Got my dentures 5 days ago....??

[frisfluf]

Had all my teeth pulled and dentures put right on five days ago. Went the next day back for my post op. Dentist put some soft reliner stuff on the dentures and now I feel like Mr. Ed the talking horse. My teeth are too far down and it makes it hard to close my mouth. I'm wondering if they will adjust as my gums heal?

I only have 4 vicidon left, and I don't think they will give me more. If I don't take it the pain is terrible. I hope every day it will get better so I can handle it. Right now I just feel like crying but I even that will hurt. I'm also taking motrin and a antibiotic because one tooth hole goes up into my sinus. My molars had "fishhook" roots so had to be drilled in half and cut out. Three molars they broke off at the gum line. By the time they were down to pulling my last two teeth novacaine was wearing off/not working and they ended up pulling them while I screamed and gripped the chair....That was not fun. They did give me two ativan pills to take. One the night before, said someone would have to wake me up. HA!! I took it at 10:00pm and woke up bright and early at 3:30am! Took the second pill 2 hours before appointment and it did nothing for me. That was a big dissappointment. Sitting in the chair for 4 1/2 hours while the dentist pulls my teeth fully awake is not something I will ever do again....lucky thing they pulled all my teeth.

Any tips on helping the pain from here on out?
Are my teeth going to slip more onto my gums so I don't resemble a horse?


I do like how white the teeth are, just not how the teeth sit in my mouth.I am living off of canned chicken shredded with mayo,pudding, and diet pop (really cold pop....that is a treat!)

frisfluf

[js53220]

well i think i have good news and bad news. good news is pain goes away and the bad news is the teeth are there to stay. Find a new dentists and get a second opinion.

[Yos]

Hi Frisfluf,

Sorry to hear about your ordeal. I know this is something you won't want to hear but I get the impression your dentist is not good at treating denture patients and fitting dentures. X-rays should have revealed some clues of your "fish hook" roots and the proximity of the sinus'. You should have been referred to an oral surgeon. If your dentist is an oral surgeon (mine was) he/she should have used a more appropriate sedation method or spread the extractions over a number of visits. You should never have had to endure what you did. But that, as they say, is water under the bridge. I hope that you trust your dentist enough to continue with your treatment plan.

The first thing you need to do is manage your pain. Ask your dentist for a refill of your pain medicine, at least another weeks worth. It sounds like you're going to need it. If you're really in pain and he/she refuses then you're better off seeing another dentist that actually cares about whether you're in pain or not. Immediate dentures should be worn 24/7 (except for cleaning and rinsing) for some time after the extractions but not if they're painful to wear. Take them out if they hurt to wear. Rinse your mouth with salt water often (about a teaspoon of salt to a cup of water). It promotes healing and is actually quite soothing. Ice packs could help reduce swelling as well.

The "hores teeth" effect is a common complaint. It's usually a result of the gums being swollen and pushing the dentures up for the lower denture and down for the upper denture. Your dentist shouldn't have given you a soft reline so soon after the extractions either. Most new denture wearers have their first soft reline after two or three weeks when the swelling from extractions is gone and the gums begin to resorb (shrink). If anything, the soft reline probably only made your "horse teeth" effect worse by adding more thickness between your gums and the denture. If you still have "horse teeth" after all the swelling is gone and your gums are resorbing then you'll know there is a problem with the dentures. Try to be patient until then.

It sounds like your initial healing period will be longer than normal. But normal or not, healing from multiple extractions and adapting to dentures will take time. What's most important for you now is to get relief from your pain and have your gums heal properly. Dentures can be adjusted or remade to fit properly so that should be a secondary consideration at this point. If you have any other questions please ask. Good luck!

Yos
(full upper, partial lower Dec. 2, 2002)

[2Treevers]

Originally Posted by Yos

Hi Frisfluf,

Sorry to hear about your ordeal. I know this is something you won't want to hear but I get the impression your dentist is not good at treating denture patients and fitting dentures. X-rays should have revealed some clues of your "fish hook" roots and the proximity of the sinus'. You should have been referred to an oral surgeon. If your dentist is an oral surgeon (mine was) he/she should have used a more appropriate sedation method or spread the extractions over a number of visits. You should never have had to endure what you did. But that, as they say, is water under the bridge. I hope that you trust your dentist enough to continue with your treatment plan.

The first thing you need to do is manage your pain. Ask your dentist for a refill of your pain medicine, at least another weeks worth. It sounds like you're going to need it. If you're really in pain and he/she refuses then you're better off seeing another dentist that actually cares about whether you're in pain or not. Immediate dentures should be worn 24/7 (except for cleaning and rinsing) for some time after the extractions but not if they're painful to wear. Take them out if they hurt to wear. Rinse your mouth with salt water often (about a teaspoon of salt to a cup of water). It promotes healing and is actually quite soothing. Ice packs could help reduce swelling as well.

The "hores teeth" effect is a common complaint. It's usually a result of the gums being swollen and pushing the dentures up for the lower denture and down for the upper denture. Your dentist shouldn't have given you a soft reline so soon after the extractions either. Most new denture wearers have their first soft reline after two or three weeks when the swelling from extractions is gone and the gums begin to resorb (shrink). If anything, the soft reline probably only made your "horse teeth" effect worse by adding more thickness between your gums and the denture. If you still have "horse teeth" after all the swelling is gone and your gums are resorbing then you'll know there is a problem with the dentures. Try to be patient until then.

It sounds like your initial healing period will be longer than normal. But normal or not, healing from multiple extractions and adapting to dentures will take time. What's most important for you now is to get relief from your pain and have your gums heal properly. Dentures can be adjusted or remade to fit properly so that should be a secondary consideration at this point. If you have any other questions please ask. Good luck!

Yos
(full upper, partial lower Dec. 2, 2002)

Hey everyone
I too am a new immediate denture wearer. Two weeks tomorrow. Have a full upper and partial lower. What a totally life altering experience. It does get a little easier every day. Had teeth extracted on the 12th, went in on 13th for checkup and back again on 17th for another checkup and adjustment. YOS, you have a partial lower also. Do your front denture teeth rest on your lower gum? When I insert the lower denture the teeth rest on my gum, but when I insert the upper and close my mouth the front lower teeth pop up and off the gum. I spoke to the dentist about this and he says they will not fit tight. Makes no sense to me. You have become the denture expert in my eyes...I've been following from a previous thread. These messages have helped me through this ordeal more than you will ever know.
Warmly
2Treevers

[Yos]

Hi 2Treevers,

After two weeks it sounds like you're making good progress. I can't remember exactly how my uppers and lowers aligned in the first couple of weeks. I only have a recollection of how big & bulky the dentures felt in my mouth and that I could barely talk never mind eat It was after my first soft reline that I started paying more attention to how the denture should fit.

Until you've had your first soft reline don't expect much in the way of a decent fit or bite. And a soft reline isn't much good until the swelling in your gums have gone down and have moved into the resorption (shrinking) stage. After a soft reline the denture should sit snugly on the lower gums. The reline material will fill any gaps and irregularities in shape between your healing gums and the inside surface of the denture. The molars of the uppers and lowers should press together solidly and evenly without making the denture tip in any direction (side to side, front to back etc). When I press my teeth together and run my tongue along the inside of the denture the top and bottom teeth more or less line up along the molars. At the front I have a slight overbite where the upper front teeth extends slightly beyond the lower front teeth (if the upper and lower front teeth pressed together the molars wouldn't press together). Pressing your teeth together or closing your mouth shouldn't dislodge the other denture. You might find yourself knocking the denture off when you eat or speak but that's a part of the normal learning curve of adjusting to dentures. If you haven't had a soft reline yet don't worry too much about the fit or alignment. I had my first soft reline 3 weeks after extractions. Some dentists do them sooner, some later. The denture should fit properly after the soft reline though. If it doesn't then something is amiss.

If you have any other questions please ask. In the meantime, good luck and keep smiling now that you can

Yos