Dentures Imminent!

[Green Aura]

If you slept well with one, then I'd stick with that. Your GP may be the person to talk to about it but of course it's the weekend now.

It just worries me he's chucking Valium at you so readily. What if your appointment gets postponed again, will he keep giving it to you? That's even more scary.

Just be careful with it honey.

[spider8]

Okay, I'll stick to one tablet tonight but take it earlier. TBH, I'd rather be more in control at the time as I just don't trust this guy. He's so flippant and probably thinks I'm neurotic but this is a big deal! Will probably be looking for a new practice when all is sorted but here there aren't that many to choose from! Thanks again

[Millymollymandy]

Hi Spider, sorry to hear about all the cancellations. I'm surprised the dentist gave you tablets to calm you too, because he obviously hadn't done the previous time when you were there ready and waiting to have your teeth pulled! Were you in a particularly nervous state? (got the impression you were pretty calm about dental procedures from so much experience!).

If anything I'd think you'd need the drugs to calm you against the anxiety of NOT getting to the ruddy dentist.

As for my teeth, they seem to have calmed down so I am actually able to eat on both sides for a change! Doesn't help that I keep biting down on bits of bone in Lidl mince. That is so irritating and painful!

[spider8]

Hi MMM. Can't say I'm a shaking wreck when in the chair, just normally anxious about how it's going to go. Years of having all kinds done to me has made me quite calm, I think he wants me to take the tablets to make it easier for him rather than for my sake! I tried one again last night, taking it 2 hours before bed this time and I did have a good sleep but that's it. While awake I didn't actually feel sleepy or more relaxed so can't see what good it's going to do on the day . Only when I snuggled down under the duvet did I get to sleep - it's not as if I'm going to settle down for a sleep in his chair is it!
Anyway, I'm convinced the phone will ring yet again on Monday and all will change and I will blow my top
Yep hard boney bits in foods gives you a nasty jolt and makes you hope no bits of tooth have been broken off (makes menatal note to avoid Lidl's mince!). Glad things are okay for you just now and long may it stay that way.

[Millymollymandy]

I think he wants me to take the tablets to make it easier for him rather than for my sake!

I bet that's it, so you won't go ballistic at him when he cancels on you last minute or doesn't have the right dentures!

Re the bones in mince, it's getting quite bad now with the Lidl mince so I think I'm going back to what I used to do - buy cheap stewing steak and get my hand mincer out! I only started buying the Lidl stuff cos it was cheaper than supermarket mince (which always has bones in too) and the hand mincing is such a messy palaver and I hate all the washing up of all the mincer parts!

[pumpy]

Well Folks............still no further forward. I've had about 5 cancellations in total now and would really like to put my dentist in the chair and pull his bloody teeth out - see how he likes it
That's a point..........anybody have a dentist who has dentures themselves???
At the moment (but this could change at any moment) I'm in on Tuesday Feb 9th at 1745 and he's given me some Diazepam. I have 10 tablets (10mg) and he wants me to experiment with the dose beforehand so i can get into a 'relaxed/sleepy' state for the big pull. I'm to get a good nights sleep the night before with the aid of the tablets, then take some 2 hours before the appointment. I took one tablet last night and it didn't do anything so it's two tablets tonight
Sure am sick of all this and I can't seem to find a 'denture-wearers' forum that is UK based. They are all US based and although helpful it would be good to have UK terminology used, meds over there have different names etc.
Anyway, MMM - how are things with you and your gnashers - and anybody else, of course?

I find it absolutely astounding that you are being told to administer your own pre-op medication. This appears to be some major a**e-covering excercise by the dentist (who i presume is Private). I know that this whole episode has been traumatic for you, but i would have to question the ethics about this.

[spider8]

Hi Pumpy. Yes, I have to agree. The sod is off to South Africa (his home) for four weeks holiday straight after and just wants to go and to hell with the devastation he's left behind, presumably one of the other dentists in the practice will have to deal with that.
I took 2 tablets 2 hours before bed last night and did feel more woozy but wouldn't like to be any more so than that at the time so I'll stick with that. I'll try to get a good nights sleep tonight then take 2 tabs 2 hours before I go so if he thinks I'll be all sleepy and very out of it then he'll be very disapointed. I've studied all this well and know what a load of bo**ocks he's talking and I'll tell him so too - mind you, I'm still expecting the phone to ring at any time

[spider8]

Ha! They've tried it again - would I like to bring the appointment forward to err, now! My Dave answered the phone and asked why they were wanting to change it yet again and were messing us about like this and her answer was 'so Claire can sit in the waiting room afterwards and we can make sure she's okay before she goes home'.............Dave said NO! Why didn't they think of that before now??? Oh I'm so mad
Getting really scared now, just hope I'm doing the right thing.......taking some tablets at 3pm.......

[spider8]

Well the dreaded deed is done and it was horrible (not that I expected it to be anything else). He numbed me up pretty good, erring on the side of caution, and having made sure the denture was actually correct this time he set to pulling teeth. Wasn't good, crunching, cracking, pulling, twisting but they seemed to come out quite easily - or so he said! A few stitches and he fitted the denture and boy, did it feel weird, like trying to accommodate a small plastic tray in your gob. It immediately became clear that a spot on my right side right at the back of my gums wasn't right as it pinched and stung so he had a couple of goes at filing a bit down - not much better. Saying he didn't want to do any more to it until my gums shrunk it looks like I'm stuck with the pain for now. And what pain - oh boy, my whole head aches, gums are on fire and to the extent that I used some Ambesol on the plate to help ease things and it has helped a bit. Taken 2 Nurofen Plus too so why doesn't it feel enough. The numbness is wearing off now so soon I'll be climbing the walls
Sorry for being such a cry baby but apart from my poor Dave I don't really have anyone else to cry to - please tell me, truthfully - does it get better?

[Green Aura]

Oh sorry it's so painful honey.

I've got a couple of suggestions until you can get to the chemists tomorrow for some Bonjela or something from your GP. If you've got any peppermint tea, make some let it infuse and then cool it and use it as a mouthwash. If you've got any essential oils - peppermint, lavender or clove would be good, rub a couple of drops on the outside of your cheeks - not in your mouth. And also some ice,wrapped in a teatowel, or something similar and pressed against your cheek.

The pain is caused by the trauma and swelling so if you can get the swelling down the pain will subside. It's going to take a little while to heal so carry on with the above - they will help.

[Millymollymandy]

Oooh I'm sorry Spider, that doesn't sound very nice at all and now I'm thinking I'll keep my teeth! I hope you managed to get some sleep. I guess that having that many teeth out all at once would be pretty awful and painful. It wasn't that pleasant after gum surgery either though at least that was limited to one area at a time. Try some paracetamol instead of nurofen, it might work better.

[Susie]

You can alternate paracetamol and ibuprofen as well and it is supposed to make it (the getting rid of the pain) more effective. (NHS direct once told me to do this when I rang them whimpering at 3 in the morning with a dental abscess so it must be ok). to you, I've had tooth problems and it's awful. This too will pass! Hope you feel better today.

(The only things that worked for me were cloves and brandy).

[spider8]

Thank you folks for being so helpful and I don't feel so lonely with all of you taking the time to 'chat' about your experiences. My Dave has such wonderful teeth, they're more like chisels and everytime he goes to the dentist they laugh and say 'one day you'll need something doing'............think I've had all his share .
The daft thing is that I've always done what I've been told to do and looked after my teeth, flossing, brushing etc., even as a kid I was a good girl, then the damn dentists got their hands on me and look at me now .
My dentist wanted to see me today to see how I was getting on so I took out the plate and he had a gander - 'looking good' he said -'sodding painful' I said (would have liked to have been a little more graphic!). I told him about a few sore spots and he ground down the areas a bit and, I must admit, it helped but I screamed when the plate went back in as a molar crater was raw and it objected to being squashed back into place.
Oooooh - cloves and brandy Suzie - hopefully not together .
Oh, my strawberry Complan has arrived as if by magic by a very hunky guy .
Time to slurp then yippee - more painkillers .

[Millymollymandy]

Do you realise how amusing your posts are because I'm giggling here when I should be feeling sympathetic! Look at it this way, you've got a lot of pain and horribleness right now but hopefully that should be it forever! When you go to the dentist in future you only have to take your teeth out and you don't need any more nasty injections or drilling, and you don't need to floss your dentures and all that palaver.

Complan, that brings back some old memories - used to love that stuff!

[spider8]

Oh MMM, you're partially correct but I do still have my lower teeth
Then again, the most painful part of any dental work in the future will be paying for it - after going through this I'll try and hang on to my lower teeth come what may
As for others considering having dentures, please don't rule it out because of horror stories like mine....after all, once you are through the worst of it your pain is all behind you