I got my dentures on Friday

[BedisBliss]

I just wanted to post this as I have read and responded to so many similar threads and want to give anyone like me some hope!
Long to short - at 17 I was accused of not brushing my teeth properly by my dentist. Years passed, with one memorable encounter at 30 something when a young thing asked me if I wanted her to teach me how to brush my teeth. (I declined) Fast forward to 42 and I was finally diagnosed as having gum disease which was probably genetic and out of my control. Teeth had no plaque but gums were a mess.From then on, I went into decline - my lovely teeth wobbled and were taken out, mostly due to abscess, one by one. I had a gappy, toothed smile as all the front ones had drifted as the back ones were removed and the gum receded. I had ten teeth left in my upper jaw and I cried a lot and never smiled. At 53 I now have dentures - it happened on Friday. Yeah, it was awful getting them pulled out, yeah, I have a lisp BUT it was worth it and I know I'm so much happier and smiling! Also, it's day 4 and my speech will return to normal soon and my gums will harden and feel less sore. SOOOOO....to the other 'me' out there who is having nightmares about their teeth falling out and being self-conscious beyond belief....dentures are actually ok!

abs

I'm glad you're feeling more confident with your dentures but I do have to say that gum disease is not genetics. They wouldn't tell you your teeth are not nice without them being not nice. Oral health is just as important as any other and that also means cleaning interdentally to avoid gum disease.

@NCB2022 thank you for your wonderful message. The consultant did state genetics and my immune system being broken. My teeth were beautiful, my gums were not. You have no idea how much time I spent flossing and using interdental brushes. I am an educated woman and well aware of the need for good oral hygiene. I had hoped my post would give hope to those in my position and not garner 'holier than thou' posts in return from those who know nothing of what I have been through. You be you and have a lovely evening.

A 1 second google search will tell you you are wrong @NCB2022 .
Good luck and keep smiling @BedisBliss and I'm sure your post will be helpful.

Thank you. I Well done and good luck. I'm a bit scared of the idea of dentures. I've lost all my bottom molars on one side and have taken out a loan for 3 implants but the rest of my teeth are quite ropey so don't know if I shld have just embraced the denture.

Thank you @Elodie09 - losing your teeth and losing your hair - standard nightmares and I hoped I might help others! x

I, too have dentures. Sadly genetics do play a part. You are either predisposed to gum disease or not. I maintained good oral hygiene but genetics, smoking in younger years and menopause meant I fighting a losing battle. I have full dentures at top and partial bottom.

I echo your post, the relief is immense. No more wobbly teeth and infections.

I wish someone had posted this before I had mine and hope it helps others x

Welll done - mine were perfect until I got pregnant and I’ve lost two already and many other being filled whereas they were perfect before and I brush three times a day

Thank you for posting. I have problematic teeth and gum disease too. I have always had excellent oral hygiene so the genetics info is interesting. My dentist suggested implants (she must think I have money) I'm probably going to need dentures. Can you sleep in them? Do they look better than I remember?

I am suffering from gum recession so will one day soon need to consider dentures (no upper molars left now) so thank you for the reassurance that it is not so bad.

I was also told it was genetic as my actual teeth are extremely healthy. There is science to prove it too. My 30 second Google comes up with this: sdperio.com/blame-your-genes-for-tooth-decay-and-gum-disease/

Forgot to mention that I also have considerable cardiovascular issues as did my DF so our best guess is that we have the FAM5C gene.

I also have dentures OP, I still have a few teeth left but not many so mine are partials, I lost my teeth due to gum disease also, glad you are happy with them, I am happy with mine

Took me 10 seconds on google to find links about gum disease and genetics.

Well done OP for posting this, take all the photos and selfies and hold your head high xxx

Since this thread will attact people with simular issues i would like to add that especially weak teeth are a massive symptom of coeliac disease which is a very common but rarely diagnosed serious condition.

@BedisBliss what a lovely post! You can hear your smile in your words, dentures etc are so not the end of the world, rather a beginning of being able to be yourself and smile, laugh and not be self conscious all the time.
Genetics certainly does affect our teeth, (as it does other parts of our bodies and MH) Also, illnesses suffered by our mothers when pregnant - also have a knock on effect to the in utero child dental health, in their future.

@NecklessMumster I lost all my molars, one by one and have spent a fortune getting invasive periodontal treatment. Plus side - I had really good cheek bones on account of having no back teeth! Over the last 5 years had massive drifting and I was so self-conscious and sad. As I have gum disease and so my gums are crap, we needed to do dentures so my gums can settle and shrink. There is the possibility of having my dentures fixed on 4 implants but it will be expensive and I will still have no teeth when I look in the mirror at night (which isn't as bad as I thought it would be). If you don't have dodgy gums and you can afford it, implants will be the way to go but a partial denture is cheaper and might be as good? Dentures are not what they were years ago. Wishing you luck xx

Thank you for your post. This will no doubt be me within the next 5 years or so. I don't know when you make the decision to have the remaining ones pulled and go for though. Also dreading the cost.

@Northernsoullover you shouldn't sleep in them as your gums need a rest and i'm not going to lie - gummy is a look to get used to. Plus side - I am smiling during the day and my confidence has increased. They fit well and look like my old teeth, especially as I sent the dentist photos from when they were good. If I told people I had had veneers, they would believe me and I think I just look good. If I sneeze or cough , they don't move and like I said, day 4 and my speech is improved. It is such a big deal but by time I did it I was pretty zen. No regrets. Hope this helps. x

@NCB2022 stop talking utter shite 🙄 what is wrong with you?

Glad you're happy with them OP.

I did have the horror of my top front tooth falling out at work at my desk, as it was so loose in my poor gums, I was absolutely mortified. I have 8 teeth left at the moment which are not too bad but I guess I will lose them sometime and have complete dentures. Glad you are getting on so well with your OP, I found the top ones really easy and quickly didn't know they were there but the bottom ones took a little longer

@RaininSummer it's a weird one and you just know. Think I was building up to it for a year. You hate photos; you don't smile; you are self-conscious and your confidence goes. My dentist said we could hold on for another year but I didn't see the point. If it's any interest, I have cut corners and saved and spent under £2000 and that was BUPA. Your face and your wellbeing is worth investing in. It wasn't cosmetic, it was necessary. I could have taken a plan and paid it over time but could afford not to. (And I have cut back on clothes, nights out, home decor and improvement because I wanted to be happy and for my kids to see me happy. And I know I am lucky to have had this money - I didn't always.)x

Well done OP. I was in a similar position and have upper and lower partials (Inc one upper front tooth.). NHS. Even the dentist (who was so kind and sensitive) was impressed at how good they are. I was at a party recently and someone said "you have such a lovely bright smile". I was amazed and so grateful. It's been a game-changer for me 😁

What an absolutely lovely post, Op, Thankyou!

I don’t know quite how we got to this point where we are so afraid of or ignorant about dentures, I remember my grandparents being very relaxed about them, they seemed to be ‘ normal’ then. And they are better now than they were then!

@user175438765 I remember pulling one out in bed watching Netflix!

@CharlotteSt you made the point I wanted to make, that it's not the horror we think. Thank you!

Ignorant and wrong!