Worried that now I have a partial denture my love life is over

[lifeissounkind]

Hi, The title says it all really, I'm 42, single mum to two teens and had to have a partial denture fitted about 6 months ago,

I always had good strong teeth but 20 years ago my front 4 ones were knocked out by my kids dad, there was enough of the teeth left for me to have crowns fitted, they lasted a few years but after a while had to have a bridge fitted, it was replaced once because it became loose, had that one for about 10 years,

For the last 3 years ive had constant gum infections above one of the teeth that was mine but held the bridge in place, i was told that the tooth had to be removed so the bridge had to go and the only option was a partial denture,

Since I've had it ive had no more gum trouble but I hate the way it makes me feel, I am so embarresed by it, I can never imagine getting close to anyone and them finding out or seeing me without it,

I am worried about kissing and all that stuff, If i meet someone do i tell them up front or wait till we get close, how do people in this situation handle it?

I have to take it out to sleep, ( very sexy ) I cannot eat with it in as it moves and ive tried all the adheasives but they make me gag,

I know there are lots of worse things that people have to deal with but this is stopping me from moving on with my life, fgs im only 42, Ive dealt with all sorts over the years but this has knocked my confidence to zero.

I know there are other options ie implants but i could never afford that so it is not an option,

Just wondered if anyone out there has been in this situation and if so how did you overcome it?

Another thank you from me to hear all these experiences. I'm the same age as the op and have 6 crowns on my front teeth after having my teeth broken by a hockey stick as a teenager. I had my crowns replaced about 16 years ago, but am now having trouble with my teeth. No real pain as such but they feel uncomfortable and as if they are not mine and I keep getting an infection above one of them. The dentist has xrayed and thinks I may have a hairline crack on the root of one, she doesn't want to take the crown off to investigate until absolutely necessary as she said taking it off will definitely damage it. She says that it will be a case of a bridge if the other stumps of teeth are stable, a plate or an implant. I'm dreading it, as you say it really knocks your confidence. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my numbers come up on the lottery and then I'll get a full set of implants!

A denture costs £204 on the NHS in England.

Despite the horrible circumstances of your losing your teeth, I'm afraid you are unlikely to get implants on the NHS even at a hospital. A firend who is a restorative consultant does cases only for oral cancer patients and even these are hard to get funding for.

I know this is an old post but I felt very encouraged reading it. I am a 36 year old divorced mother of 3. I have been hiding from the world because of my teeth. I was in an abusive marriage for 10 years and this may have contributed to my self-care but they just started to crumble after my pregnancies plus, I admit I drank a lot coke back then... never the less the reason, the problem is I have been petrified of implants and tried a partial denture but it was so un-natural and hideous I balked every time I had to put it in! but I will go for the "cobalt chromium based denture" now, that sounds less torturous! Lol People say that they hardly notice but as I only have my two capped front teeth and 3 other randomly placed I reckon they are just being polite! Lol. I want to smile again, laugh again and feel "whole" again. I am just...scared but anything has got to be better than this! Thank you all for sharing though; it made me feel less of a freak.

I am only missing two teeth at the bottom; I was refering to my top set. Just as a point of clarity

I got full dentures in my late 30s and was very self-conscious at first. Dentistry improves all the time so there are so many options now with implants etc. There is a young woman early 30s on youtube that talks about her dentures and implants. Can't recall her name though.

And the BJ thing is true.

You wont get implants on the NHS, I got them done privately, cost me £3,500 for two teeth, well worth it, they stay in forever and never come out, they are just like real teeth.

Go for it, you can pay up each month and it's normally interest free.

I knocked my front teeth out when I was about ten years old, after years of braces my teeth eventually met in the middle, then I had a motor cycle crash and knocked them out again. I am absolutely terrified of losing my teeth. Recently due to gum disease I have had to have all my top teeth and most of my bottom teeth removed. I have a denture at the top and a partial at the bottom, the bottom one really hurts and I cannot eat in it. I actually look like I have no teeth whatsoever. I can't carry on like this. I don't go out, or talk to people as I am so self conscious of this. My dentist says that as I am getting older my gums recede and the bones shrink, plus NHS is nowhere near as good as private, I have always had NHS so I disagree with her, please can someone help me , as if getting old isn't bad enough (I'm 61). Now I feel my life is over and my worst fears have come true. If I go to another dentist will they tell me the same? Please please can someone help me as Im on very limited income so cannot afford private just to make me feel human again. If that is even possible.

I am a man and it wouldn't make any difference to me. It is more about how happy you feel. Any man who are worth anything it will not matter.

Hi op
Im 30 and had a top full debture for the past 3 years, as you can imagine i was ashamed and id still rarther have implants but as youv been told they are very exoensive.

You shouldnt need to take them out to eat .

Far as relationship goes, i had the same worry abd didnt tell my partner till abiut 4 months in to our relationship. He was absolutely fine with it. That said he has never seen me with out it in and he wont ever hopfully. I only take them out to clean and put them back in. Even at night i wear them. I do have to take them out for a few hours to give my gums a reat for a few hours if iv worn them nom stop but thats easy enough to find a few hours when dp isnt there. If hes a good guy he won't care honestly.

I'm with Jan45, 8 years ago I had my top front four teeth replaced with implants. They are fantastic, look brilliant and are stronger than real teeth. If you can get a loan etc (mine cost £4,500) it would be well worth it. As mine drop out (as I get older) I intend to replace them all.

Of course it won't!!! And like many others have said implants are an option and they look bloody brilliant. My nan had them a few years ago and I didn't even realise! Anyone who is bothered by your denture isn't worth giving the time of day. Of course you will have a laugh and joke about it but it's what makes you, you! And under the circumstances of how you came about losing your teeth it's not exactly like you just stopped looking after your teeth. I understand smiling/teeth it's all very important but rock them and you will be great.

I have worn a partial denture for over 15 years. I always sleep in it and have had no infections. You do need to get used to it and eating is difficult at first but persevere (polygrip is your best friend) and eventually you will be able to eat most things. I have had horrific gum disease now for 30 years and earlier this year had all my bottom teeth replaced - implants were not an option both cost and the likelihood of them failing. Bottom full denture was really hard to get used to but I am getting there and in fact have an appointment this morning to review the healing and have a new denture made. Far from losing confidence I am more smiley as I am less self conscious about my teeth and nobody has mentioned them apart from saying things like you look great is that a new lipstick? I do tell people as I think there is a bit of conspiracy of silence around dentures and people think they are the only one going through it

The OP was 5 years ago

I know this is an old post but looking for a bit of info. What is the recovery like after you have had an extraction and immediate partial denture fitted? With talking and eating. Thanks in advance

I'm 42, single, got a partial single denture last year and had to have a further tooth added to the plate a few months ago. I can honestly say that it hasn't affected my love life at all; if anything I'm getting more attention because I'm smiling a lot more without worrying about my dodgy crown coming loose.

Just met someone who seems very promising, the subject hasn't come up yet but I can't see him running away screaming. My ex had a full top plate and it never bothered me at all

Sam, you might have a lisp for a day or two til you get used to having a foreign object in your mouth but it's surprising how fast you get used to it. Eat soft food or cut it up small until you feel ready to bite into things. Mine bled a lot after extraction but the pressure from the plate helped to stem this; my dentist advised to sleep with it in for the first night to help minimise the swelling.

Did you get the done on the nhs? And did you have an immediate denture? Thanks

Hello! Just to say not to worry at all about your teeth, my front three were smashed in a bike crash I just have two little wizened dead grey stumps - I can have crowns so am lucky but when I got them redone I took a pic and showed my boyfriend because he was curious (and I suppose so he knew what lay beneath) and he thought they looked cute! We have only been dating 6 weeks too so it's not even a LTR. So don't you worry and good luck with everything!

Mine was NHS, cost around £225 at the time, though I think there's been a slight increase this year. They took an impression at the appointment before the extraction and had the denture ready to put in as soon as the old tooth was out.

Were you happy with your immediate denture coughing for weeks?

It felt a bit uncomfortable for the first few days (I had to have a fractured root removed from my old tooth so it took a bit of time to heal), but otherwise I was happy with it - the colour is an exact match for the rest of my teeth and it looks natural. Much better than having a big gap or visible broken tooth anyway.

That's so good to here as I have heard a few people unhappy about theirs on the nhs. Glad it worked out well for you😀 did you struggle to speak at first and eat? Thanks

I'm pretty lucky with my dentist tbh. I had a rebuilt front tooth break in the summer and they not only got me in the same day, but asked the lab driver to wait a few minutes while they took another impression and sent him off with my denture to get another tooth added to it. I had it back within 24 hours.

I did struggle to speak at first but it was only a lisp and only for a couple of days. Sadly, I never have trouble eating, a couple of months days on a liquid diet wouldn't have done me any harm...

Lol fingers crossed I'll be okay then. I have a bit of a lisp anyway so that won't make much difference to me

Well I'm still curious as to how to handle this situation, the only thing I'm 30 and to no fault of my own my front two teeth went bad now due to lack of money I had to have a partial put in and I have self esteem problems just wanted to knock how others handled it.