What's Your Experience with Dentures?

The idea of casting your own is certainly interesting. I know how the process goes, but definitely don't have the materials, haha.
Currently, I'm waiting on a new set that should hopefully, finally, not be messed up this Friday. The lab my dentist uses keeps having issues making them. The first healing set was just horrendously large. Couldn't close my mouth or anything, and I didn't realize how large and unfit they were until my bottom teeth were pulled. For the past month and a half I've been doing try-ins with wax sets, re-shaping and what not. Last Thursday they finally came in, but the bite was wrong, and making the denture flip up, but they look soooo much better and fit much better, and now that I've healed quite a bit, I'll try to keep these for as long as I can. Eating and talking without teeth has caused a lot of jaw clicking. The holes from extractions are near healed and look good, but I have one area that used to be a sore on the top that's just exposed bone now and I have no clue what they're going to do with it.
I'm kind of excited I got to be a little picky about these though; I asked them to make the teeth smaller and what not and I have a way better feeling about these. With my time wearing my old dentures, the only thing I absolutely hate about them is the roof of the mouth. It totally throws me off, makes me want to gag, etc. so I'm planning on saving for getting posts some day so I can click the tops in. Other than that, I've gotten to the point where I'm starting to eat crunchier stuff every day. Having them out for so long, I might not even wear them around all the time at this point like I was originally training myself to do. Time will tell. It's definitely been interesting.

 

How is the mouth feeling these days?

 

Still denture-less
Aiming for next Friday now. Once I get the confirmed fit, I'll be getting some large spurs that aren't making their way out removed and stitched up. Have an event coming up in mid-august where everyone's going to take photos, so I need some teeth by then, haha.

The new set fits great so far though! They just keep making adjustments at the lab that aren't right. They've been passing me between dentists at my office trying to get this done quickly, but I think their differences in technique have been having the opposite effect for the lab.

Able to gum things down pretty well these days though, haha. Been eating cereal all week.

 

It's always a pain, but it gets easier. Keep your chin up.

 

Everything has been going good! I can't say I'm looking forward to getting the bone shards removed due to their location and the local anesthetic I can have doesn't work. Other than that, I've seen the preview of these dentures and I think they look pretty good. I'm excited every day as I can eat more and more stuff again.

I saw my mom go through this process, and even now, 8 years later she still cries about not having teeth and being self conscious and what not, and I think that really prepared me for the worst. I haven't really felt ashamed or anything like that; of course I miss my teeth, but I was pretty mentally prepared going in, I just assumed at some point after it would hit me some sort of way but it really hasn't.
The hardest part is just looking in the mirror and trying to get used to looking different, not feeling like the dentures I'm trying in look weird because they don't look like my original teeth, etc. I think that will take a while to get used to.

But yeah, the process of getting these dentures to fit right has been a PITA, but it'll be worth it in the long run, especially since I'm fairly healed up now, I'm hoping I might be able to keep them for a while. Idk, we will see how much my bone structure changes over the next few months I guess.

 

Little update:
I got my top set, we did some surgery on my lower jaw friday as a last ditch effort to make my bottoms fit. The lab sent them too tight, and we thought I had chips and spurs, but I was all spurred up, some of which were uncomfortable, so we shaved down nearly the whole left side of my bottom jaw. Bottoms still had a shit bite, so once these stitches are out and I heal up a bit, we are starting over with impressions and my bottom set will be made by a different lab. For now, I have my top set home with me for the first time, but now I have something else to tackle:
I talk a little strange in them, so I feel some adhesive would help. I have a Taco meet tomorrow and I would like to wear them I don't want to be hard to understand though. So I'm going to experiment with adhesive tonight. I hope that's the answer to some of my issues. They fit good, they're comfy, they have some suction to them.
As much as I hate posting up photos of myself, I feel like this thread is a little useless without pics, and they've been such a loooooooong time in the waiting
I wore them home from my procedure, but took them out so I didn't hit my incisions with my teeth. Starting to think I should have tried to practice speaking in them

 

@gasparic104 : they look great! YOU look great!
I've only just now come across this thread. Reading about your situation, how you are handling it, I feel many things: bad, for the things you had (have) no control over; empathy, for the 'been there, done that' personal history similarities; impressed, by your lack of self-pity and fearlessness; most of all, I feel respect. Your attitude towards the challenges you face and the courage it takes to share the details (and invite input) on a public forum speaks volumes about your character.
Don't be afraid to stay positive: keep in mind that the people who will be quick to leap to (erroneous) conclusions about you wouldn't last 1/2 mile walking in your shoes.
Smile, darlin', you're beautiful.

 

Thank you, I really appreciate that!

 

It's heartwarming to see such empathy and support in this thread.

 

Hang in there!
I also had 27 removed but like 15yrs ago at affordable. They were good got in the am made the call and they pulled them that afternoon made a temp set and sent me home. I was awake even helped hold shit for the doc. I was sending pics to a buddy at work what a mess.
He gave me a bunch of oxy took some before going in.
The big thing is make sure your bite is right when being fitted.
On my third set and they are way more comfortable.
The uppers are not so bad but the bottoms came be a pain.
I don’t use any glue now.
Oh I also just recently had pulled some spurs 15yrs later but still way better than putting up with tooth aches.
I eat a lot of stuff without teeth and when alone don’t usually have them in.
I use polident smokers tablets and they are like just having the dentist cleaned every morning.
Mine are like stars!
They come out at night!

haha yes you to have to practice speaking

 

Thanks for sharing!

I actually just finished up my surgery uncovering some implants a few hours ago.

The past 2 years I've been able to save up a decent chunk. Found someone who made some dentures that weren't garbage and I really liked those. I've had a couple of horrible sets, so around the time I was looking for someone to craft me a good set of dentures, I was also going to implant consults, because I had just become disillusioned with finding a good denture. I found a surgeon last year that I felt really understood my case and he made me a really great offer for my full mouth reconstruction. So, April last year I got some implants and grafts placed, then November implants into those grafts and then the uncover today. Tomorrow I get my first temps, so in a couple of months I should have the finished product; full zirconia all white arches on top and bottom.

If I hadn't had found this surgeon around the same time I was getting my dentures crafted, I probably would've just kept the dentures instead. Not to say that I have regrets, but if I could go back and give myself any sort of advice, I would tell myself to just try to find a quality denture lab once I had the funds. I'll miss being able to pull my teeth out to clean them, hopefully however they tell me to clean my implants will keep them healthy for a loooooong time.

 

I didn’t notice your original post was from 2020.
Glad things are getting better for you.