I feel ya and your concerns. Glad to hear the extractions went well!!
I have an upper denture. I don't have the privilege of knowing any of my biological history, so I don't know how much that has played into the issues I had. But I firmly believe that my many years of hard core drug use (drug free for almost 9yrs now), and I used to drink Mtn Dew all day every day for 23yrs played a major factor (stopped drinking Mtn Dew cold turkey about 8yrs ago). Just based on those two things alone I firmly believe they were the main reasons for my teeth going bad. About 7yrs ago or so (in my very early 40's) a charity helped me get an upper denture, and a few extractions were a part of that, too. It has made such a huge positive difference to have the upper denture. (Still have most of my lower teeth) The only issue I have had was/is uneven biting. My natural teeth closed down on one another which made chewing easier. That doesn't happen now with an upper denture and natural lower, so that's kind of a pain, but I've adjusted to it. I have every confidence you will, too.
I had an undetected heart issue for 38+yrs that I learned gave me a receding gum line on the bottom. When I was growing up I used to get in so much trouble with my mom for the receding gum line even though I was doing everything right back then. Pitty it took so long to learn it was a bad valve in my heart that was actually causing the receding, and my mom passed away before the bad valve was ever discovered so she never got to learn that it wasn't my doing after all. My front two lower teeth look like they could be pulled right out cuz the gum line is so low, but they're attached to the lower jaw so they're not going anywhere anytime soon. I don't like that the gum line is so low, but it was out of my hands that it happened.
As far as what others think, I think the only time that mattered to me was before I got the upper denture. My smile was different before the denture so people didn't have to see what nasty teeth I had left. I was very self conscious about it, but now I could care less. My upper teeth are perfectly straight while my lower ones are a little crooked, so maybe it is obvious to some that there's something different going on in my mouth, but like I said now I could care less. I figure if someone doesn't like it then they don't have to look, but I can be a snot sometimes.
Those that I was closest to at the time accepted me even when my teeth were crap, so that helped. And when I got the denture they all complimented me on how they looked, and they were excited for me. The only ones that it took some adjusting to seeing me with teeth for was all 3 of my kids. They kept tripping out to see me with a mouthful of teeth. None of them remember me like that, so that was actually fun to watch. Ultimately they adjusted just fine. and the topic never comes up anymore.
There is obviously adjusting that happens. There's loss and gain involved with it. No one can say that doesn't take adjusting to, but you can and will do it. And once everything is done and you're experiencing your new norm you're gonna love it!
