Facing having dentures at age 29.

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

For the past two weeks, I've been experiencing sporadic tooth pain which got significnantly worse in the last few days, enough to wake me up in pain in the middle of the night. So yesterday after work, I managed to book an appointment at my local dentist for today to see what the damage is.

Turns out, a LOT worse than I thought. Because of me being.... very lax in my oral health, and what can only be described as an addiction to sugary drinks, the front six top teeth are basically eroding away, exposing the root canals and they need some serious work done.

Said serious work is either:

Get the teeth removed and replaced with a partial denture. That's the NHS free option.
OR
Have root canals and caps done on all teeth, totalling at nearly a £1000 per tooth. That's the private option.

Now... I have been weight up each option. Nearly £6K is a lot of money, and that is money I need if I want to finally move out of my parent's house at some point. But having dentures at age 29... for a guy who suffers from a serious amount of self-esteem issues brought from many sources in my life, and knowing that I'd have to wear that when I feel the way about myself as I feel really feels like admitting defeat on some level.

But... it is the cheapest option in my life. Someone I know online made a point about having the dentures to keep the spacing of the teeth right so I can have fake teeth implanted in the gaps (since that is a thing) but... I don't know.

Has anyone else here gone through, or knows someone who has gone through the same thing?

 

[JosephZ]

Here's a third option that you might want to consider. I faced a similar problem in 2011. I only needed two root canals, crowns, and some additional minor dental work. I was quoted $4,000 USD by my local dentist. I was able to get the same work done for under $500 USD in the Philippines. Factoring in the airfare and a hotel for four weeks, I was still able to get the work done for around half what it was going to cost me in the US.

Here's a link to a dental office in the Philippines that has the prices of various dental procedures (just divide the cost shown by 69 to get the GBP cost).

Prices

dentistindavao.com

If you go with a basic porcelain crown, you can get each tooth done for under P10,000, which, at today's exchange rate of 69 pesos to 1 GBP, would be around £145 per tooth.

You could get all six teeth taken care of for somewhere around £870.

You should be able to get a flight for well under £1,000, and food and lodging for a couple of weeks would be less than half that.

All in all, you could get the dental work done for under £2,400, perhaps well under depending on what the airfare ends up costing, and you would get to travel and experience a different culture at the same time.

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

Oh, I know you mean well... but I am not travelling half way around the world to get dental work. That's not for me at all. I don't like that idea personally, it just seems to add to many steps for my problem.

 

[YorkieGal]

Yes, my husband had 'dentures' in his 2 front teeth for years (boxing in his younger days) and is now going through the process, 20 years later, of getting those replaced with permanent replacements. Not sure what they're called when they're screwed in. He's even got braces for the next 2 years. Hint: he's older than 29 lol

The point is, he waited and no one could tell for all this time that his 2 front teeth were false and bridged dentures. All of his pics are very natural and no one knew unless we told them or they were there for his accident.

If you have the financial ability to get the permanent ones done, I'd go for that. But, if you're saving up and you're unsure, the dentures won't hurt anything while you wait on money or your mind.

Hope this helps.

 

[biblelesson]

For the past two weeks, I've been experiencing sporadic tooth pain which got significnantly worse in the last few days, enough to wake me up in pain in the middle of the night. So yesterday after work, I managed to book an appointment at my local dentist for today to see what the damage is.

Turns out, a LOT worse than I thought. Because of me being.... very lax in my oral health, and what can only be described as an addiction to sugary drinks, the front six top teeth are basically eroding away, exposing the root canals and they need some serious work done.

Said serious work is either:

Get the teeth removed and replaced with a partial denture. That's the NHS free option.
OR
Have root canals and caps done on all teeth, totalling at nearly a £1000 per tooth. That's the private option.

Now... I have been weight up each option. Nearly £6K is a lot of money, and that is money I need if I want to finally move out of my parent's house at some point. But having dentures at age 29... for a guy who suffers from a serious amount of self-esteem issues brought from many sources in my life, and knowing that I'd have to wear that when I feel the way about myself as I feel really feels like admitting defeat on some level.

But... it is the cheapest option in my life. Someone I know online made a point about having the dentures to keep the spacing of the teeth right so I can have fake teeth implanted in the gaps (since that is a thing) but... I don't know.

Has anyone else here gone through, or knows someone who has gone through the same thing?

Get a second and even third opinion. They wanted to pull all my sisters teeth out and I said no. I found a dentist that was willing to make her a partial after pulling only two bad teeth, and they give her regular cleaning and treatment to improve her gum health.

Also there are root canal specialists. They are called Endodontists. I would see a specialist before taking a dentist advice, especially if there are more than one tooth needing a root canal.

There are also dental colleges who do work at a discounted rate. Not sure if you have one in your town.

I needed surgery for Mandibula Tori (bone growth) to remove bone growing on both sides. The dental school performed the surgery at more than 1/2 the cost of a regular dental surgery.

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

Get a second and even third opinion. They wanted to pull all my sisters teeth out and I said no. I found a dentist that was willing to make her a partial after pulling only two bad teeth, and they give her regular cleaning and treatment to improve her gum health.

Also there are root canal specialists. They are called Endodontists. I would see a specialist before taking a dentist advice, especially if there are more than one tooth needing a root canal.

There are also dental colleges who do work at a discounted rate. Not sure if you have one in your town.

I needed surgery for Mandibula Tori (bone growth) to remove bone growing on both sides. The dental school performed the surgery at more than 1/2 the cost of a regular dental surgery.

Dental school might be out of the running since there are no dental schools around my area. The second opinion is not a bad idea, but I did see the x-rays for myself and either way something is going to need to be done one way or another.

 

[biblelesson]

Dental school might be out of the running since there are no dental schools around my area. The second opinion is not a bad idea, but I did see the x-rays for myself and either way something is going to need to be done one way or another.

If you can decide what you would really like to happen, considering you saw the x-rays, you might take your petition to God and ask for what you desire to come out of this situation, and ask for the right dentist. He will answer!

Gods bless you!

 

[Serendipitous Waffle]

I'm sorry to hear that, but dentures have come a long way since our grandparents time! I don't have any experience, but my mother does. She is currently using a bridge but she has an infection which is causing teeth to fall out (forget the exact name) and dentures seem to be the best solution. The two I can think of that I'd personally go for in her situation is:

1) Semi permanent "Snap in" dentures LINK
2) Permanent LINK

With these two options, no one would be the wiser relieving a little of that self esteem issue. Plus, you'd have teeth like a movie star Hope you find the right solution for you, and above all else, pray to ask the Lord for guidance and to provide.

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

I'm sorry to hear that, but dentures have come a long way since our grandparents time! I don't have any experience, but my mother does. She is currently using a bridge but she has an infection which is causing teeth to fall out (forget the exact name) and dentures seem to be the best solution. The two I can think of that I'd personally go for in her situation is:

1) Semi permanent "Snap in" dentures LINK
2) Permanent LINK

With these two options, no one would be the wiser relieving a little of that self esteem issue. Plus, you'd have teeth like a movie star Hope you find the right solution for you, and above all else, pray to ask the Lord for guidance and to provide.

The ones that I'm being offered, ones to replace the seven front teeth (six are being taken out but I've got a gap where I lost another tooth, so hopefully it will be the full seven) should be the semi-permanent ones, and after talking with a customer at work who had similar ones, it does make me feel a bit more comfortable about getting them. Just a tad.

 

[Richard T]

I think you are considering a partial denture. If so, read the cons of partial dentures. Removable Partial Dentures – Pros and Cons to Consider | Dentist in Amherst, NH.

You have to remove at night, clean and there still is a greater chance the adjacent natural teeth will have more issues. I would do the caps even if I had to borrow for it. I have one cap on the front and I can't even tell. 6,000 pounds is a lot of money but consider it an investment in your future. I think if you go the cheap route you will have regrets. Forgive me if I offend your or any reader but would the dentures feel the same for kissing? Sure they are great if you need them and no one should be ashamed of that, but you have enough of a tooth that you just need the caps.

In getting your second opinion, just make sure that all those teeth need a root canal. If it were just a couple that could save some cost.

The one poster was right, medical tourism is not a terrible idea. According to Hungary | Medical Tourism.
"Hungary offers highly competitive prices for medical treatments. For instance, dental procedures can be up to 60% cheaper than in the United Kingdom or the United States. Cosmetic surgeries and orthopedic treatments also come at a fraction of the cost when compared to Western countries."

God bless you no matter what you choose.

 

[Serendipitous Waffle]

The ones that I'm being offered, ones to replace the seven front teeth (six are being taken out but I've got a gap where I lost another tooth, so hopefully it will be the full seven) should be the semi-permanent ones, and after talking with a customer at work who had similar ones, it does make me feel a bit more comfortable about getting them. Just a tad.

Ah, well this is basically what my mom is going to do as well. She did not want dentures at all, she's like "I'm 59! I'm not old enough!" lol. But after she met another of the patients who had the snap in type, she was sold! lol

I wish you the best, and whatever you choose I hope you're happy with.

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

So as an update if anyone was curious, I got my teeth out on Wednesday past (after having to have the date rescheduled due to a mess up with the labs for the dentures) and that... that was an ordeal.
Basically, the teeth that needed to come out were a lot more brittle than the dentist expected them to be, enough that some of them actually broke as they were removed, forcing the dentist to drill into the jawbone to widen the gap at the root of the teeth. BUT it turns out that the bone of my jaw was a lot tougher than expected, meaning it took A LOT of drilling to get the right space around the roots.

But, all in all, it went well. I'm on day 5 of having the dentures in and there does not seem to be any major problems with them or my jaw. No infections, the bruising is going down nicely. I just miss eating solid food....