NHS Teeth Removal + Dentures

dwal92

Basically for a few years now my teeth have been in a state, and it seemed like every dentist I tried to get registered with for help were "not currently taking on NHS patients". I finally found one about a year ago now, and during my first 'check up' we made a plan for treatment.

The plan was to first make impressions of my mouth and have some temporary dentures made up, then have most of my teeth removed (total of 21 teeth needed extraction) in hospital under General, and finally after my gums had healed new impressions could be made and I could have a set of permanent dentures made up. Plan was great! Or not...

I was told they had referred me to hospital there and then, and that I just had to wait for a letter which could take a couple of weeks. However when I had received the letter it turned out that they referred me to the Emergency Dentist in town who do actually do minor oral surgery, although when I phoned them to find out whether it would be under GA as planned I was informed that they "wouldn't take 2 or 3 teeth out under GA and would instead opt for a Local", they did seem confused when I told them that I needed 21 teeth removing and advised I be referred to the hospital (as if I didn't already know).

Anyway, a few weeks later and I finally had an appointment letter from the hospital, and I even had my temporary dentures ready for when my teeth came out. Fast forward to day of surgery. Teeth are removed without a hitch, they had to give me a bit of extra adrenaline to wake me up but no big deal. My mouth was crazy swollen, I was having to open it as wide as I could just to breathe, and the feeling didn't begin to return for 12 hours! But at least I wasn't in pain anymore. A couple of weeks of soreness later and my gums feel they are about ready for the dentures. They still feel a little tender but I guess that's normal as i've been avoiding even touching them since the surgery.

But, you guessed it, I try to put dentures in and they simplydon't fit. They dig into my gums in multiple places and they won't go in any further. They looked really well made at first, but after realising they are completely the wrong shape for my mouth I started to noticed how poor quality they really were. In places it looks like excess acrylic has been left on and/or poorly trimmed. There is a ridge over where one of my incisors used to be but was knocked out almost 10 years ago now, the bone structure will have retracted quite a bit in that area by now so the ridge makes sense, but they had placed an even larger, more protruding ridge over the other incisor as though the bone structure will recede immediately after the tooth is extracted. This digs in really badly and prevents the denture from even fitting around my gums. Completely shoddy work, I wouldn't have expected this in modern-day Britain.

But "no big deal", I think, "I can just go back and have them reshaped for now, couple more weeks and I will be able to get new impressions made and a new set of permanent dentures. Wrong. I show up to the dentist, who tells me I should have had a follow up appointment to have my stitches removed and ignores me completely when I say "they are dissolving stitches I was told I wouldn't need to have them removed". She states that some of the stitches are loose (grabs one with her tool and yanks on it, causing me to go "AH AHH!!!!") and that means that the swelling is starting to go down (it had gone completely about a week ago and stitches appear "loose" because they are dissolving).

Now here's where it gets really messed up. I cannot eat anything that I cannot mash up using my tongue and the roof of my mouth (things like weetabix), I haven't been able to since the surgery and i'm craving solid food. I want to be able to leave my house and talk to people, I feel like I've been trapped inside for way too long as it is, but now this raging crack head of a dentist tells me she "is not going to reshape my TEMPORARY dentures as in a couple of months they will become loose and won't fit correctly, but that I should make an appointment in a couple of months to have new impressions made". I don't care about dentures being loose for a couple of months, I can use denture adhesive to hold them in I really don't give a 'something-bad', but being without teeth for a further 3 months AND over Christmas? Looks like my Christmas dinner is going to consist of mash, and erm... mash.

I really don't know where I stand here. I'm pretty confident I could reshape them myself (it's only acrylic and I have a dremmel lol) but how would I clean and sterilise them after? And not only that but if I reshape them myself I don't think they're very likely to give me a new set any time soon, especially if I mess them up. Really don't know what to do at this point except sit here eating my weetabix

Any advice would be appreciated. Oh, and I don't pay for dental treatment as I'm currently on ESA.

[Deleted User]

Doesn't sound like a consumer rights issue. See another dentist if you are not happy with the treatment from your current one, but do realise that having 21 teeth removed in one go is bound to have long term repercussions and you need to allow some time for your gums to heal and harden.

brook2jack

As the above poster said , having 21 teeth removed means it woulkd be a miracle if your denture did fit and even then your gums are going to shrink and change shape for 3 to 6 months at least and you will need at least one new denture after the healing.
Most people will need denture adhesive in this situation.

21 teeth out and new dentures means you have to do an awful lot of adaptation to wear a set of dentures. Some people manage ok, some people never manage.

However dentist may very need to adjust dentures as your gums heal but its unlikely that they will ever be a good fit with 21 teeth out .

KittenChops

A family member had their remaining teeth (14 or so I think?) removed last summer. They spent at least 3 to 4 months afterwards without any dentures because you have to wait for your gums to heal, and their shape will continue to change whilst that is happening. They got their first set of full dentures late last year and as time went on, the dentures became looser and more & more adhesive was needed each time. They are now on their second set, and I think they've said they'll be needing a third (and hopefully final) set next year. That's just the way it is unfortunately. All NHS by the way.


PS - try omelettes!