What options do I have regarding teeth (missing teeth)

[Lovemusic82]

When I was pregnant with dd1 my teeth started to crumble and I had to have a few removed. 20 years later and I have lost a couple more teeth. Because I can’t afford private dental care NHS just seem to pull them out rather than try and fix them. I’m not getting super conscious about my facial structure due to the missing teeth particularly on side of my face where my upper back teeth have gone. When I had them removed I wasn’t offered dentures or any advice on what my options are. Sow one side I have loft all the upper back teeth, the other side I have lost almost all the lower back teeth. My front teeth are all ok so most people don’t notice I have teeth missing, I am very conscious about it and I don’t smile big or open my mouth wide when talking.

Now I’m getting older I’m starting to look more like a skeleton (cheeks sunken). I would really like some kind of dentures to help rebuild my facial structure. What are my options? Would they need to do work on my other teeth in order to attach dentures?

Sadly I don’t have funds for dental implants or anything too costly.

What has your dentist advised?

Nothing.
At the moment I don’t pay for dental surgery (I’m a full time carer to a disabled teen). Every time I go they want to remove more teeth, they don’t offer me anything else. They haven’t given me any advice regarding dentures/plates. I have looked online and it seems I can get dentures on the NHS for around £250-£300? If that’s true then I would find the money but my dentist hasn’t given me any options.

I’m also petrified of going back. I had a tooth removed 6 months ago and it took 3 hours 😬, it’s wasn’t the best experience when I’m already petrified of the dentist. I wasn’t really in the position to push for advice regarding dentures afterwards.

They haven’t given me any advice regarding dentures/plates.

Have you asked them? Sorry, its not clear. What has been their response when you've asked what options you have?

I did ask a while ago and they said it would be cosmetic and said I could still eat ok with the teeth I had left…..I can’t, I struggle with some foods, I can’t chew meat.

I will try and get an appointment. I looked on the dentists website and it says I can ask to be assessed for dentures/partial dentures under NHS.

If it is a small one at the front missing , you could try braces to close the gap.

Your dentist doesn’t sound that great!
I had a bad tooth and they did offer me the option to get it pulled out on the NHS, and then have a denture fitted.

In the end I paid privately for a filling and crown but it was expensive.

My dentist gave me toothpaste on prescription that has a higher level of fluoride - has the dentist mentioned this?

I would also be looking at taking really good care of the teeth you have left. Do you visit the hygenist regularly, floss etc?

If you are missing teeth, dentures will be available to you on the NHS. If you keep being advised to have more teeth removed, you may have periodontal disease and you'd want to get this stable and any poor prognosis teeth removed too. If there are other teeth that need to be removed first, you could have an immediate set of dentures and then a definitive set once your mouth has healed, typically at the 12 week mark (though you would pay twice). Alternatively, you could have the extractions done and then wait for the definitive set at 12, in which case you will pay for the extractions (band 2) and then the dentures (band 3). If you don't need any other teeth extracting, you can have a definitive set made off the bat.

More info here
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dentures/

It says that dentures are available on the NHS as a Band 3 treatment which is £319.
it’s not just a cosmetic treatment as dentures are needed to eat properly and to keep the remaining teeth in the correct position. You might have to push your dentist on this.

Do you know why you are losing so many teeth? Have they said you have periodontal disease etc ?

If they haven't provided any advice etc and you believe you have good oral hygiene and attend regularly, I'd be tempted to pay for a second opinion and consider whether you have a negligence claim . Not saying you do but I see a lot of dental negligence claims so it's worth a consideration if you are losing teeth at this rate and being given no advice.

RTFT - OP said 'Sow one side I have lost all the upper back teeth, the other side I have lost almost all the lower back teeth. My front teeth are all ok so most people don’t notice I have teeth missing'

I got dentures on NHS about 8 years ago was about £300, l had an accident and lost 2 teeth. You should just ask your dentist if you lucky to have an NHS one.
Last year our dentist went all private no NHS dentists here, so l paid for bottom dentures as to be honest my teeth have always been rubbish and had lost a few at the back , l think it was about £900 quiet a jump, they let me pay it over 6 months.

My understanding is the sunken cheeks are from bone loss (it receeds when teeth are removed) rather than tooth loss. So dentures wont help with that, although they will make eating, smiling, etc better and support remainibg teeth.

I have missing upper teeth.. not the front but next to the canine..two were pulled unecessarily (I had Trigminal Neuralgia) and one of the bottom ones gone too ..same reason.
I don't bother with the missing bottom tooth as you can't see, but wear a partial on the top..I can't have implants even if I could afford them. I won't lie, I don't like them much , I hate the feeling of something in my mouth, even though they fit brilliantly but I make myself wear them for most of the day, and of course if i'm at work or in public.
Please go back an just tell them you want dentures!

I’m not sure why. Always went to the dentist as a child, always brushed twice a day etc..
The last tooth I had removed was decaying from underneath…looked fine on the outside, dentist said root canal probably wouldn’t work so it had to come out. I had a wisdom tooth out when I was pregnant with dd1 (I was 21) and a few teeth just started to crumble, I then had my other wisdom teeth out and a the roots of the crumbling teeth. My dad has bad teeth also, it seems to run in the family. I am doing all I can to make sure my remaining teeth stay healthy but I doubt it will make much difference 😞.