Wearing False Teeth

caroline78

Hiya Everyone,

Due to a car accident I was in years ago my teeth were badly damaged. My front teeth were the most damaged. Two of the were replaced with two bridges ? Each tooth has a metal plate on it which attached to my next tooth. And one of them was replaced with a crown, the other front was able to be filled with a white filling.

This was about 12 years ago and about 3 years ago the two bridges came lose and the dentist reattached them. Then about 6 months ago they came lose again and the dentist told me that the NHS wouldn't pay to get new ones made and so I had to get a plate made. This has about 6 teeth in total on it, including the two main front ones. At the minute I am securing the bridges with Fixadent as I can not get to grips with the false teeth.

I am so paranoid about my teeth and love my mouth with the false teeth in but just can not get used to them. I can not speak with them in, I have a mouth full of salvia all the time, and haven't even tried to eat yet apart from sucking boiled sweets which someone said would help me get used to them. I have tried to put them in at night when I go to bed, but end up waking up in a panic and having to take them out.

Does anyone have any tips for me ?

lavidaloca

Totally empathise with you. I only have one front tooth on a plate and the other is crowned. Crown came out last night so waiting until 9 to ring dentist.

You will get used to having a plate in your mouth but, I can't soften this blow, it does take some time. I was about a week before I felt comfortable with my speech but think this was more in my mind than anything. It really does feel as if your mouth is full up but when
you take the plate out to clean it is a small thing really.

In time you do get used to it and forget it is there. I am still saving up for an implant though but, in my mse way, don't know whether I can justify the cost.

Toothsmith

How long have you given it at a time?

It does take a few days to get used to the feeling of a denture in your mouth. The only way to get used to it though, is to wear it.

If you have a look at some of the braces that kids manage to get used to, you will see that people can get used to all sorts of contraptions in their mouths, and function perfectly normally.

If you can function with bridges stuck in with fixodent (which will not be an easy thing to do) then you will also be capable of getting used to a denture - if you apply the same determination! Plus - having the bridges stuck in with fixodent will create a nasty sticky mess around your other teeth which will put them in danger too.

Also - sucking lots of boiled sweets will also damage your proper teeth (It's not a bad tip to help people with FULL dentures get used to them - there's nothing left to damage!)

Also - It's usually recommended that you take dentures OUT at night - not put them in then.

Has your dentist had a talk with you about how to cope wth them, and how to get used to them and what to expect? If not, I would go back to him and just explain your problems. They are not things you just fit and then automatically know how to use them. You need to learn how they work, and your mouth needs to learn to operate whilst holding them in place. It's not easy.

The only way to do it though is to wear them, and just learn how to operate them. It will happen if you give it time.

caroline78

lavidaloca wrote: »

You will get used to having a plate in your mouth but, I can't soften this blow, it does take some time. I was about a week before I felt comfortable with my speech but think this was more in my mind than anything. It really does feel as if your mouth is full up but when
you take the plate out to clean it is a small thing really.

In time you do get used to it and forget it is there. I am still saving up for an implant though but, in my mse way, don't know whether I can justify the cost.

I think that my main problem is I don't know where to put my tongue...lol

Toothsmith wrote: »

How long have you given it at a time?
I have wore it for maybe half hour during the day, and maybe three or four hours while sleeping


It does take a few days to get used to the feeling of a denture in your mouth. The only way to get used to it though, is to wear it.

I know, but it is so hard.


If you have a look at some of the braces that kids manage to get used to, you will see that people can get used to all sorts of contraptions in their mouths, and function perfectly normally.

This is what makes it so annoying, my young niece had braces (train tracks ?) fitted and she managed so well with them.

If you can function with bridges stuck in with fixodent (which will not be an easy thing to do) then you will also be capable of getting used to a denture - if you apply the same determination! Plus - having the bridges stuck in with fixodent will create a nasty sticky mess around your other teeth which will put them in danger too.

Also - sucking lots of boiled sweets will also damage your proper teeth (It's not a bad tip to help people with FULL dentures get used to them - there's nothing left to damage!)

Also - It's usually recommended that you take dentures OUT at night - not put them in then.

Has your dentist had a talk with you about how to cope wth them, and how to get used to them and what to expect? If not, I would go back to him and just explain your problems. They are not things you just fit and then automatically know how to use them. You need to learn how they work, and your mouth needs to learn to operate whilst holding them in place. It's not easy.
My dentist just stuck them in, told me not to take them out at all, not even at night (he said that people with normal teeth don't take them out at night so you don't take dentures out at night), and that they would take some getting used to. Oh and if they felt tight to come back and he could adjust them slightly.

The only way to do it though is to wear them, and just learn how to operate them. It will happen if you give it time.

Apollonia

You might find some of the information and advice here useful:

http://www.dentalhealth.org/tell-me-about/topic/older-people/dentures

and there is more information if you click on the topic 'older people' from the list on the right of the page.

coldstreamalways

I think most dentists would disagree with what your dentist said about wearing them at night. As toothsmith said, you need to wear them all day every day to get used to them. Wearing them at night is like sleeping with your socks on every day. Not particularly healthy.

dolly84

lavidaloca wrote: »

Totally empathise with you. I only have one front tooth on a plate and the other is crowned. Crown came out last night so waiting until 9 to ring dentist.

You will get used to having a plate in your mouth but, I can't soften this blow, it does take some time. I was about a week before I felt comfortable with my speech but think this was more in my mind than anything. It really does feel as if your mouth is full up but when
you take the plate out to clean it is a small thing really.

In time you do get used to it and forget it is there. I am still saving up for an implant though but, in my mse way, don't know whether I can justify the cost.

I had a front tooth on a plate and had about 5 different ones made, I could speak and eat OK but the tooth part of it pressed up against it's neighbour making it ache. Three years ago I had an implant, I am a nervous patient but whilst not enjoyable it was not that bad, it ached for 24 hours after then nothing much after that. IMO well worth the expense, I treat this as a normal tooth, just extra brushing and careful flossing.

Like everyone else says you do learn to tolerate the plate but never really forget about them when they are in.

SailorSam

I've got one false tooth on a plate, it's right at the front but on the bottom so the space can't be seen . When i do wear it it's not very uncomfortable but comes loose if i eat. I very rarely wear it and not even sure where it is. Probably i'd persevere more to get use to it if it was on show.

McKneff

I have nearly full top dentures and had great difficulty getting used to the first ones, but the only way to get used to them is wear them, once they are in, try to forget about them. Dont start thinking 'I'll try eating this with them or that with them becuase you are concentrating on them too much. If they rub somewhere or it hurts, go back to the dentist, the tiniest bit of adjustment and try them again.
My dentist told me not to wear them through the night, the tiniest bits of food stuck under them for 8 hours or so can cause major problems. I kept them in for a while and ended up with a massive infected abcess which the dentist caught just in time before it burst.

The keyword is perseverance.

Toothsmith

I suspected it wasn't very long when you said you can't talk in it.

People generally get used to talking with a denture within a few hours.

Half an hour is nowhere near long enough to get used to a denture. Yes - it's hard, but there is no way on the planet that you will ever get used to a denture without a little bitof effort.

I really don't agree with your dentist's advice to wear them all the time. Was it a UK trained dentist?

You need to take them out at night, and you also need to be cleaning them and your teeth pretty much every time you have something to eat.

caroline78

Replied in your quote, but was too short a message...

Toothsmith wrote: »

I suspected it wasn't very long when you said you can't talk in it.

People generally get used to talking with a denture within a few hours.

Half an hour is nowhere near long enough to get used to a denture. Yes - it's hard, but there is no way on the planet that you will ever get used to a denture without a little bitof effort.

Okay, I will try and wear them for a few hours...maybe try reading out loud to myself

I really don't agree with your dentist's advice to wear them all the time. Was it a UK trained dentist?

Yes, he is UK trained.

You need to take them out at night, and you also need to be cleaning them and your teeth pretty much every time you have something to eat.

He did tell me to clean them well