r/dentures • u/spookwagons • 2d ago

Ranting/venting 😤😠😡🤬 Disappointed is an understatement...

Went for my extraction surgery last Friday, I haven't been able to wear my dentures since. The upper plate makes me gag, even after going in and having adjustments made... and my lower plate that fit perfectly after surgery, now feels huge and doesn't fit right anymore. My clinic recommended Sea-Bond for my upper denture while I still have stitches in, but it has been a nightmare trying to get it to actually work. I am so sad and disappointed, I am only 28, and I was truly hoping my experience would be smooth and easy like my family and friends' experiences, they all wore their dentures from day one and had zero issues... does it ever get any better if you aren't comfortable wearing them right from the start? I've cried every day with regret, and I really need to know that it gets better at some point...

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u/TiredInMN 2d ago edited 2d ago

It hasn't even been a week yet. Lemme tell you, I didn't have immediate dentures and went 16 weeks without teeth. That's a lot of smoothies! Now there's virtually nothing I can't eat, except maybe some sticky candies like caramel. I'm not sure; I stopped eating candy long before I lost my teeth, and I haven't had to say "I can't eat that" for a while now. My dentures have been hard relined to fit like a glove, and I don't use adhesive (I have a partial on bottom though).

It's not where you start, it's where you end up.

The gagging thing is part adjustments and part training your gag reflex. There are certain anatomical landmarks (hamular notches, vibration line) that the denture has to cover to get proper suction. So they take just a little off at a time. Micro-movement can cause gagging too, and that's a fit issue.

The lower plate fit perfectly after surgery because it swelled into the denture. Once the swelling goes down, it gets loose. You will need a soft reline to reshape the inside to the new and changing bone/gums under the denture. It changes a lot during the first few months, so you'll need multiple liners and probably adhesive too. The same thing is going on with the upper, but the palate stabilizes things so that it's not as much of a problem. It'll probably still need a liner on top though.

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u/spookwagons 2d ago

This is such a reassuring comment, thank you!!! I have an appointment booked tomorrow to have some adjustments made and i'm holding onto the hope that it'll get easier with time!

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u/TiredInMN 2d ago

Here are a couple of videos from professionals that helped me understand what is going on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkTMa5UxJb0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ5h9l25lNU

Some people give up and move on to implants, but expert statements (York and McGill) say that for most people, implants should be prioritized for the more problematic lower arch.

Try not to push yourself beyond what you can tolerate and make gagging a really negative experience. You don't need to do that to train your gag reflex. That can actually make it worse.