It Doesn’t Take That Much To Make Me Smile

All I kept thinking yesterday was; “I feel sorry for all the people who got stuck with ill-fitting dentures and were told “Don’t wear them then” and were dismissed”

Tip #3 – don’t let anyone bully or intimidate you into accepting something that is unacceptable. Remember; YOU deserve to be treated with respect and as a customer; satisfaction.

Like I said before, I know there will be an adjustment period and I was prepared for that but I needed dentures that I could function with first.

I went to the new fellow, Adam; yesterday and what a difference it made to have someone listen to me and truly want to help and make me happy.

Adam didn’t argue with me and agreed the dentures were too big and the teeth were too large. I understand he has to be careful to not criticize his associate and sister office but he immediately went to work adjusting my dentures. He spent at least 1/2 an hour shaving the teeth down in length and cutting back the denture itself. He got the uppers to the point I could wear them comfortably, the lowers are going to need more work but I actually wore the uppers for most of the day.

Like he explained, he can’t do anything about the width of the teeth but his goal right now is to get the denture comfortable and attractive enough for me to wear them for 3 months, until my gums heal and my jaw bone recedes a bit. After 3 months he will make me a whole new set of dentures with properly sized teeth.

I go back on Friday for more adjustments and I’m confident by summer I will have teeth I can smile about.

Our appointment lasted over an hour and I never once felt my questions were stupid or I was being unreasonable. Adam spent 1/2 the time listening to me and 1/2 the time working on the dentures. I could tell from the look on my mom’s face that they were much better as soon as I put them in.

It’s amazing what 1/32nd of an inch can do when it comes to something like teeth.

It also made a huge difference to me that my family was backing me and they were not going to accept anything less than me having teeth I was happy with.

My son and brother both said, “Just let us know if you don’t get satisfaction, we’ll come out there and get you new teeth!!” That would be my last resort because they would not be as diplomatic as my mom or I, (but there was this little part of me that secretly would have loved to see that bit#@e’s face when my angry brother and angry tattooed son walked into her office demanding she fix my teeth. Some times all a person needs is for someone to be angry on their behalf. To be told, “I’ve got your back.” That’s what family is all about.)

I think it is despicable (and narcissistic) that the other denturist was insisting I wear dentures I looked horrific with and was in extreme discomfort wearing just because she didn’t want to admit she screwed up. I have worked serving the public and I know customers can be a pain in the butt sometimes but they are the customer and deserve respect and satisfaction.

I also know there is a solution to every problem if a person is willing to look for it. That is one of my pet peeves; people in customer service who say, “Sorry, there’s nothing I can do to help you.”

Like the bank employee that insists there is no way of over riding the computer, writing up a reversing entry, or a Big box store employee who is too busy checking their social media to help you find something. I am extremely patient and understanding, everyone makes mistakes; but I get angry when someone refuses to admit they made a mistake and then gets an attitude about it.

Anyway, I started this post two days ago now and have worn my upper dentures for both days without much discomfort.

Not the best picture in the world but me with teeth with my grand daughter the other day.

I should have taken a picture of the dentures when I first got them, it is such a HUGE difference.

10 Horrors Of Getting Dentures and Tips To Avoid Them

Believe me, I never thought I would be writing a post giving tips on buying dentures. For one thing, I just kinda thought dentistry had progressed so far, false teeth were basically a thing of the past. If you have unlimited funds and really good teeth that could be true. I lost my dental plan about 20 years ago and my teeth suffered for it.

My smile has always been my identity, my whole life I have heard about my beautiful smile. My smile bought me drinks at the bar,

The waitress as she drops off a drink to my table said, “The guy over there says this is for the most beautiful smile he has ever seen.”

About age 21 being a smart ass taking the limelight from my boyfriend

Photo from when I hauled scrap, age around 48 with my little buddy Kato, I cried when I saw this photo. As much as I love Stella, Kato was my little buddy and he will always hold a special place in my heart

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I hauled scrap all my customers and the guys at Amix called me Smiley. No matter what was going on in my life, I greeted everyone with a smile. Even when I was walking sometimes I realize people were smiling at me because I was lost in thought and unaware that I was walking along with a smile on my face. When a person smiles people smile back.

Maybe it isn’t that important to some people but I think most women feel as I do; having rotten or missing teeth shreds the shit out of a person’s self confidence.

By last summer I was getting very self conscience about my teeth because of a discolored tooth in the front and avoided smiling as much as I could. Then just before Christmas I had a tooth break off at the gum right in the front. That mortified me. But when you don’t have a dental plan what can you do? I certainly didn’t have the money to fix my teeth.

My grand daughter and me last summer

My son wanted family pictures done at Christmas and I ruined them because I didn’t want to smile.

I would never ask; but my mom offered to pay for me to get dentures and I jumped at the chance to once again have a beautiful smile.

I asked the dentist and denturist; if it was possible to have my teeth by my 60th birthday on April 5, and was assured by my birthday I would have a beautiful smile again.

They have what they call “Immediate dentures” now, that they put in at the same time they pull your teeth, it’s supposed to promote faster healing and shorten the adjustment time needed to get used to them. (Cost for extractions $2700. less what welfare pays $900 = almost $1700)

I am deathly afraid of dentists, especially getting 11 teeth pulled all at one time,
(I already had partial dentures for the last 7 years), but they said for a little extra I could have conscience sedation, where I am conscious but can’t feel anything. I got it ok’d by my Nurse Practitioner, my mom was lined up to drop me off, pick me up from the dentist and take me to the denturist to get the dentures fitted. From there my mom was to take me home for the night. I had my mom go with me to pick out the dentures and she insisted on the best, for a total of $5000, less the $1000 welfare pays. (just in case you are like me and thought welfare paid for people’s dental work, wrong!!)

So before I ever get any teeth my mother put out almost $7000, I don’t know about you, but that is a hell of a lot of money in my life and my mother’s too, for that matter.

How much is your smile worth to you?

I really felt I had done my due diligence.

I assured myself I could handle some slight discomfort for the huge pay off in the end, I have been through so much the last few years, this was nothing, people get dentures every day. Right?

I kept my thoughts on how wonderful it was going to feel to celebrate my 60th birthday and be able to smile, laugh and not mind having my picture taken. As it turns out I had even more to be smiling about, I was approved for my disability designation and for the first time since 2011 heard my cardiologist say,

“I guess we won’t see you until next year this time. Great to see you doing so well.”

instead of

“You might drop dead any minute and there is nothing more we can do for you.”

Getting dentures was the icing on my birthday cake.

As they say, “The best laid plans………..”

Which brings me to the reason why I am now admitting to the world I am getting dentures even though I am mortified about having false teeth; it’s the same reason I started my other blog. I am hoping by sharing my bad experience I will save some one else from going through the same thing. I try to turn a negative experience into a positive by hopefully preventing someone else from going through the same thing.

• I have had to struggle trying to get my disability and found out first hand what it is like to live in poverty and to be homeless – so I recently wrote a 10 page submission to the BC Poverty Reduction Initiative.
• Why I have a blog on narcissists and domestic abuse.

and now

• I am giving tips on things you should do or know before you get all your teeth pulled and spend $7000 for dentures.

I will give you Tip #1 right now, but you have to come back to read part 2 for the rest.

Tip #1 – Make sure the dentist knows what he is doing when he gives you sedation, he may say he know, but that doesn’t mean he really knows.  Make sure he weighs you if you and doesn’t “guess” at how much to give you. The dentist over sedated me to the point that they had to wheel me out to my mom’s car and pick me up and put me in the car. I was out cold and the denturist refused to put my dentures in. When we got to my mom’s she had to get a friend to come help her get me into the house. I do not remember any of it.

My mom called and gave them shit, they never should have given me that much with my heart the way it is (and they were well aware of my heart condition I had them call my Nurse Practitioner), they should have never sent me home in that condition and their screw up prevented me from getting immediate dentures. But the screw ups do not end there! Oh no, we couldn’t have it go smoothly ……………….. my story of denture horrors continues tomorrow.

I will give you a hint * Note there is no “after” picture.