Learning to Talk Again........hmmm

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Today is my 4 hr day. I'm supposed to practice talking by reading aloud and talking nearly non stop even if I have to sing so people don't stare at me for "talking to myself". lol

Well.......it didn't get started off well. This was my 1st time putting in the dentures myself. Bottom is actually an extensive bridge, not a full lower denture. And well that was a challenge to get in. When he said you have to get it lined up right before you start he wasn't kidding. Ten minutes of frustration and far too much drool, I managed to get it seated right. Obviously this one is going to take practice. And I will avoid people at all cost while putting it in until the drool factor is under control. Geez. Good thing he warned me about that. Placing the top was a cake walk in comparison.

And then..........I was like omg! I look like a horse. I start to talk and I sound nothing like myself as my lips don't want to work around these things. (top not the bottom, I don't even notice the bottom ones which is good) I feel like I got this BIG THING in my mouth. It just does NOT look right. And I'm starting to freak out a tad. (ok maybe more than a tad) Then the gagging starts. Oh, just lovely, my worst fear comes to fruit.

I force myself to calm down and find something to read for the talking exercises. I chose the dentists information/instructions, figured that was a good place to start. lol So I'm reading aloud......I'm hissing my S's something awful (feeling bucktoothed), a cl sound unhinges them......I complain to husband they don't feel right, I feel bucktoothed, ect. husband gives me a once over then has me talk. He says maybe the gums are a tad swollen from wearing them yesterday and that's making me feel that they're sticking out too far front. Reasonable.......and probably wouldn't take much swelling either.

So I keep reading and talking. Pretty soon I get caught up in what I'm reading and stop thinking about my mouth and next thing I know words are coming out better and this thing in my mouth doesn't feel quite so foreign.

I read in his instructions gagging is normal for some people and some tips to get it to quit. Also read the bucktoothed feeling is also normal at first......so I begin to calm down and feel better. This part takes time and practice. Ok, I can do that. Not like I got some major speech in front of millions of people to do. lol

This is a tad more involved than I ever imagined. But I'll say his instructions helped curb my frustrations a LOT. I've got a few sore spots. No clue if that's breaking them in or something he'll need to adjust later when I see him next week.

I only have one major question for him. My jaw teeth don't set together at all. I mean they don't come into contact with each other when I close my jaw. If I try......it unhinges the top plate, which I don't think it's supposed to do?? So gonna have to bring that up and find out. That I know wasn't an issue with the wax mold........hmm.

So I guess it's going ok, but this is definitely going to be a process.
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
I will let you know - we went for re-lines and they ended up telling DF they'd just make him a new set today. His gag reflex is so light - I think you even say spongy stuff in your mouth and he's ready to gag. They can't get the stuff in his mouth to try to make impressions so they're winging it - and his teeth are AWFUL. He came out disppointed, and angry, and gagging, drooling - and like I said this is the third set. I was furious - we've been at that place three freakin' days.

Then he finally gets calmed down, and tried to get them in - and says same like you -HORSE teeth. Well YOU asked them to make them bigger. And whiter - They look nicer, more natural - and now? He can't get his mouth shut. I'm furious. Did they not check this before he left? He can't even eat lunch. I'm livid. Did they take the little carbon paper and check his bite? yes - Did they do anything else, did the dentist come in and check them? no. NO?? That's it! How many thousands did we spend there? We'll be first in line tomorrow morning.

Then he says - "Well no now....let me give them a couple days like the assistant said to do."

So my advice is what her advice was - give them a couple days to get used to. The brochure said the same thing - give them a chance. I don't have any advice other than that. I DO know you are supposed to be able to close your mouth though and have a normal bite. Either even, overshot, or underbite. I don't know how anyone eats with an even bite and dentures - but I suppose if that was your bite before it would be now.

Hugs Hound - best of luck.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Oh wow Star! Poor DF!

In the dentist instructions it says for people who've had dentures before and that this is a new set they will still have to go through the initial break in process all over again because the dentures will be different from those they had before. So you DF should expect the horse face feeling and all that lovely stuff until he gets used to the new pair. But if he can't get his mouth shut.....then it's wrong. Mouth and lips should close normally. Which is why I'm questioning the fact that the jaw teeth in mine aren't resting on each other when I close my mouth. It might supposed to be that way, I dunno, seemed to be that way with the wax mold but not with the real deal so I have to ask. If I'd have noticed it in the office I'd have brought it up.....but shoot at that time it was like omg I got this big big thing in my mouth......and my brain wasn't going much further than that. lol

My 4 hr practice session was a success. By the time I got into that last hour I had times when I forgot the dentures until I went to speak, then had to check myself and start over more slowly. Talked to Nichole and my mom on the phone.....Nichole was impressed and said I sounded much better than yesterday. So I guess it's working.

I do have to say though that I can close my lips/mouth and that it looks right when I do it. I can smile and that looks right too. Dentist took measurements out the wazoo to make sure all of this was accurate during the wax mold stage. He had it down to the millimeter. That's not saying the lab that makes them couldn't have messed up. I did have better control over the top lip by the end of today's practice session too and it felt better. In my case I have to remember I've been without teeth since sept, makes sense that even having ones sized right they'll feel huge at first.
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
I told DF -

If I had to shove castenettes into my mouth and try to talk? I'd have big problems too - give it a day. I just got "the look". I'm not very popular right now.
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Hound Dog, good for you!
I have to admit, I find this entire thread fascinating, since I've been going through this with-my cousin.
She had 6 implants done last wk, so we'll have to do it all over again in a month. Arg.
Star, as long as your husband doesn't sound like he's got castenettes in his mouth and start doing the flamenco, he'll be fine!
 
M

ML

Guest
No experience here but my mom went through this a few years ago so I get it is a process, seemingly a very slow one at times. But she is so in love with her choppers now and her smile is better than ever. Hang in there!
 
P

PatriotsGirl

Guest
I have plenty of experience. Unfortunately, one thing that ran in my family was horrible teeth and my mom didn't take us to the dentist a whole lot when we were kids...

You will get used to them and not feel them anymore - I promise. I have a partial and will someday need full sets. Dentist is trying to hold off as long as possible. Yes, they feel very weird at first, but they won't forever. I never take mine out. Never. I sleep with it in. My husband probably knows but I have never spoken about it. I had to get a new one because my bones shrunk, so I had a temp made and had them make it whiter. Well, I wear the temp as a permanent because I love it so much and it is soo much more comfortable. And the great thing is it was only a few hundred bucks, so I can get another made anytime. I absolutely love to smile now. :)
 

tawnya

New Member
Sorry, HD.

I am trying to help my dad, grandma, and pop with this right now.

It doesn't seem like it should take that long, but it does.

P.S. My dad gets out his pocket knife and "whiddles" on them. I'm pretty sure you aren't supposed to do that!
 
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