Denture Question

susiestar

Roll With It
The dentist I consulted has said that after the teeth are all removed, it will be close to five grand for both plates. in my opinion this is crazy expensive.

I have called other dentists and there is one with good ratings that is much cheaper because he specialized in them.

What he does is make a mold prior to surgery, then he gives you an immediate denture and a special separate soft lining. After you are fully healed, in six to twelve months, he makes a second denture, a permanent one. Both sets would cost about $1600 along with adjustments, care during that year as much as needed, and for two months after the permanent ones are given to you.

I am not wild about the immediate ones, but wth two sets, well, it seems like ti might not be a bad deal, esp with a fifteen year warranty.

Any opinions/advice/cautions?
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Keep looking, hon. Mine done the old fashioned way cost like 2k WITH the tooth extraction included. Your first guy is just out to make a buck. Second isn't bad but I've only know folks to have lots of issues that way........even with a later denture because the healing is still waaaaay more painful in my opinion. Fred was in agony much longer than I was, and while I know he tended to be a big baby, I could tell he wasn't faking it.

Regardless, you're going to hate them at first, swear you'll never be able to be comfortable, eat, or talk with them.........but you will given time and practice. I love my fit and wouldn't trade if for the world. I can eat anything now that I want to eat pretty much. :)
 

HaoZi

CD Hall of Fame
My boss's husband just had his teeth pulled and plates done and it was 5k for the whole shebang, too.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
The teeth pulling is going to me more than another two grand. But that is with full anesthesia and pain mgmt after the fact. So, well, I won't gripe about that. More calls monday. I don't like hte idea of the immediate ones, but wondered if this would be better than most because of the second set. I will make more calls on mon.

It really galls me that many dentists won't give you even a ballpark price for them. They MUST have standardized costs and prices, but they don't want to tell you because you might negotiate. heck, in our town there are not even dentists open on Friday. That bugs me. in my opinion it is a big racket on the pricing, so they can go play golf or whatever. Here we have more dentists than doctors, except at the hospital, and not one works four full days a week, nor do they work on weekends. So for three days a week, they make out like bandits. I will need to drive at least 90 min to the dentsts/oral surgeoins.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Yeah Affordable Dentures is where I will be getting my dentures when I get them because that is one of the places Medicaid contracts with. I could also have gone to the same place Tony went but I refused because I didnt like the way they did it with him. They took the mold immediately and made that first set that is to last him the first year and then he is supposed to come back then and get a set that will last another 5 years. Nah, medicaid will only pay for one set every 5 years so Im going to Affordable Dentures and as I have said before, Im having my teeth pulled by my own dentist so I can have them pulled and healed before the molds are done. Tony still has trouble with the Fixadent getting stuck in the holes where his teeth were when he takes his dentures out.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Whoa, wait.........

What is all this "last one year" and "last 5 yrs" crud? My dentist didn't mention either of those time frames with mine. In fact, he didn't mention a time frame for how long they would last at all. Mine better last more than 5 yrs or I'm gonna most likely be one of those people running around with no teeth........ Every elderly person I've ever known has had theirs last indefinitely. So what is up with this new time frame junk? A scam to get you in for a new set when you really don't need it or they're now just made out of cruddy material that doesn't last longer than that?

Now that I think about it........my aunt Jennie had dentures done about the same time I did. They didn't last but a couple of months before falling apart (my mom's wording, I didn't see them). She was livid, but had to pay to have another set made.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
Janet, Affordable Dentures is the place I was talking about. They push HARD for you to get the immediate ones to go in right after you get the teeth pulled and then in six mos to a year will do a 'permanent' set. The whole five year thing? no clue. Their warranty is for one year except for their ultra,, $1600 set, which has a fifteen year warranty. They push you HARD to do this rather than to wait until you are mostly healed, because they claim it takes six mos to nine mos to a year to fully heal. I am just not sure I want to do that.

They do have some really inexpensive options, but I don't know about the materials. The fee they quote is for the entire package, and I am sure they have a way for medicaid/medicare to pay for it. That is mostly in how it is coded and not so much in what they actually do. They told me that the first set comes iwth a soft liner and is a 'bandage' to help you heal faster. Makes little sense to me. They also insist that if you go with-o teeth, you will not ever really truly be comfortable with any set of dentures. It was this hard sell that makes me wonder about them.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
It didn't take no year for me to fully heal. More about..........let me think.........about 3 months for the mold.......couple of weeks to make it (he does it himself)....one or two fittings with a chance for me to really try them out and get used to them at home....maybe another month to get fit perfect.

I will say at first you look at yourself and do an omg what did I do thing......are embarrassed......whatever. It doesn't take that long to get over that part, believe it or not. Or it didn't for me. I couldn't hide at home so I just got used to it. Now I have to be careful as I don't wear them as much as I do..........and I'll head out the door without them. lol

As for the "if you go without teeth, you will not ever really truly be comfortable with any set of dentures" that is a total load of bull hockey! Even my dentist (and a few others) tell me it is a load of bull hockey. I can eat just fine with and without the dentures, except for most crunchy stuff. My dentures once in my mouth feel like my own teeth. No, it didn't start out that way because you have to get used to having this foreign thing in your mouth, you have to learn how to use them properly (I had a whole list of instructions and exercises to do) and you have to get the sore spots (too tight spots) ironed out so they fit correctly. I only had to have the latter done once I think....he was that close with the fit. He did say that lots of people seem to think you just put them in and have at it and that is just not the way it works for either way you have it done. The only difference in the two ways is fit and pain level.

And I know, both from him and other dentists and from seeing people go through it........many dentists push for the first way as the dentures usually are not a good overall fit, they have to be relined frequently and most dentist charge extra for that after the 1st one. Fred got caught in that trap.......his never did fit properly and he had to use the goop to keep them in. ick. No thanks.
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Great advice and experience here.

One thing I would caution is that even if the cheapo temporary ones fall apart, they should keep your jaw and muscles somewhat intact so that when you get the permanent one done, it will fit better.
If you don't chew, you lose muscle tone. It's the same as any other part of your body.
You don't want to have a mold made and then when it arrives, have it not fit any more. It can be very uncomfortable. You want comfort, useability and aesthetics.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Tony was told by Sexton's which is the dental mill he went to, that the immediate denture would only last a year because it was made quickly and it is very hard with none of whatever anyone calls soft padding. I want nothing to do with that.

I have not even talked to Affordable Dentures and if they are offended by the fact that I come in without teeth, oh well. They can deal with it. I know my own mouth and I know that I would have had a much harder time healing if I had done it the way Tony did it. He has had a more difficult time than he thought he would. He cant even eat as much as he thought he could at this point. He is now at about 2 and a half months out and he still has issues with them not fitting well and pain when eating. I plan on insisting on what I want and being a pain about getting it...lol.
 

PatriotsGirl

Well-Known Member
The jaw bones shrink once the teeth have been removed. This is why they need to be relined and fitted every few years. I ordered my partial to be relined and had a temp in the meantime. I got used to the temp one and hated the other - it just didn't fit right anymore. So, I have stuck with the temp. I ended up going to AD to have a tooth removed and they added a tooth to my temp partial. They are fantastic at my location!! My plan is to go back there and have a full set done eventually...
 
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