Partial Denture Misery

I truly sympathise , I think bottom teeth cause more problems than top ones. I have had a partial top denture ( titanium I think ) for over 40 years. Initially it was exactly as you described , and working as a health professional with the public made me stress even more. Took a few trial and error periods but eventually I got one that fitted. I had to make do with less attractive one, as the teeth had to be made slightly bigger to ensure a tighter grip but worth it. I still would have an occasional time when I can't remove them that easily but find if I rinse my mouth out first, it helps.

I so so hope you get sorted .

Do you use an adhesive? It really helps!

Well, an update ... I can now get them in and out, but it's not easy! However, after an hour or so they get loose. Today I had such an embarrassing business meeting with people that I didn't know too well ... trying to stop my teeth wobbling and somehow "style it out" when in fact I felt like crying....
I don't think that they fit properly. The gap between the top of the "thing" and my teeth I think is too wide ... but then if they tighten it maybe it'll be hard to get in and out again. I really hate this! Tomorrow I am interviewing all day - oh that's gonna be fun....

If dentures become loose, which often happens if mould is taken whilst gum is still inflamed from extractions, then shrinks back to normal, then the technician can apply a micro lining, making them slightly smaller inside, and tighter.

Chrissy just click on acronyms just under active at the to0 of this thread.
Welcome

I'm assuming that GD is grand-daughter .... not sure of all the abbreviations used on here ..... not been on before.

So I went today and the dentist took a bit off the side of one of the teeth (the false ones!) and I tried a few times putting in and out in the surgery. Seemed okay. So was at work from about 11 until 4.30 (yes, that was a short day). After a few hours they were very loose and had to keep pushing them back in. I will try tomorrow with adhesive to see if that helps. On a positive note, they weren't painful like before.

Again I found it difficult to take out when I got home, although I'd done it fine in the dentist.

I will try again tomorrow to put in by myself.... had enough today....

My GD who I picked up from school said "Stop Wobbling Your teeth nanny ...." - she has wobbly front teeth - ha ha but hers are going to get new ones growing in their place.!!

You paid for a denture to wear and if you can't wear it there's no point having it, so basically you paid for nothing. Keep going back until you can wear the denture, bearing in mind your gums will shrink and it won't always fit perfectly but it should fit in the beginning. If your not wearing it you're never going to get used to it. You have to persevere with return visits and wearing the denture. Going private will not in itself solve the problem you have. I only ever wore a single tooth denture after losing a tooth in a car crash and waiting for a bridge to be fitted which I still have and happy with 20 years later. I dread a time I need dentures and will do everything possible to avoid it. With only 2 teeth missing you could have a bridge but not likely with gum disease, so dentures are probably your only option so persevere and insist on ones that fit. When you've done that then you can think about going private and getting more suitable teeth. Please don't be fobbed off.

Could you not either ask the dentist or his nurse to supervise you putting in and removing the denture until you have got the hang of it?

DH has a partial plate and his dentist made quite sure he could manage it before letting him out of the dental chair!

Haven't tried it yet myself, but I do remember the trouble I had with my first pair of contact lenses. I discovered that I just had to sit down with a mirror and good lighting on my own, take one or two deep breaths then try to insert the lens. Hope the same exercise works with dentures.

I too would hate to go out in public without my front teeth.

I wouldn't blame quality of materials for the dentures I have had in the past! Plastic is plastic, it is what is done with it that makes a difference.

First the impressions - whenever I have had these taken by a dentist (many times), they would overfill the mould, so that masses of the stuff squidged out at the edges. They would stand over me pressing the thing down, then test whether it was set too soon, so that the still-soft fill was squashed at the edges, blurring the shape. The experienced dental technician used only enough fill to make the mould, and was more accurate in when he removed it

When the dentures came back to be fitted, they always"had parts that rubbed, and often they wouldn't even go into place until they were sanded down. The technician's fitted first go.

After wearing them for a couple of days, I had sores and ulcers where they met flesh and aching teeth where the fit of plastic on tooth was too tight. Most of my dentists seemed bad at interpreting exactly where the sanding down needed to be applied - I found I was better using a bit of fine sandpaper myself on the spot that I knew was too high. My latest denture straight from a technician has not needed any trimming.

I may have been unlucky in my choice of dentist, but I can honestly say that only one of the dozen or so dentures fitted by dentists has been a good fit. ( I can't remember exactly how many I have had in fifty plus years ) That is why I bypassed them last time.

A denture should fit whether NHS or private. The dentist has the same skill! The only difference should be the quality of the materials!

Sorry, pressed too soon.
I was going to say, persevere a little longer but if the problem continues just go the a private dentist for a consultation. Sometimes it’s good to get a second opinion.

Going private, it is worth it? In my case certainly. My NHS dentist is extremely nice but seems to have the policy that he really should do as little as possible.
At first I was very happy with this attitude, quite a contrast with the dentists of my youth who drilled everything in sight.
Eventually I got fed up with the patching up he kept doing to my crowns. I never felt that I could use my front teeth and he certainly never came up with a solution.
So now I’m going to do a bit of both private and NHS.

You can have clips on the dentures which clip around the teeth next to the dentures, i had these when i first got partial dentures wgich stopped them wobbling, and i got used to them faily quickly,
I am having new full ones made at the moment,
I have very little gum now and the lower ones are always a problem
Try to persevere, im sure they will be fie once you get used to them

Shouldn't you tackle the gum disease first? It’s possible to overcome this. It’s mor ehours in the dentists/ hygenenist chair but surely they should have suggested this? I had bad gums but now have implants successfully, am addicted to flosssing and all those little brushes and have healthy gums. It was achieved via my excellent private dentist and many ££££.

Your gums may still be a bit swollen from the gum disease and the extractions, which won't help. Give it a bit longer, and ask your dentist to teach you again how to put the plate in and out. They must deal with the problem all the time.

It may be that it wobbles because the impressions were not accurate. Dentists deal more with teeth in mouths than dental plates, and some of them are not all that good at taking impressions or making adjustments to the final product. Dental technicians do it all the time. The best fitting dentures I have had were made direct at a dental studio, and the yucky impression process wasn't nearly as horrible.

No help at all but this made me think of my DD who had full dentures fitted from before I was born. He had the same set for over 40 yrs !!
He never wore them at home, not even to eat. Much to mum's annoyance.

I have a full upper denture, supplied privately, which looks really natural. The dentist told me to tell everyone I'd had implants as it sounds so much more impressive! Bottom dentures are apparently a lot more difficult and I'm putting off the dreaded day when I have to do something about my bottom teeth. Real implants are not an option due to gum disease. I do have friends who have had a small lower denture for a couple of teeth and they seem to cope OK

Chrissy, ask your dentist about a bridge. I think lower implants are difficult if bone has been lost, but I've had a bridge actually glued to teeth either side of a gap centre bottom stage . It's been there for 40 years!! ( fingers crossed as I couldn't get on with denture either)

Chrissy sorry - I didn't realise, so ignore my post! DH is fine with his.

Mine cost £270 for the substantial partial upper denture and included a large molar filling and a crown.

I have a substantial partial upper denture made on the NHS. It is fine and I am happy. Had to go back to the dentist for a minor adjustment, there was a little wobble. While waiting on the appointment to see him I used Gripfix to secure the wobble which did a great job..

I do wonder about having the work done privately. What is the difference! Surely it is down to the ability of the lab technician to work from the moulds provided by the dentist.. When it is private do the technicians spend more time on the finish??

Anyways, a denture from the NHS should fit and be comfortable. I'd keep going back until it was comfortable. If it needs to be redone then so be it. But I wouldn't want to be paying a second dentist/technician for another denture.

If it wasn't done properly the first time then they need to start over again. And perhaps your dentist should reconsider the technician he uses.
NAH shouldn't mean second rrate.

Please be careful with private dentists. I went to one who promised wonderful things. I have had full dentures since I was 11 and have always been self conscious about them. I thought I would treat myself last year and go to a private one. Their website promised wonderful things, with testimonials from lots of happy people with wonderful smiles. It cost me a fortune and despite going back several times with problems, I have never been able to wear the bottom ones and they cost me a FORTUNE.

I'd like to thank everyone for their replies and good wishes. Sadly, I don't have the option of implants because of the advanced gum disease! (Even if I could afford it - I think I would make myself afford it if it was an option.)

I am going to speak to the dentist on Tuesday about whether private dentures are any different. (I was told that I couldn't have flexible ones until six months has passed.)

Like many people, I have a real fear of dentists anyway. On my first appointment I sat and cried through the whole thing (which was basically just a discussion and some x-rays) - then felt totally ashamed for acting in that way.

Dentures seems as though it's a real taboo subject - as though it's the most intimate of things! I suppose in many ways, it is.

I was going to suggest implants - expensive but could be worth it.
I don't think I could bear the thought of putting a denture in my mouth, just as I can't bear the thought of wearing contact lenses.