Can we talk about teeth?

I inherited my dad's teeth which were small and yellow apart from some rather scary looking canines.... He always told me not to smile when he took my photograph...even when I was a child! None of this bothered me but I did wonder why a certain friend had not bothered to do anything when he had a front tooth extracted....just had a gap... However, after a battering by a baby DS followed 40 years later by a baby GD both of whom had a habit of throwing their heads back and making very hard contact with my mouth, one of my front teeth fell out. Because my teeth are widely spaced and a bit wobbly a full plate which actually covers half my teeth(!) on one side.... was the only affordable option. I hate eating with it though it does fit well and I have gradually ceased to wear it in public. I now understand my 'toothless' friend only to well.....

Forgot to say the denture doesn’t look particularly clean as I took it out while having lunch……in a restaurant to be able to take a pic of it for you.

I have a flexible denture fitted. Mine was my premolar too, on my upper left side. It’s been fine, I don’t know I’m even wearing it. It clings on to a crown on one side and one of my front teeth the other side. It doesn’t get loose and it only cost £350 18 months ago. I did try an implant and had lots of work done to prepare it. After 3 months they tested the metal screw in my gum by screwing something and out 3 times. Unfortunately the third time the whole lots came out of my gum. I had a friend who wore a flexi denture (as they’re called) and decided to go down that route instead and I haven’t looked back. There are lots of pics of flexi dentures to see on the web. Good luck to your husband whatever he decides.

I used to have a single tooth denture, it was on a stainless steel plate which was fine, it was through private dentist (so long ago I can't remember how much). It was replaced by a bridge which is still going strong, no problems.

🤞 Maggiemaybe

Good to hear that, NotSpaghetti. I have a wobbly wisdom tooth that was spotted at my last check up. My dentist said that if it gave me any trouble he’d “whip it out”. It hurts now if I chew on that side, so I’m probably looking at an extraction, and was wondering whether that’d be as simple as he made it sound!

Of the wisdom teeth extracted in our family only one has ever needed sedation.

I think it depends which tooth and why.

DG45 Extraction of wisdom teeth usually needs sedation which many dentists aren't qualified to administer, but extraction of any other tooth can be done under a local anaesthetic injection (s) into the gum by your regular dentist.

I would not have a bridge.
Why damage another tooth to make a link to a cosmetic tooth.

I would go the root canal way.
I have had root canal twice and am happy with it as a solution.

I have also had an implant which I don't know is there. If need be I'd happily have another (except for the cost!!).

I am not a fan of dentures.

DG45 I have also had problems recently with NHS replacement fillings falling out. I don't understand it. My older fillings have lasted years so why are these so short-lived? I have also been going back and forth in taxis which is so annoying. When I have a filling done I expect it to last. Well I said as much last time and she did a better job. It seems to have stayed in this time, although she has moved on, as they do.

Is it just me that this happens to but since I have been 60
I have had one tooth at the back filled again and again with me going backwards and forwards to the dentist I don't know how many times. Sometimes we use Amalgum filling (which lasts approx6-9 weeks+ before it falls out) and sometimes we use the white filling (this sometimes comes out on the way home.. or may last for 3 weeks then disintegrates). This time I blame having an operation - I may have weakened it by
gritting my teeth I don't know but I always try to eat on the other side for as long as I can,but we are mean't to be able to use both sides of our mouth arn't we? I do want to save this tooth but I don't want to keep paying for taxis and trying to be brave, which I'm not. I don't want to have the tooth out
because I'm too scared. I managed to have wisdom teeth out with a general op 2 years ago, could I have this one out in the same hospital?

I have a 4 tooth lower plate which I remove at night. It took a while to get used to but it's better than a gap. 2 teeth broke within weeks of eachother. Implants were suggested at £3000 but I thought, at my age, there would always be more!
As Pam Ayres puts it so well:
I wish I'd looked after my teeth!

win

No you are right Calendar Girl that is why I cannot have one on my gap, as already have one 2 teeth away. They made me a plate instead, but it is so unstable it moves up and down when I speak. It was during Covid, so I never went back. Nor did I wear it. Total waste of money. A dentist later said to me it was wrongly made but because I left it so late, I would not have any come back. Now I have to gaps and would dearly like implants, but they say they are so expensive to maintain, let alone the cost of having them fixed.

I don’t see why implants should be expensive to maintain. I have two and just brush and floss them like I do with the rest of my teeth. I have regular check ups and hygienist visits but that would apply even if I didn’t have implants.

Recommend getting an implant. Expensive, but they last and don’t involve filing of neighbouring teeth - as a bridge does. Need to make sure you keep up with dental hygiene, but other than that, they’re next best thing to real teeth. Temporarily had to have a single pre-molar denture. Hated it. Made me lisp, the plastic in roof of mouth felt awful.

Thank you for that Pippa 22, I am seriously considering having them done.

I have several implants, the last one done two weeks ago. No pain or bruising at all and highly recommend. At £1500 per tooth I think it’s good value, all dentistry is expensive nowadays.
I can’t bear the thought of a gap or dentures and to have teeth that just feel like your own teeth is great.
The only drawback to having an implant is that i5 is four appointments spread over several months with t3 longest appointment being half an hour when the actual implant is placed in the jav but honestly no pain.

Thank you icanhandthemback for that, I am seriously considering going down that route now.

win, I have insurance for my implant which includes checkups, accidental damage and failure. Although it is about £10 per month, it is money well spent when you think about the cost of visiting a dentist if you are not with an NHS one.

I had a single tooth denture after my crown gave up the ghost after 25 years. It was a nightmare. I have a strong bite at that point so it kept breaking and it was really uncomfortable to wear. However, I got to know the denture maker very well as in the end, I just used to pop into get things repaired rather than going to the dentist! Eventually I had an implant and it was the best thing I ever did.

infoman

Regarding my teeth,
and I don't visit discos any more,
I still brush my teeth.
Just have the tooth removed.

My disco days are sadly over too 🕺 💃 🪩

No you are right Calendar Girl that is why I cannot have one on my gap, as already have one 2 teeth away. They made me a plate instead, but it is so unstable it moves up and down when I speak. It was during Covid, so I never went back. Nor did I wear it. Total waste of money. A dentist later said to me it was wrongly made but because I left it so late, I would not have any come back. Now I have to gaps and would dearly like implants, but they say they are so expensive to maintain, let alone the cost of having them fixed.

I had a single tooth denture..cost me couple hundred pounds and I can't wear it as its soooo uncomfortable and irritates the gum... i told dentist he just said "won't feel as comfortable as your own"

I had implants two years ago and wished I had had them years ago. Yes they are expensive but won’t need any maintenance and in any case the dentist gives lifetime insurance.
The process was painless except for 30 mins of discomfort and that was for all my teeth.
I would spend as much as you can afford you are worth it.!!

I do have a single tooth with a post and a cap - had it for years and doesn't seem to be causing any problems -(hope I haven't jinxed it).

Flexiblefriend haven't heard of that. Must ask my dentist.