You’ve been warned, this is a long post. There’s no TLDR summary because it all matters, lol.
I’ve been in a losing battle with my teeth for most of my life. I didn’t have access to dental care when I was young, and coupled with some bad genetics, it was bound to happen.
First, let’s discuss shaming by dentists. I’ve had years of dentists lecturing me on flossing and brushing and gum care. The reality is that I flossed almost every day, as opposed to a certain someone who flossed once a week and had his first cavity in his 40s. So it’s not enough to spend thousands on dental work, but they didn’t even believe that I was trying. And yes, thousands of $$$ is accurate. Over the years, I had 4 root canals, 7 crowns, and at least one filling in virtually every tooth. And 4 extractions. Oh, and let’s not forget the lecture on orthodontics. My parents couldn’t afford braces for me. *I* couldn’t afford braces for me because most dental insurance doesn’t cover them for adults.
It started really going downhill about 3 years ago. About two years ago, my dentist told me it was time to go for Dentures. And then proceeded to schedule a consultation appointment that lasted all of 20 minutes, with one of the office assistants giving me a dollar amount and telling me to call if I had questions. That was it. Is it any wonder that I balked?
So I got to live happily in denial for a while, at least until early last year. Over the past year, more cavities popped up, and they progressed much faster. Some teeth chipped and cracked. I had to be more careful when eating. I wasn’t smiling. I’ve never liked my smile, but I was actively trying to hide it. Fair or not, people judge your teeth. *I* felt like they were judging me. But I still wasn’t ready to proceed with dentures.
Why? Because it’s embarrassing. I’m 49 years old, which feels way too young to need dentures. However, my hand was forced when a front tooth became loose over the holidays. There wasn’t going to be any saving it. So when we returned from holiday travels, I made an appointment to discuss it. Not with my dentist, but with a place known for dentures and implants.
BTW, dentures are not cheap. Especially if you have to have teeth extracted. Because there was no way I was doing that without sedation. I left the office with an appointment for January 23 to do the extractions. Which brings us to the timeline of events.
Tuesday, January 23 – Extraction day. Did not puke, which was appreciated since sedation usually leaves me with nausea. Slept most of the day.
Wednesday, January 24 – Had a recheck to make sure everything was good. I mean, as good as could be, I guess? Immediate dentures were trimmed and shaved to make them fit properly. Wore them for 4-5 hours. FYI, setting hard plastic on stitches and angry gums is never not going to hurt.
Thursday, January 25 – They weren’t lying about the 3rd day being the peak of swelling. It looked like someone hit me on both sides. Said fuck it to trying to put in dentures with all the swelling.
Friday, January 26 – Ventured out of the house. I wore a mask because someone would have asked questions about the purple bruise on my lower jaw, lol.
Saturday, January 27 – The swelling finally started going down. My lower jaw and gums were still achy, but I was down to just taking Advil.
Sunday, January 28 – Chewing was slow going and frustrating. I wasn’t attempting to eat with dentures in yet. I was bored of soup and mashed potatoes, but I wasn’t ready for anything more.
Monday, January 29 – Went out in public without a mask. I was still bruised, but it was fading. My jaw was exhausted from trying to speak around dentures. With real teeth, you can feel your bite and know where your teeth are. With dentures, you don’t feel that, so you have to rely on your gums, which is odd.
Tuesday, January 30 – Speaking with dentures is hard. It’s tiring. It’s frustrating. The swelling went down, which meant the bottom denture was loose, which certainly didn’t help.
Thursday, Feb 1 – About half the stitches had come out, but the rest were really annoying. Slow progress.
Thursday, Feb 8 – Had a soft reline and more adjustments to the dentures, and they were dramatically better. But holy fucking bone fragments! No one warned me about them. The dentist worked two of the worst ones out, but I would have to wait for the rest to do so because the tissue wasn’t healed enough to cut back into it. He suggested brushing my gums gently with a very soft toothbrush. Yeah, the same gums that were still tender and sore. The good news is that I was finally able to chew, albeit very slowly.
And so here we are. Progress is slow. It’s there, but it’s slow. My smile looks good, but getting used to dentures and chewing means sore and tender gums. I’m staying away from anything hard. My jaw gets tired. Talking is extremely frustrating. It’s getting easier, but for someone who’s been told I have a perfect speaking voice, it’s a sore spot. I try not to speak in public right now. There are some days when I’ve just had it and leave the dentures in their case. I won’t get the permanent, custom dentures until about the 6 month point. Turns out, gums take a really long time to fully heal.
I can do anything for 6 months, right?
