For years I have been struggling to afford dental care that would save my natural teeth. I've lost that battle, because I have lost so many teeth its time to get dentures. In 3 weeks I will have my remaining upper teeth extracted and get a temporary denture. About 6 weeks later I will have my lower teeth extracted and get a temporary lower denture. At this time there will be a couple of posts implanted so that when I get the permanent denture the lower one will have an anchor and not 'float' as I have heard they do.
Its taken a long time for me to accept this. It feels like a failure. Yes, I have been on meds that gave me a dry mouth and that exacerbated tooth decay. But I've always been a diet soda drinker - and that is very acidic and bad for you teeth. I think I am getting closer to accepting it because my natural teeth don't look good (although it would be hard for someone to tell I am missing teeth). I think the dentures will look nice.
Somehow it just doesn't seem that dentures are socially accepted. I've noticed how often people make jokes about it. Today at work a woman was teasing a guy about finding a woman who still 'has her teeth', like that would be better to be alone than with a woman who has lost her teeth. I am single, and I do worry that a potential partner would be horrified to find out I have dentures. I am 61.
There is a man in my building who I talk to occasionally and the other day he was complaining that a tooth had fallen out of his denture. I was happy to know he had dentures, so at least I have someone I can talk to when I have a question. He didn't seem embarrassed or ashamed at all.
I guess I am afraid that people will notice my teeth are different after I get the denture or I won't talk normally and they will know. I don't know why I feel so embarrassed, but I feel like I have to keep this a total secret. I don't even want to tell my mother.
Advice and comfort appreciated.
Alice
Its taken a long time for me to accept this. It feels like a failure. Yes, I have been on meds that gave me a dry mouth and that exacerbated tooth decay. But I've always been a diet soda drinker - and that is very acidic and bad for you teeth. I think I am getting closer to accepting it because my natural teeth don't look good (although it would be hard for someone to tell I am missing teeth). I think the dentures will look nice.
Somehow it just doesn't seem that dentures are socially accepted. I've noticed how often people make jokes about it. Today at work a woman was teasing a guy about finding a woman who still 'has her teeth', like that would be better to be alone than with a woman who has lost her teeth. I am single, and I do worry that a potential partner would be horrified to find out I have dentures. I am 61.
There is a man in my building who I talk to occasionally and the other day he was complaining that a tooth had fallen out of his denture. I was happy to know he had dentures, so at least I have someone I can talk to when I have a question. He didn't seem embarrassed or ashamed at all.
I guess I am afraid that people will notice my teeth are different after I get the denture or I won't talk normally and they will know. I don't know why I feel so embarrassed, but I feel like I have to keep this a total secret. I don't even want to tell my mother.
Advice and comfort appreciated.
Alice