraction sites.

Try to keep a positive attitude and ask lots of questions.

Sandy

I am 47, and am going to go in thursday and have all my front teeth pulled(7) and one on the bottom pulled, and then get upper dentures. The dentist thinks two will have to be surgically removed, and will do that then too.
I am SO scared. I am going to a place in Oklahoma. They have prescribed me Valium to take the night before and the day of. I work talking on the phone, please can you give me some advise. How long did it take to do the procedure? I am terrified.
I have all these horrible images running through my mind. So afraid they wont fit right, that I wont be able to eat, or talk. Just pure fear I know.
Please help!

I totally understand. I too live in OK and am 47. I just got my uppers. Its an adjustment please let me know how you are doing. I feel very strange. gag alot and it doesn't seem like I have enough room in my mouth.

Here's a question I havent seen brought up.
What about smoking? I smoke so?

I dont have dentures, but my Dad does and he is a smoker too. He had alot of problems with his. But, he didnt follow everything they said to do either. Like, he was suppossed to leave them in for a certain amount of time every day, and take them out for a certain amount of time and he didnt. Since they were very painful for him for several months, he left them out ALOT! He'd even take them out to eat b/c he said stuff kept getting under them. (He only did this at home, of course, but wouldnt go out to eat at all during this time b/c he couldnt take his teeth out.) He also wasnt suppossed to smoke for several days (maybe weeks?) after he got them (or use a straw b/c of the sucking isnt good), but, of course as anyone who has ever smoked knows, no smoker is gonna go even a day w/o smoking! But, the smoking also slowed his healing according to his DMD, just as it does after other surgeries.

My advice is if you can quit before this, it would be best. But, obviously, if you cant, you cant and will just have to deal with things the best you can. I know it is hard cuz I smoke too. :(

Another thing my Dad didnt do was go back regularly for the adjustments. He said they made them too tight and they hurt, but the DMD said they were suppossed to be like that, and would be more comfortable when his gums got used to them by him wearing them, kind of like "breaking them in". But, he said it was just too painful. So, once he got used to them and then the swelling went down and it was time for the next adjustment, he wouldnt go, cause he said they finally felt better, (even though they were so loose, they'd fall out when he talked! I told him of course they feel better! Just like if your shoe size was 10, but your feet felt crammed into size 9s for a month. But now your wearing size 11s!!! He agreed but wouldnt go back! So, that was 4 yrs ago and his teeth still fall out when he talks.

I guess I told you all that to tell you that when the DMD tells you to follow the directions, they give them for a reason, so even though it is painful, talk to your DMD about it, but dont be like my Dad!

Wish you the best of luck! Nothing hurts worse than pain in your mouth. I hope that this finally gives you the relief you have been looking for and an attractive smile.

having a top denture is far easier to get on with than a bottom denture ,as you have the suction of the roof of your mouth .

obviously any denture isnt as comfortable as your own teeth,and some enjoyment of taste of food isnt the same once wearing a denture
but !! if your teeth are bad and look bad and your in pain ,a denture is the best thing
if your so concious theyre are denture glues etc
i have worn a partial denture top 3 front teeth ,sometines i can be a bit concious of wearing it ,but loads are shocked when i tell them i wear a denture ,they hadnt realised !!

but make sure when you get to try the first denture when they see before they actually make it ,that you like the teeth and they suit you !!
as once its made ,thats it !
i am having a new denture made now .other week they sent me one to try after the impressions were done
the denture looked awful ,didnt suit my mouth or other teeth at all
i told the dentist it looked awful and it didnt suit my mouth or other teeth
and he made another impression of my mouth and they had to start from scratch
dont be afraid to tell the dentist you dont like the look of them ,after all your the one who has to wear them !!
i went last week to try the new ones .and they looked far better this time suited my mouth and my other teeth
so i go tuesday for the real ones ,hopefully they fit me nice as well ,but if they dont regardless whether its all made i will not pay for them if they dotn fit properly ,as they should fit tight in your mouth and so theyre comfortable !!

but do take them out as much as possible to let your gums breathe.i dont take mine out much ,i wont take them out at night as i find them hard to get them back in ,in the morning ,they do go back in after a while but i tend to panic

but a full denture ,you shouldnt have that problem ,just soak them in water over night ,and they should go back in straight away
but if your worried about your husband seeing you without them ,have them beside you in bed in a covered up dish and so soon as you wake up ,you put them straight in?
but your husband loves you ,so no matter teeth or no teeth it shouldnt bother him !!

good luck !!

Here's a question I havent seen brought up.
What about smoking? I smoke so?


well,really its best not to smoke because of infections ,when you have a tooth pulled ,but i am a smoker ,and im afraid i smoked need it afterwards
what i did do after every cigerette i smoked i carefully rinsed my mouth each time
gently as your told not to clean your teeth for 48 hours

but ,if you feel you can stop smoking for a few days ,then it would be far better for you ,but if not ,just make sure you keep rinsing your mouth out gently each time so you hopefulyl dont get the open gums affected