Immediate Dentures after 17 extractions

[Metalhead74]

I am 35 and in 5 days I am having the last 17 teeth extracted and immediate dentures put in. When my dentist asked if I wanted a tranquilizer I said yes and I also have a prescription for extra strength Vicodin awaiting my return from the dentist. I plan on sleeping for the first couple of days.  I have had so many abscesses and root canals that broke off, etc. In short I am sick to death of temporary measures. I have always had good luck with extractions in the past including the time I had a very inexperienced dentist send me directly to the oral surgeon to finish an extraction with a hammer and chisel. (At least he stiched it!) They seem to heal quickly and with much less pain. Is it unrealistic of me not to be worried about the pain? After reading many of these posts and comments I am quickly getting "cold feet". Not that I have alot of choices frankly. I am a single mom of 2, sole supporter (no child support) and I work 2 jobs one of which has some dental insurance. It has taken me a while to work up to this but I work with the public on a large scale everyday and I am sick of being asked if I am angry or unhappy because I don't smile. 3 of my front teeth are broken down to the gum line so I have a really unwonderful smile at this point. I am hoping I am not making a costly mistake because I don't think I will be able to afford "permenant dentures" for a while. (In 2 years one of my kids will be in college) My dentitst and I have talked about the titanium implants that will allow me to snap the denture plates in place for 6 months to a year down the line. Will I be able to get good fit and look with modification to my immediate dentures? I just don't see how it could look a whole lot worse than what I have now. Seems like anything would be an improvement and I live in a city with a population of 10,000 IF you count the outlying areas for about 15 miles, and they all know what I look like now so they will notice that I have teeth again. I took a week & a couple days ( to encompass my 36th birthday) off. Is this going to be enough time to recover and be at least moderately functional? I am a checker so I can't be all wacked out. Guess it will have to be enough time since I can't afford to take any more time off. That recovery period will use up one of my 2 weeks paid vacation and a personal holiday. I know I am rambling due to natural fear of pain and the unknown. Are there any positive experiences out there that people would like to share about how well their complete upper and lower dentures are working out and care to share any tips or tricks that made it possible? I am a researcher by nature and my best reassurance is accurate information. :)

[64FotoMom]

Thank you! Your experience and retelling of it, and encouragement are just what I needed! I'm a research addict myself, and a gabber, haha, and I knew this day would come after 28 years of failed dental procedures and bad dentists who frightened me out of taking better care of my mouth. Over the last 6 months, I researched, read, googled, and convinced myself I could do this. I got myself to the point where I couldn't WAIT to get it done! My husband and I found a way to finance it (even with the dental insurance. I have, it's really expensive!) We just put it into motion.

I am now two weeks away from the big day! I can hardly wait. Choose my tooth color, I have a really awesome dental team, and I know someone who got their dentures done with the same office. His look great, and he is very happy with his new mouth.

I've had a lot of work done and extractions and abcesses and broken teeth over the years. I'm not afraid of the 18 extractions I'm facing. I'm not worried about the discomfort I will face in the first week or two. I'm looking forward immensely to being able to smile again. Learning to eat something aside from smoothies and yogurt and pudding. I miss salads. So what if I have to chop them up a bit? :-)

I look forward to no more sinus infections and headaches and jaw pain and dental pain. I look forward to less IBS (have always had that, but not to the degree I've endured in the last 5 years!). I look forward to sweeter breath and being able to kiss my husband without holding my breath or him making a face, though he apologizes and doesn't mean to!

Yeah, it will be an adjustment! But as you said, all the changes, adjustments, and challenges will pale compared to the regained confidence and regained smile.

Thank you for your encouragement and the preview of what's to come.

I can't wait. :-)

[AuntTea]

I am 4 days post procedure with immediate dentures. The injections hurt! The sites of puncture still hurt. The actual extractions...did not hurt but a whole lot of pressure was felt. One crazy place on my lower jaw did not numb up until 6 hours after the procedure. But..that is rare. The pain was intense but quick to fade. My new dentures feel bigger than life. I am still trying to press the issues of eating anything harder than a cooked noodle. The crackers beat me up. Well baked potatoes..baby bites. Oral-gel is my best buddy. First 48 hours I didn't think my lips and lower jaw would ever return to normal. They did. I am now battling this whistle while articulating any "s" sounds. I got this now. Glad I took the week off.

[Metalhead74]

I am going to a private dentist since this is a pretty small city in the middle of nowhere so I didn't get to pick a package but my work insurance covers some of the costs and I paid a deposit before we went ahead with it so they knew I was serious and not just going to get my teeth and flake. ;) From what I've read and heard from others if on a budget like I am its best to wait til the 6 months for the official reline so that the bone is healing and receded like it is supposed to otherwise you will just have to have it done multiple times. My doc quoted me $380 for a full reline but if I wait the 6 months I should be into next year and my insurance will be reset and it should cover most of it. I have heard & read about the soft reline stuff but my dentist never really mentioned it. Of course he didn't mention how soon I would need the adhesive paste either. Where did you find it? I'd like to look into it! Sounds great! You will have to keep me posted on that and let me know how it goes. I am now in the process of finding the adhesive that works the best for me. I saw some power but you have to put it over the whole plate and I still have open areas on my gums and avoid putting any adhesive there. The eating thing is definately the continuing ordeal! My doc said to practice chewing up and down like mashing it instead of grinding side to side like I used to with regular teeth. It upsets the plates less. I figured the whole process of getting past the speach impediment would be the hard part but its the eating thing that is the hardest! I still can't really bite & pull like with bread or tortilla type stuff. I have just gotten in the habit of cutting everything up into small bites. I was used to just bolting the food down but that simply isn't possible anymore. If the bite of food is too big I feel like I am wrestling not to swallow teeth and food at the same time. It sounds funnier than it really is at the time! LOL I havent even tried fresh fruit either. I guess if I have to cut everything up in small pieces and use denture cream forever it is a small price to pay to see the look on everyone's face when they see me bust out The Smile! The freedom to participate in the moment and not have to worry about my teeth anymore makes it all worth it! Its still fabulous! We need to keep each other posted on each of our progress! I think its always easier to have someone with similar experiences to talk to! Hopefully all is well for you!

[Metalhead74]

I totally know what you mean about the cost! People just don't get that part. I've been asked by so many people why not implants! Not made of money! This is two weeks after the procedure and I am SO glad I did it my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner! You might ask your doctor how well you could tolerate a couple Valium right before and then novicane during the procedure. I had such a positive experience with that that I am not sure what the greater benifit of being knocked out would be. Seriously the Valium makes you feel really relaxed and then as long as they numb you up good it really wasn't that bad! I expected much worse! I'm sorry to hear that you had to put off the procedure for any reason but the whole rotten teeth and the effects on my heart was one more reason that I had to get it done. It can make you so sick! I can't even begin to count the number of courses of antibiotics between the abscesses and the sinus infections that were made worse by the abscesses that I have been on. The last tooth I had break I had to pull the piece out with pliers because it was still partially attached and kept jamming into my gum! I will so not miss any of that!! I sure hope you got promising news from your doctor today! As for life after dentures, it has been amazing in some ways and frustrating in others, though still light years better than before! I made it through most of the first night with the dentures in but I kept waking up with them out of place and scraping on my under tongue area which is fairly sensitive so I finally got up and took them out and put them to soak and havent slept with them in since. I too could not imagine comfortably sleeping with all that plastic in my mouth either! Its still weird I must admit though the dismay of seeing myself without teeth at all. A couple of days after I got the stiches out the swelling had gone down enough that they are becoming loose so I consulted my grandma who has had dentures for like 50 years and she just uses denture adhesive. Another friend who has top & bottom plates also pointed me to the Fixodent food seal (I think thats it) and that is what she likes and uses. With the adhesive cream they stay put pretty well.  My speach is fine now. I woke up one day and didn't really think about it too much and my oldest son pointed out that I was talking just fine and he is my biggest critic besides myself! :) I'm sure you can see by my lengthy posts that I talk alot so I think the practice has served its purpose in this case. Eating is still a fairly big challenge but it too just takes practice. Honestly, since I have almost 8 1/2 years clean & sober and quit smoking 4 years ago food is my only vice now which is kind of twisted since I work in a grocery store, but anyway, one of the unexpected benifits of learning how to eat again is that I cut all the tough stuff into little bites and it takes me a while sometimes to eat. So I may just get a handle on my weight issue yet! LOL The only time my mouth hurts now is when I have eaten something especially challenging & the plates have been rocking around in my mouth. Also first thing in the morning. That you really need to be aware of.  The pain goes away pretty quickly when you get them in but that first week and to a much lesser degree each day that goes by when you put them in first thing in the morning that really hurts! For like max of a minute and now two weeks later almost not at all. Ok so those are the challenges I face each day but the bright side to all of this is the astounded look on peoples faces when I smile now! And I smile ALOT! I no longer have to monitor my expressions constantly to hide my teeth and cover my mouth when I laugh! My friends are all alert to those behaviors and help me to remember to relax, smile and feel confident that I have no reason to hide anymore! They seriously look almost exactly like my real teeth when I was younger and they were still good. I cannot convey in words how overwhelmingly positive the reaction has been. I still do a double take in the mirror and think WOW! Those teeth are amazing! My sister was moved to tears she was so happy for me! I know this probably sounds cliche but I feel so much better about myself that I am willing to put up with some hassles! It still feels like alot of plastic in my mouth but I have too many friends that quite wearing their bottom plate because it wasn't as comfortable at first but I didn't go through this to have no teeth! I wanted all of them back. So hang in there with the bottoms. You will get used to them faster if you wear them as much as possible. I promise it is SOOOO worth it!! The benifits outweigh the downside by a landslide! Except for that whole first thing in the morning when I put them in, which is almost gone now, I have no pain in my mouth all day long! That in and of itself is a miracle!! Its been at least 10 years since that has been true for me! Also make sure you have your dentist grind down the parts that are rubbing as soon as you are aware of them so that you acheive a good fit before you wear sores in your mouth. That is an important part too. My dentist tells me to just drop in any time I need to. I am totally rooting for you! You will be so amazed! Keep us posted and I will do the same!

[aprilwaters1]

Had 24 teeth extracted with just novacaine and a tremazapam an hour before with immediates. How are you doing with the eating part. I had mine done at Affordable Dentures and they did a great job but thier package at the one I go to only includes one reline at 6 months unless I want to pay out of pocket. This ***** because I know the ordeal would be so much better if I could go in and have somerelines along the way. They include adjustments for sore spots and all but that doesn't make them fit better. I have found a product called Cushion Grip Thermoplastic adhesive which really isn't an adhesive but more loke a soft reline from what I hear those are. You put it on the plate, bite down and it makes an impression so it holds your plates tighter so they do not flop around and it lasts for days, even through cleanings. I think it will be a life saver for me.

I hope all is going well, keep us posted.

[Gund101]

PS - I've had many people ask me why I'm not going for dental implants, etc.  But the fact of the matter is everything is expensive and I can't afford it either.  This is costing me $5,500 as it is.

[Gund101]

Glad to hear everything is going fairly well!  I had to postpone my surgery.  I went to my family doctor to make sure it was OK to be knocked out, but I have certain health issues with my heart so he wants me to see a cardiologist first.  I go on the 29th of September and once he gives me the OK, I will rebook my surgery.  But I defintely have to go through with this regardless because I keep getting abscesses and taking antibiotics.  Plus, I had another tooth break off over the weekend.   I was thinking about how I would sleep the first night with the dentures in and can't imagine keeping a bunch of plastic in my mouth.  How are you doing now?  Is it getting better as the days go by?  Be honest - I can take it!

[Metalhead74]

I wanted to wait until I had something of value to report. So I am on day 3 after the procedure. It really wasn't all that bad. I took the Valium before I went so I was relaxed which I think helped alot! I was immediately pleased with how amazing they looked as soon as they put them in! I still think Wow is that MY smile? One thing that helped in a big way was using ice packs the first day to help with the swelling and the pain. It really felt good. I have been keeping up with the dosing schedule on my pain meds and with the minimum dose I have been quite comfortable so far. Doc gave me a mouthwash to rinse with to promote the healing. I tried to sleep with them in the first night but I woke up with them rubbing raw spots which hurt alot. So last night I took them out and that worked alot better. Being able to take them out will depend on your swelling. I went back in yesterday to have him grind down a couple of spots around the edges where it was hurting and since then they are so much more comfortable. My friend that had it done 9 months ago was surprised at how well I was talking too. You just have to make sure you get them in nice and tight and then you have to train yourself to keep them in the correct spot with your tongue and cheeks. Hopefuly you will be able to take time off after for this learning experience. The bigest adjustment is the size of them. It seems like an awful lot of plastic in my mouth so be prepared for that. I go back on Monday to get my stiches out. Make sure you have lots of food on hand that is either very soft or just liquids. I ate some soup last night and was practicing on the soft veggies. Have to relearn how to chew too! I will keep you posted but so far so good.

[Metalhead74]

This is so not my first rodeo with extractions! I knew what to expect there. I have had many teeth pulled. Obiviously or I wouldn't only have 17 left! I knew it wasn't going to be "any fun", but neither is living with all the abscesses and toothaches, not to mention not being able to smile!  3 or 4 years ago I was interested in bridges. I do not have the money to spent on that expensive TEMPORARY work only to turn around and have to do a full plate in a short time. My dentist said that in 6 to 8 months we can do a type of implants where they modify the denture plate and implant titanium spikes into my jaw bone. Then the dentures that I have now can be modified to snap into the posts. Thats the type of implants I am talking about. And finally, I took Valium before I went and had novicane during the procedure. That worked fine for me. I was looking for experiences from people who actually know what I'm going through with the dentures though not people who think they know!!

[turkee23]

you will be in some discomfort just like any other extraction..... you will deff sleep for the forst few days and eating will be almost impossible.....wearing a denture after all the extraction wont be much fun and im sure you will have to go back more then a few times to get them adjusted. you will have a hard time saying you "S" and eating will be diffucult for the forst 6 months. you can glue then in or just rest them there.....its up to you and your comfort level

did the dentist reccomend doin a full denture?.....why cant you just do a bridge  on the broken teeth?... how about a partial denture?

implants will be way more expensive and you will still be without teeth for a while, they have to extract, replace the bone, let that heal 3-6 months. put in a ron, let it heal again and then finally get a cap, implants dont just happen on one visit to the dentist

get the laughing gas of your not going t be put to sleep... it will totally relax you.... i watched my mom get all her teeth taken out and i am also a dental assistant

[Metalhead74]

I sure will. Today is the big day! I'm really glad I accepted the Valium for before the appointment though. Otherwise I would be a total basket case right now! I was just on the phone with my friend who had the same thing done in 2 stages (top then bottom) and she is still so glad she did it!  It isn't all roses so to speak but her overall sense of satisfaction is high so I feel confident that we are making the right choice! I will post a report later on so you know how it went!

[Gund101]

Please let me know how it went.

[Metalhead74]

That is what keeps me from backing out! I will finally have a beautiful smile again. I look at old pictures of me when I still had at least all of my front teeth and I want to cry. A friend of mine who had this same procedure done less than a year ago said I should be fine to go back to work in a week. She is my inspiration. She looks amazing with her new teeth and she has been after me to take the step so I will feel better about myself again. I'm mostly excited! :)