Does anyone here have dentures?

[LaurenBay]

if you still want to go private when you are older, ask your dentist if you can do a payment plan. I spent just over 6k on my teeth. I paid ober 3 years as I didn't have the money upfront. I had 2 veneers, teeth whitening and gum surgery. So clearly cosmetic surgery. If it wasn't for the payment plan I could not have done it. So worth considering for the future.

 

[Kat]

Wow, this thread's an eye opener. I had no idea how many younger people still needed dentures.

You aren't the only one to think like this. Insurers do too! I tried to get dental insurance in my early 20s and many companies refused to insure me, others wanted to charge crazy money all because I had dentures. In fact they did me a huge favour I have saved a fortune, since being 20 I have paid for a couple of repairs to my bridge, a couple of check ups and nothing more, much less than the premiums would have been!

 

[Northern]

OK, so after a very long dental appt finally got the opportunity to speak to my dentist and she said the denture has to be in all the time during the day, only coming out at night. Oh, and YCBM, as requested, I'll make a thread in the pet box for the chinchillas so as not to hijack the tack room xD

I was 13 when I had seven milk teeth pulled out so I could have braces, to move the teeth to make room for future implants. I was born without most of my adult teeth, symmetrically missing though (genetic condition). The milk teeth should never have been pulled, but I digress...

Anyway, I have had dentures since I was an early teenager. I used to take mine out for eating and riding, but from memory they weren't very strong and due to where my teeth are missing they wouldn't have been able to deal with the force of biting into something more solid (dentist thought it was fine, but I was not going to spend more $$ on a new one if I broke it!).

I have since had implants in my bottom jaw, which have not missed a beat at all. I do recommend going for them in your early twenties just to make sure everything has matured as it should. Unfortunately my top jaw, through the early extractions, does not have the bone to support implants as such. If I did want them, just (human) bone implantation will take over a year before even thinking about tooth implants. The cost of getting everything done is enormous, and I have decided not to pursue it at this time.

I currently have an all plastic denture, no metal bits at all. This specific material actually becomes soft and pliable as it warms in your mouth and is quite comfortable to wear. Just keep in mind that you will initially need the metal dentures before thinking about something like what I have. The reason they like you to keep the dentures in, is that the teeth surrounding the gaps will tent to "migrate" because there is not support on that side. I can actually move mine with my fingers, but my mouth is a more extreme case (with the bone loss), so it shouldn't be quite so obvious with yours! I wear my current one all the time, only take it out to sleep. Don't usually notice it anymore

All the best with what you choose to do. It's a bit daunting as a teenager, but don't let it get you down. I figure there are plenty of worse things that could happen (people with my genetic condition have other afflictions which affect quality of life, something I luckily have missed out on).