I have to have dentures and I'm very upset about it

As mentioned in my post earlier this morning I was going to get my NHS top denture today. It is as a back up to my private chrome denture that has had several extra teeth added over time and in case I was ever in the position of having a broken denture.

I am very pleased. They look great. Better than my higher spec chrome one and indeed just might be the go-to set of choice.

I am wearing them now, very comfortable. I did not need to have any extractions.
Four quite short visits in all. Cost £90 on NHS.

With regard to dentists opting for extraction rather than treatment this definitely does not apply to my dentist. He continued to work over many visits to successfully save a tooth when I was fed up and suggested he just pull it. And he only gets a specified NHS fee regardless of the work involved.

Don't be afraid of dentures.

Actually my bottom teeth are getting long, gums receding. From a vanity angle I'd love a bottom denture but my dentist says I'd be sorry as there's nothing like your own teeth if at all possible.

Oddly enoigh all the really old women I know (those who are spry and quick minded in their 90s) have very few teeth - and indeed had most of their teeth removed while still quite young.

It might be the answer to longevity Nonnie1 - it's there research to say that poor dental hygiene is a leading cause of heart disease....or have I just made that up dreamed that up?

No - dentistry when they were younger was expensive, painful, and not aimed firmly at preserving teeth if at all possible. There have been great strides in all those directions in MY last 50 years, so for people who had reached the great age of 40 fifty years ago, it has been too late for their teeth.

I had my first partial denture when l was 16 as l still had two milk teeth in situ. My dentist said the second teeth would not come down until they were removed. He was wrong. There were no other teeth and it was then discovered that l had other gaps were second teeth should have been. Over the years because a false tooth next to a natural tooth is a weak spot and because l probably didn't look after them properly the false teeth now number ten. They are all at the top and l don't need to use a fixative and they are in 24/7. Don't worry Nonnie you will get used to them. X

I think you are right about poor dental hygeine leading to heart disease though.

I've worn a partial denture to replace the missing teeth "on top" for several years as I had to have one of my front teeth out. the bonus was that I then had the four missing teeth on the left side replaced and another one on the right side.

recently one of my teeth on the right side started wobbling and I thought it was the crown that was loose - no, it wasn't - it was the whole tooth. so that had to go.

so I went to the dentist and had several implants - I hate these as they make me gag quite a lot. fortunately i'm on pension credit and therefore don't have to pay for dental treatment otherwise I wouldn't be able to afford it.

my new denture is shallower front to back than the old one and even though it's got an extra tooth on it now it's still easy to get out and put back. it's in my mouth 24/7 apart from when I take it out when I brush my teeth [and denture] and nobody can tell that I wear it .............. the dentist made sure that my "new" teeth match my old ones and even ground the new front tooth down to match the existing one as the new one was way too big.

I don't use polygrip because, fortunately, I've still got teeth in place to attach a "wire" to to hold it in.

sorry to go on nonnie1 but i'm sure you'll feel better when you get your new denture and are able to smile again. don't worry about it [apart from being able to pay for it of course] and you'll get loads of compliments from your friends and family when they see your lovely smile.

My mother also had all her teeth removed at 18. She always said it was the best thing she ever did.

Nonnie - I'm sure you will be fine and delighted with your new shiny white teeth. You will need a little while to get used to them, and you should take them out when you go to bed as bacteria can breed beneath them, but after a little while you will just forget you are wearing them. I have a metal upper denture and have never needed a fixative.

I had partial dentures at 61,which I don,t like as they are the only things that make me feel old.However,I would much rather have dentures than a terminal illness,so in perspective,they are not so bad.
I am researching my family tree and have seen photo of attractive women who aged prematurely due to having no replacements for their lost teeth.
We are quite lucky to be able to use substitutes.
I deliberately have a small gap made in mine,as no one expects to see a gap in false teeth.
At the end of the day,you are still the same person.

I lost 5 or 6 of my front teeth when I was in my 50's due to an infection spreading through my gum. I had a denture which kept moving and coming out - even with Polygrip - as the front ones had nothing else to keep them in. I hated it and stopped smiling and generally felt very miserable for a long time.
I finally found an amazing dentist - privately - who told me he could fit a denture that would never move, never need Polygrip and used a magnet set into the denture and my gum together with a clip on the other side which clasped my back molar. It cost a lot of money but is amazing and was worth every penny as it changed my life-- that was 8 years ago and I am still thrilled with it and him.! Money in the bank is no good when you are dead so I figured I needed to spend it on me to improve my quality of life.
No one has seen me without it and I only remove it to clean it daily - I am now late 60's and thank heavens for the day I found this dentist.!

I have had dentures top and bottom for years due to a medical condition that gives me a dry mouth and rots my teeth. I have never really worn the bottom ones as I found them hard to get on with but the top ones I soon got use to them. It was all done under the NHS and they looked really good, in fact when we were away I was complimented on them. That said I decided
to go down the Inplant route for the top ones. I had the remaining 5 teeth removed and 4 inplants put in with things like poppers on. Then I had a denture made with poppers on and they just clipped on. Because I needed so many this was the best option and I can now eat lamb chops. Bottom 7 front ones are just bridges and crowns. By the way I never looked old with dentures. Good luck.
Does anyone else find that words they type get changed by the iPad?

Would you believe it, dentist has just rung to say my check up is due. Just as I was half way through the replies.

My 7year old GD was doing a very bad job of cleaning her new front teeth until I told her that they had to last her for 100years so she ought to take better care of them. Well, its quite possibly true ........

I had to have all my remaining teeth out (22) before I could have my knee replacement surgery. I had them all removed in January and finally got my dentures in August of the same year. They felt huge, but everyone said how good they looked, the top set that is. I couldn't get the lower set to stay put whatever I tried, so I went round with only top teeth. A year later, the top set also became very loose, and I had another set made, another £209, and the lower ones only stay in if I don't eat anything that needs chewing, like meat, or biting, like an apple, so it's not good news for me and i cannot afford to pay for another set on the off-chance that they might be a better fit.

Am I naive, if a new denture isn't staying in place should it not be fixed/replaced by one that fits properly, at no extra cost. And if a denture later becomes loose can it not be relined to fit?

I have had dentures for many years now. It started with two teeth, and then over the years, another one or two and so on until now I have 1 crown, 4 implants, which help to retain the dentures. I am used to them now, and they are comfortable. I have used fixative successfully, but now the implants have removed the need for that. I do feel ashamed sometimes, that I didn't manage to keep my own teeth. However, to put it in perspective, I remind myself that my late cousin, who died at the age of 56, would have swapped her beautiful thick hair and lovely teeth for false teeth and thinning hair, like mine, to have had more years with her children and the grandchildren that she never saw. Unlike some, our bodies have survived, even though our teeth haven't. Take heart.

Yes Coolgran, it is up to the Dentist or the Dental Technician to ensure that the dentures fit properly. I understood that it was standard practice to have them re-lined after a year or two when the gums have shrunk.

Although, I had the identical diet and tooth cleaning routine as my big sister, she still has all her own teeth whereas I have had full dentures since my early 30's because my teeth just crumbled away and bits broke off. I had all my wisdom teeth removed as they came in when I was a teenager because with big teeth in a small mouth there was no room for them. This was very traumatic for me as I have a serious dentist phobia (so much so that when I took DD aged about 5 for her 1st dental check-up, I ended up passed out on the corridor floor.). My teeth continued to crumble away particularly during 3 pregnancies and eventually I had all the top ones out and full denture in the same day - same for the bottom ones a couple of years later. Strict orders to keep them in 24/7 so that gums would shrink to fit. Both times I was back at work next day and never had any bother with them, except for eating soft lettuce which tends to stick firmly to the plate. Have not had a nightmare involving dentists since then either.

This was all done on the NHS. I believe the reason I got such good teeth was that the cast was taken, the dentures made and the fitting done by the dental practice's in-house dental technician, who also did the check-ups and eventual relining. He took great care and time to help me choose a creamy colour that would not attract attention and to fashion smaller teeth than my own so that I now have room for back teeth.

I have a quiet chuckle to myself when people tell me how lucky I am to have all my own teeth in good order at my age.

Nonnie1 I do understand why you are so upset, however -
My Sil has just had a complete top denture made. She paid extra to have them made to look like her own teeth and they look really good. Honestly if she hadn't told me about the denture, I would never have guessed. That made me feel a lot better when I recently had to have two teeth out near the front of my mouth due to infection, and now I just have to wait a few weeks for the false ones. Hate the waiting .....

Incidentally, I remember my Mum saying at 85 years old, that she wished she'd had all her teeth out when she was younger as they gave her so much trouble now she was older. She used to be so proud that she only had 6 false teeth.

I went for the fitting yesterday (Friday) and the dentist was pleased with them so they are being made for me and will be ready for me to collect next Friday.

I asked the dentist if they will be lightweight and not NHS 'choppers' (I'm going private for this) He seemed bemused by that. I suspect they are all the same anyway

I'll revisit the thread when I have worn them for a while. Strangely, after posting on here I didn't feel half as bad knowing others are in the same boat.

Thanks to all x

Always regretted having dentures in early twenties I am sure my teeth could have been saved. I often wonder if the dentist got extra money for taking them all out in the early seventies. I was too ignorant to ask questions about other possible treatments. I would say never go national health I can spot them a mile away. Go private and dont accept any end result until you are really happy with them. Generally I go back for small adjustments 2 or 3 times until they are really comfortable and not rubbing.

A few months ago my front capped tooth just snapped off, so off I went to the dentist. I was advised to have a partial top denture which I agreed to. I was told the cost would be approx. $700 Australian dollars, and a further $340 for realigning the plate after 3 months because the gums would have shrunk after the extraction. Impressions were taken, and the bit of tooth that was left taken out. Next day I went back for the denture to be fitted, but unfortunately, it didn't fit properly. The dentist tried her best to make the denture fit, but eventually gave up and decided to take more impressions, and I was told to come back the next day......which I did, but again the denture did not fit properly. To cut a long story short, this happened 5 times over the next couple of months, and eventually I just lost patience with them and said I wasn't coming back again, and would just make the best of a bad job with the latest denture, but I was completely gob smacked when she told me that I would still have to pay the $340 for the realignment of the denture. I told her in no uncertain terms that she wasn't getting another cent off me because in actual fact, a realignment hadn't been necessary because by the time the last impression had been taken, my gums had shrunk back to normal anyway. Cheeky beggar!

I had six teeth removed three and a half years ago and I've never had a moments comfort with the dentures. To the extent that I was referred to the Orthodontics dept. at my local hospital after three years of dentures that made it impossible to eat fruit, veg meat etc. I have dentures now that have taken many months to create owing, apparently to my bony protusions in my gum. The dentist who extracted my teeth commented variously on my unhappiness with the dentures she provided as" it's the aging process I would have to get used to it" this was her response to an ill fitting denture that either moved or fell out regularly. I had asked for a little space in the new denture to make it look more like my natural teeth and I was told that I couldn't expect the same attention to detail that I would get as a private patient! (I was an N.H.S patient in a generally private practise) The dentures that I now have from the hospital
are more efficient and don't look too bad, but they are very rigid and there is an awful lot of metal in the lower denture, they look like instruments of mediaeval torture! The lower one rubs my gum sore and ulcerated if I leave it in too long.
The gist of my post is - has anyone who has paid privately been provided with softer dentures? Is the cost massive? Any help or advice received with massive gratitude.

Well, I am now the owner of new teeth. I have a plate with three (two on one side and one on the other) at the bottom and four on each side at the top.

They were put into place about an hour ago. I am not lisping but I do feel as if my mouth is full.

I came home intending to have a toasted hot cross bun and cup of coffee. I don't feel confident enough to eat so it's just a coffee for the moment.

I have looked in the mirror and smiled. They do not look bad at all. You can't tell they are falsies and that was my main worry.

I have to say I am frightened to eat, but hunger will get the better of me I'm sure {smile}

I am so pleased that you are happy with them. I am very scared of dentists and know that this would be an ordeal for me, so am very sympathetic to anyone going through dental issues. I hope your first meal goes ok .

I know this post is over a year old but really need some support - and can't find the correct forum!
I'm about to lose 3 front upper crowns and have a partial denture. I'm terrified and have no idea how to cope with such a change on top of having to worry if I will look natural, if they will fall out and the impact on any relationships I have ? I'm married and have a feeling my husband isn't looking forward to me having false teeth.
I've taken a week off work to prepare. Do I really really hAve to take them out at night??
Any advice would be so appreciated - I don't know where else to turn.

Deni, could you perhaps afford to splash out on three implants.....expensive I know, but it may be a solution.
If you are concerned about DH's attitude, what are you feeling?
You would never need to take out your implants to clean them overnight!