Posted , 3 users are following.
I had my very back tooth out last week, today I am having next molar out & lower back tooth & molar all on left. My teeth didn't hold with root canal. I will have no back teeth on left. Should I have partial denture or just cope without, I can't have bridge as no surrounding teeth plus ive read about bone miss & teeth moving, I'm so scared & sick of all the advice. Any ideas would be great. xxx
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lily65668 colleen_2828
Posted
Hi Colleen, Am I right in thinking we're talking about a lower denture here? I understand these are more difficult to cope with than upper dentures. I can only say I've had a partial upper denture for more than 60 years (not the same one all that time, obviously) after losing a front tooth at age 12. I've never had any serious trouble with it... apart from when I swallowed it, which is another story!
Apart from this, I've got away so far with only losing one upper and two lower molars. I've always managed to hang on to my wisdom teeth, in spite of many dentists wanting to remove them as a matter of course, and one has even moved forward to fill most of the space left by the missing upper molar.
However, I'm now reaching the point where another lower molar has been repaired so many times I think the next time it breaks it will have to come out, so I'll be missing half my molars. I also have one lower premolar in similar state. Like you, I can't have root canals, in my case because all my teeth are filled with calcifications which no dentist can get through. Also like you, I'm in a dilemma over this. I'd happily have a full top set if I had to, but not so sure how I'd cope with a lower denture. And I think it would probably have to be a lower denture rather than implants. I have an autoimmune condition (the cause of all the calcifications) and I think my hyperactive immune system might pick a fight with the titanium screws they insert in the bone for implants.
My own instinct would be to go for a denture first and see how you (or I, when it comes to it) cope. Remember that any new denture can be uncomfortable and painful at first, even if it's just a replacement for an existing one, so you have to give it time. It can also make talking and eating difficult for the first few weeks, but you'd be surprised how quickly you adapt to it if you just keep calm and carry on. Lower dentures often need a lot of adjustment by the dentist after fitting too, so make sure you have an understanding dentist who you trust before embarking on the possibly expensive business of getting the denture. Discuss after-care with him/her before you commit to anything.
In my own case, I suppose that if a lower denture really didn't work out (I mean after a trial of at least six months) I might risk one strategically-placed implant.
I also depends on the finances. In my country, our health service will pay a substantial part of the cost of dentures to replace back teeth, which are considered essential (but not front ones, as this is seen as cosmetic). I could therefore afford to try a denture first before making any decisions about implants, which aren't reimbursed at all of course.
Good luck with this. I think we're both going to need some luck (and a good dentist) in the near future!
colleen_2828 lily65668
Posted
Hi Lily. I'm in uk so hopefully will get partial done on nhs, I'm on my own now and working fulltime at 63 sadly no choice & I would get bored at home all day but its hard going at times. Ive had both back teeth out now & the dentist I have said she was worried about me having no back teeth or any molars top/bottom left at all so she clean and dressed both teeth (one top one directly beneath at bottom) & put temp filings on she said be no more pain & she would see me in two weeks. The day after both have flared up so bad I am in agony & she is away now, tomorrow I'm going to phone the surgery & begged to see another dentist there, for weeks I've been told my teeth will crumble so couldn't take RC so why can't they just come out. Ive been in pain for 8 weeks its been traumatic & I can't stand it anymore & now that young dentist is telling me she doesn't think I will cope with a particle, surely thats my dicision? I honestly can't take it anymore I have had nearly a month of work with it. Thank you for replying Lily. xxx
lily65668 colleen_2828
Posted
So sorry to hear about this Colleen. If you can't get any help at your local dental surgery can you get yourself to A&E at a major hospital? (But not one of those local walk-in centres.) I worked as an A&E staff nurse at a London university hospital for a year or so, though that was when the dinosaurs walked the earth, so things may have changed. However, in those days if someone came in with really serious tooth pain we used to call out the duty dentist or maxillofacial surgeon to see them. Better still if you happen to have a dental hospital in your area, though I know they're few and far between. If you're going to try either, it's better to go in office hours Mon-Fri. And be prepared for a long wait, naturally,,,
Not sure why the dentist says you won't cope with a partial. As you say, surely it's up to you, not her? But like I said, don't commit to it without checking that the dentist is going to provide good back-up for adjustments etc.
I hope you soon find a solution.
BookNut colleen_2828
Posted
lily65668 BookNut
Posted
Hi BookNut,
Thanks for this reply to Colleen. If you've read my earlier post you'll see that I too was in some trepidation about having to have a partial lower denture in the not-too-distant future. I've already lost one upper and two lower molars, with a third lower molar and one lower premolar that I'm told won't stand any more repairs next time they break - which my dentist predicts will be soon. They'll have to come out when this happens as root canals can't be done on my teeth. That will leave me minus five chewing teeth, three of them all in a row. Since I can't have implants (same reason as I can't have root canals) that will mean a partial lower denture - well, it will if I want to continue eating normally!
I'm not scared about having a denture, as I've had a one-incisor upper partial for more than 60 years with no problems. But I was quite queasy at the thought of a lower partial, having heard so many horror stories. Now you've reassured me!
As for Colleen's dentist saying she can't have a partial denture, I suspect this is a hangover from a few years back. Up till about 20 years ago every dentist I ever saw expressed horror at the fact I'd got a partial denture, issuing stern warnings that I'd get mouth cancer and goodness knows what. In those days they all wanted to fit a bridge, which I always refused as I didn't want to sacrifice the teeth next to the missing one. These days bridges seem to be out of fashion, so a lot of them want to do implants. However, it does seem that in recent years there's been a softening of dentist's attitudes to partial dentures - at least where I live, but maybe in the UK too. Last time my upper partial had to be adapted to fit my changing mouth, the young dentist I saw at a university hospital said she was quite happy for me to have a denture if it wasn't causing any problems.
I can only echo your advice to Colleen, to find another dentist.