Dentures

[LadyAislinn]

So my mom is at the dentist right now. I'm in the waiting room, waiting... lol I am her ride home. She's getting her teeth pulled and getting dentures today. We read upon what to expect but I'm still nervous for her. Has anyone here known anyone who has had dentures put in?

[The Spirit of Life]

I have dentures in right now for my two front teeth. I had an accident where I lost my two front teeth a few years ago, and had a root canal to have them put back in. Unfortunately, after a few years, the roots of the teeth began to die, so my oral surgeon pulled my two front teeth and replaced them with a temporay denture while my gums and jawbone heal. I'll have the denture for about a year, and then when everything is all healed, my oral surgeon is going to give me dental implants to replace it, so I'll have permanent front teeth once more.

The denture itself is a little annoying, as it's held in purely by suction and it can come out rather easily (through sneezing or while eating, based on my experience). It's also important to keep it clean, as food tends to build up fairly easily between the denture and the roof of your mouth. Your mom will definitely get used to it though. There's a learning curve involved (namely, remembering that you have a denture there and making sure to chew more with your other teeth than with the part that is filled by the denture), but with time it really gets a lot easier. I can now pop them in and out using only my tongue, whereas before it was a struggle to move them at all, even using my hands. It's not because it's gotten looser, but rather just because I'm just used to having them now.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

[LadyAislinn]

Thanks for posting! Dental work is never fun. My mom had 3 teeth that were partial dentures before. It was like a wire that just clipped onto her other teeth. She is doing just fine. She had all of her top teeth pulled but not her bottoms yet. She's on a liquid diet, she has a lisp and her face is swollen. But she feels so much better about herself now. I think once she heals up she'll just get frustrated having to relearn how to do everything. You have to chew differently, and you have to practice speaking with them in until you get used to them.

[The Spirit of Life]

Glad to hear that your mom is doing well Dental work is definitely not fun - I've had my fair share of it done over the years. Like you said, it's frustrating, but it's just a matter of staying positive and remembering that things are going to improve.