Braces at 30 – the partial denture disappointment

Posted on 8:00am Tuesday 24th Jul 2018

Welcome to my latest Braces at 30 blog post where I share my experience of wearing a brace as an adult with updates from each appointment. I had my braces fitted when I was 30 years old. I’m now 32 and wore braces for 28 months in total having had the lower set removed two weeks ago! Below I share what happened at my latest appointment.

Arg. I feel totally deflated after picking up my denture today. This whole braces journey has been a total rollercoaster of emotions. Up on a high after one appointment with potential amazing plans, then down on a low after another where these plans are no more such as not being able to have an implant or having yet another tooth extracted so no veneer option. Today was a day I had been looking forward to for six weeks since this dentist appointment where we had a plan to extract my peg tooth and then have a denture made so I could eat without embarrassment in front of others for 6-9 months until I get my bridges. Well today was finally the day I picked up my denture, but it wasn’t as exciting as I had anticipated. Read on below to see why.

If you’ve been following my braces at 30 series then you’ll know I couldn’t wat for today as I was so eager to get this denture which I thought would blend in with my teeth and not be noticeable, plus allow me to eat food out and about without embarrassment.

As soon as it was fitted and he passed me the mirror I was disappointed.

Both teeth are tiny! The right one must be 2mm shorter than my front tooth. It’s dinky. I didn’t know if I was over analysing, so when I got home I asked Ben and his face said it all!

I had two baby teeth removed at the very beginning of this journey – I certainly don’t want false baby teeth added back in at the end!!

So the one tooth is super small and short. The other tooth is better in length, still a bit too short, but it really sticks out. It’s not flush with my teeth.

I can’t believe s tooth artist made these teeth and thought they looked good. They must have just thought ‘meh, they’ll do’.

Which is why I am now going to go to a proper cosmetic dentist who costs an absolute fortune, but I am certain he would not be happy with this denture and will be able to get me a much better result.

I know this denture is not permanent, but some people do use them as their permanent solution and the lab that made it had no idea this is only temporary for me. So someone could be expected to walk around with this all the time! It looks blinking awful!

I haven’t spent thousands on having a brace for over two years to end up with substandard false teeth at the front of my mouth!

Braces at 30 – the partial denture disappointment - denture with false late

This was on the NHS. Obviously paid for under their band 3 charges, so just shy of £260 I think I paid, but still, you’d think the quality and appearance would be better. I guess they only pay for functioning mouths and not cosmetic.

I was originally going private, but surprisingly at my last appointment he said I could do it on the NHS. I think because I ended up with a problem with my peg tooth and had to have it extracted it then made my treatment necessary and not just cosmetic.

Of course I thought this was brilliant as it made it all so much cheaper, but now I have totally changed my mind.

The only great thing is that I decided to have the denture as I can now see how shoddy the lab’s work is. I almost didn’t go for the denture and was just going to put up with the gaps and never eat out for months, but I’m glad I did as I’d never have known and could have ended up with two bridges with teeth as awful as this!

Now it will cost me thousands again, probably as much as the brace, but fingers crossed I will get a more realistic result and that will also be the private cosmetics dentist aim to give me a beautiful smile as well as functioning teeth. I hope we can work together and he will listen to how I want my teeth to look, not just bosh something in that sort of fits the gap.

I’m also finding the denture a nightmare, but I know I shouldn’t really comment as I’ve only had it in for six hours so far. It feels as bulky and uncomfortable as the Hawley retainer which I wrote about here just this morning.

I’m meant to be able to eat with this in but I can’t even bite my teeth together! My bottom teeth just hit the plastic behind my front teeth. With the plastic on the roof of my mouth I gag as I try to eat and swallow and my tongue hits it.

Speaking is a nightmare! SO hard!

I know it can take a few days to get used to it, but I don’t see how eating can get much better if I can’t even bite properly.

We’ll see. Maybe it will all get easier.

I have actually booked an appointment with the orthodontist tomorrow to have a new Essix retainer made for my top teeth with two false teeth in. I may just wear that and not eat out for months, unless I’m only with Ben, and scrap this denture if it doesn’t improve.

I’ve also emailed a private cosmetic dentist and hope for an appointment there to discuss having a bridge with them and not my NHS dentist.