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Getting dentures before I'm 40
Kyougu
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm not proud of it, but I think it's finally gotten to the point where I think I need to get fitted for dentures, and this is before I turn 40.
I really, really, really neglected my dental health pretty much all my life and I suffered the obvious consequences. There's not many excuses for it, but I finally need to do something about it.
I'm honestly really anxious. I lucky have dental insurance and a savings so the dental cost isn't a huge weight on me.
It's more going to the dentist (already made an appointment) and having someone see my teeth. Then actually getting the dentures and knowing everyone around me will know (as again, my teeth issues are noticible).
Just seeing if anyone has any advice to help me out, or experience with this.
I really, really, really neglected my dental health pretty much all my life and I suffered the obvious consequences. There's not many excuses for it, but I finally need to do something about it.
I'm honestly really anxious. I lucky have dental insurance and a savings so the dental cost isn't a huge weight on me.
It's more going to the dentist (already made an appointment) and having someone see my teeth. Then actually getting the dentures and knowing everyone around me will know (as again, my teeth issues are noticible).
Just seeing if anyone has any advice to help me out, or experience with this.
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Lots of people get dentures for lots of reasons.
It's not who you are. It's not that uncommon. You'll be much happier with them than you are now. Just learn dental hygiene and listen to the surgeon and dentists. There are health related things that relate to dentures you need to be aware of. Brushing is still a thing for gum health.
If you're at a point where dental appliances or full dentures are being recommend then they can only help, right?
Edit: What Ceres said. I read that like it was already decided you need them.
- It's always better to have teeth than no teeth if you possibly can because having them there prevents other issues, even if every single one of them has a cap or crown on it. Things need to be pretty bad in the roots of your teeth to make extraction advisable. If you have those problems you shouldn't be afraid to do what you need to do, but avoid it as long as you can.
- Dentures and dental implants actually end up costing more than crowns and cleanings because nice ones aren't cheap, getting them put in is not cheap, maintenance can be expensive, and you do need to get new ones periodically.
- Once you have them they can be irritating and cause pain just by the nature of what they are and how they fit, and if they do tough shit, you can't put your teeth back.
- You need to keep them pristine. You should really be doing that with your teeth anyway, but keeping even crappy teeth clean is a lot fewer steps that take a lot less time to do.
- The extraction process is really painful and so is healing, the risk of complication is higher than some full surgeries, and if you do end up with those complications you'll pray for the mercy of death for quite a long time.
- It's not instantaneous; it won't be "teeth come out new stuff goes in," there's a waiting period while things heal and then a period of adjustment once you have them, and a lot of it depends on how you'll have them held into place.
There are times when they are absolutely the right choice and will make your life objectively better because the the benefits outweigh the risks that clearly. Don't make any decisions yet. Definitely talk to a dentist, I am certainly not one of those. This is just what my dentist said to me, and obviously as far as he's concerned they are the most final of last resorts. Even if you do need them they are not without cost or consequence and have risks of their own, and you should go over all of those very carefully and in great detail with your own dentist. On the list of related things to worry about when making that choice, the stigma of using them should be near the bottom of it. Be very, very sure, and make sure you're completely out of options.
After posting this, I went to check out a place near me that handled dentures and implants. They recommended full teeth extraction and dentures, to the cost of between 8k and 11k.
It honestly freaked me out and gave me even more anxiety. So I did the dumb thing and put it off.
Finally today I went to an actual dentist. As she started listing everything we would need to do to get my mouth in order (root canals, crowns, removing some teeth leftovers, full cleaning and partial dentures for the teeth I already lost. ) I started freaking out again.
Thankfully the process is going to be broken up into multiple sessions and the total cost is going to be around 6k. Not cheap, but more reasonable than the dentures and I think this is a much better longer term solution.
Scheduled the first visit for next Monday. I'm still ways off from having a smile that I won't be self conscious about but it feels so good to start on the path.
I have a crown on one of my front teeth. I was super self conscious about the state of my teeth for years because I couldn't get it looked at after my toddler* broke the tooth. I like to reassure people by showing them my smile and asking them if they see my tooth, and then explaining no they don't. Everyone has been surprised when I tell them it is fake. Hell, I forget when looking in the mirror it is fake. Modern dentistry is wizardry.
*Poor kid has felt bad for so long about it too since I wouldn't ever smile. Luckily that went away after I got confidence in my smile again. He wasn't to blame, obviously, but kids never see it that way.
All the major cleaning, extractions and fillings are done.
The next step will be getting fitted for partial dentures but there's already a huge difference. Almost cried seeing it.
Implants are a lot more “set it and forget it” than anything removable like partials or dentures (setting aside implant supported removable dentures that are still dentures but just fit really well and are massively more stable than regular dentures), you still have to maintain them but you maintain them by doing the things you would normally do for your natural teeth like brushing flossing etc.
Still may not be a bad idea to get some partials made first though because the implant process is a bit long and you can use them in the mean time, and a set of good partials probably cost less than just one implant and crown.
Update!
Picked up my partials. Still getting used to them but they make such a huge difference.