Diane talks about Considering Dentures

How did you feel about your tooth loss?

I was told that I was going to lose two teeth at once and it was going to leave a gap. I’d had some gum trouble and all my teeth I was told were loose and that they would all eventually fall out, or come out, or have to be removed.

How seriously did you consider alternatives?

There was absolutely no opportunity to have anything else in there. So it was straight away I was told it would have to be denture.

How did you feel about your tooth loss?

Well, when I think back now it was pretty horrific. I came home and told my husband and I cried and I think I went to bed and stayed there for the whole evening just thinking about the fact that I wouldn’t have two teeth anymore. I was angry, I was cross I hadn’t looked after my teeth, and I just felt a little bit dirty and unclean as well which is a funny thing to say because it’s obviously not an unclean thing but it did make me feel a bit unclean.

What were your perceptions of people who wear dentures?

I was in my late 30’s and I just felt too young to lose my teeth – that was one of the things, this is what happens to older people not what happens to people in their late 30’s. I thought I’m going to look old before my time and I suppose maybe I’d still be a bit neurotic about my looks because you know most women are aren’t they? So I might still be like that had I not had my teeth out but I still do worry about that a little bit, and I did worry about it then.