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

Hi Nonnie I've not got dentures myself but my partner got some recently and they did take a bit of getting used to but now he's fine with them. He uses poligrip no problem. Everything seems worse in the "wee small hours" (assuming you are in UK) I don't think anyone can tell you have them and you have your own teeth at the front which are the most noticeable. I don't know how old you are but please don't feel on the scrap heap! I felt like that when the doctor told me I had age warts on my back!

Hope someone comes along soon who wears dentures themselves and can give you more reassurance.

Nonnie I am sure modern dentures are so much better nowadays. The Poligrip will secure them and if you are concerned about hygiene the mouthwash Cordosyl is excellent.

If you lived near me I would have you round for a cuppa and chat.

No chance of implants instead?

I only have 2teeth left of my own and believe me I am not happy about it. I have looked after my teeth for 70 years,regular dentist visits etc. however it has happened.
Now to the positive side--no one knows about my dentures except my husband and my Dentist. No one has ever seen me without them! After a bit of fiddling around they are now as comfortable as my own. They stay in my mouth 24/7 except for when I soak them in steradent. There really is nothing to worry about. I'm afraid it's just another sign of aging which some of us have to endure but it really isn't so bad once you get used to it. I am a really young at heart 70 year old,dress modern refuse to grow up etc!
There are a lot worse things that could happen so Dentures seem a small price to pay.

Nonnie, please try not to worry. Dentures these days are made so differently and aren't the heavy clattery lumps of plastic that they used to be. After breaking a front tooth as a child, I was fitted with a crown, then a bridge, which lasted for years, until the teeth that supported it gave up. I now have a small, very light, acrylic plate with 3 teeth on it which looks completely natural. No Polygrip, no problems, either. You'll feel such a difference when it's all sorted.

I really understand where you're coming from Nonnie teeth are the bane of my life too. I didn't take good enough care of mine when I was younger and had a 'moment' about 5 years ago whereby I just stopped smiling.

My situation was different from your in that it was my front teeth that started to move due to no side teeth. I thought then I might have to have a denture but my lovely ( and expensive) dentist saved the day with an implant and some veneers . But I dread the day I'm in the place you are so I'm sending you a huge hug xxxx

I don't have any experience of dentures but I'm sure they are much improved from when our parents had them. Don't feel old , its just something else to get used to and get by - you're more than a set of gnashers .

Also don't be ashamed , oral hygiene was no where near as important when we were kids and the school dentist has a lot to answer for when I think back. I hope it all works out well, come back and tell us ? x

Nonnie chin up and think positively! You will look great with lovely even, white teeth and no-one will ever know if you don't tell them. Modern dentistry is a lot different to the suffering we endured growing up. Remember the old drills grinding away? Gave me nightmares!

My Mum had all her teeth out before she was 30 - it was fashionable to do that . She wore dentures all the rest of her life until she died aged 93 and she could eat anything with them including her favourite Brazil nuts! (no not the shells )

Hope all the support on here has helped. Be brave!

In have dentures top and bottom and I love them! My teeth had to be extracted because of rampaging infection so I lost 7 top teeth and 6 bottom but kept my front teeth. I did fork out for private dentures and I can wear them 24/7 if I wish, just take them out for cleaning. I use Poligrip and I haven't had a single problem from day 1.
I eat anything too ?

Ps. Infinitely better than toothache!

Sending you big hugs, Nonnie. Hope all the above positive supports help you to feel encouraged. The modern dentists now a day are amazing. Talk to her or him of your concerns and don't be afraid to tell her/him afterward if you are not happy or if you feel the slightest discomfort with the dentures. Let her/him fix it until you are satisfied.

For many years I've worn a partial top denture.

I paid £600 privately to have one made of chrome and its very lightweight. Now as I have lost other side upper teeth the balance of the fit isn't 100% but it still works ok. Other teeth were lost following long term steroid medication.

This morning I get my final fitting and collect my new NHS denture. If the last fitting is anything to go by it is excellent, looks good.

Because I have so many teeth on my denture I've always wanted a back up in case of breakage and I will wear them day about. This new NHS denture has been quoted at £140, I'll confirm that later today.
It is possible I'll have to get used to it but I'm already accustomed to my chrome denture so not total change.

Using a denture fixative is no big deal and a denture only needs rinsed under the tap.
My dh has never seen me without my denture. I wear it 24/7.

But any friends who are in the position, we are quite happy to advise each other, and to take them out and show.
That's what friends are for

Full set up and down. Paid for implants which is quite expensive but worth it. I can remove mine easily they just clip in place. The most expensive are fixed and cannot be removed, did't have the funds for this I was quoted £20,000.

When they take the mould make sure you ask for them to be smaller.
I had a colour choice but I'm not sure every dentist offers this service.
Look forward to getting your smile back .

Nonnie1 I guess this will come to all of us in time , at least you will have a lovely smile again.Good luck with it all and let us know how you got on????

30years ago I worked with an Australian girl who had had all her teeth removed and wore 2complete sets of dentures. This had been a lifestyle choice as she believed it would save her paying for further dental work - shockingly she was only 20!

I hope you can find a good solution soon ,... I think dentists don't think about their patients and really abuse their position..... having 7 teeths removed in one week is a disgrace as........ they are too lazy to treat each tooth as precious and not to be pull out until every other options are exhausted ... I think you may try to get some advice about suing him....
I have a battle with my teeth and I have refused to have anyone pull them out ..they could treat but not pull out ( Mine is a private and very expensive one but still pull out teeth is his motto ) .....but the dentists don't like this approach,,,,,, they are very similar to a double glazing salesman that refuse to replace or repair a single window but are keen to replace the all lot ...
good luck

Michel

My gran had her teeth out at 17, as was the fashion, and my mum at 38 - both 'straight out and straight in". Never took them out except to clean them and always looked very young for their age. I remember complaining to my gran that an iron tonic I was taking was discolouring my teeth. She replied, in broad Aberdeen 'Do what I do - take them out!". It still makes me laugh to think about it.

You will be able to take them out and give your partner a real treat!

Nonnie Now I know this probably make you feel any better because I realise how horrible it is for you but I had all my teeth taken out when I was 11. Can you imagine what a complete nightmare that was? I am now 66 and I can't say I have
ever really come to terms with it but I try to tell myself that at least I can smile and I never have to pay dentists bills.
No one has ever really noticed that my teeth are not my own (I don't think). If you have ever watched those makeover programmes on TV there is so much they
can do to make people look fantastic with dentures. I thought about implants
a few years ago but they are very expensive and you have to have so much bone or something and I wasn't suitable. No you won't look like an old woman. I have mine replaced every now and then and always say to the dentist 'please make them look as natural as possible' and they do. They are not bit gleaming white choppers. I think they look natural. Good luck.

Hi Nonnie1 - I hope I can reassure you that you really have no need to worry. I was in exactly your situation two years ago with only seven of my own teeth left, front top. My NHS dentures are marvellous; they were colour-matched to my own teeth and I would defy anyone to tell that they are not my own. I do use a fixative, for extra security, but this is not a problem at all. I smile with confidence and I'm sure you will too. Big hug x

How do you clean off the Poligrip at the end of the day?? Without having to pick it off!

I've had partial dentures and a crowned bridge for many years, no problem. I'm now agonising over needing hearing aids.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment. Some of them made me smile - especially the one about taking them out to give my partner a treat - cheeky !

I went private. For extracting seven teeth, scale and polishing the remaining ones which included two visits to the hygienist, and two sets of dentures it is costing me £1700.

They removed four teeth on the Monday, and then the other three on the Thursday of that week. The dentist knows I am nervous so he is rather abrupt with me.
I think it's his way of dealing with it, but I think just a little care goes a long way. To my shame I asked the assistant for a hug as I felt very sad.
Nobody from home could take me or collect me as they were all at work, and I felt sorry for myself to such a degree I now feel embarrassed

Going slightly off topic here, I have two old Staffordshire bull terrier bitches. One is 12 this year and the other is 13. They are small and very sweet. They went to the dentist this week and the older one had her teeth scaled polished and two removed and the other one had the same but nine teeth were removed. she chews stones and her teeth were cracked and broken and gone smelly. It took them two hours to sort her out and she was whinny and upset all evening.

I knew just how they felt. I let them sleep in my bed that night and cuddled them. The one who had all the teeth out bled all over the sheets but who cares.

We are three toothless old buggers

It's too late to ask for the dentures to be made smaller. They have taken the impressions now. As it is private I am hoping for a deluxe set, but I'll bet they are exactly the same as NHS.

i could not afford implants at £2500 each. He said I would need at least eight, so you do the math !

People didn't have their teeth removed because it was fashionable - it was an investment! When we lived in Australia DH was quite often asked to do a full clearance and provide dentures for the same reason.

I've read that a lot of people (especially women} had their teeth removed when the NHS was introduced, as of course they'd had to pay for dental treatment before and probably many had quite bad teeth.

Some regretted it and couldn't get on with their dentures, which ended up sitting on the bathroom shelf!