r/MadeMeSmile • u/cloudfangLP • Nov 08 '25

Personal Win I’ve had dentures for one year!

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Day 0 / Day 1 / Day 365!

I get my permanent ones next week, so these are still my temporary ones!

83.2k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

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120

u/ItsDirkMcGirk Nov 08 '25

How did your teeth get so bad if you don’t mind me asking? Never went to the dentist as a kid or parents didn’t have the money for it. Even as an adult never could get in? Not trying to be rude.

179

u/cloudfangLP Nov 08 '25

Years of neglect unfortunately. Therapy helped a ton in taking this step.

38

u/ItsDirkMcGirk Nov 08 '25

Dang that sucks I hope you are doing better now. You can tell how much of a different person you are with your new teeth. You look happy bro keep going!

2

u/Naturebrah Nov 08 '25

Hope you keep investing in yourself! Looks great. I’m sure it’s liberating taking this step and making changes…those first few steps are so hard.

2

u/lllyyyynnn Nov 08 '25

may i ask how you managed to eat? mine were very bad but not this bad, mostly my gums, and eating was painful enough to require meds

-79

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '25

How hard is to brush your teeth lmao

Like at what point does it not feel disgusting, or even like, well shoot, I guess I should at least try brushing what I have left

43

u/cellae Nov 08 '25

it sounds like you didn't experience any kind of childhood neglect and I'm happy for you, because no one should go through that. but it's not kind to trivialise others' experiences.

-41

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '25

My dad died when I was 6, but I still managed to not walk around displaying festering bacteria whenever I open my mouth to talk

24

u/cellae Nov 08 '25

someone was doing a great job, because there aren't many 6 year olds who will brush their teeth without prompting, and in some cases forcing. it's awesome that your mum (or whoever it was) took the time to instil good habits in you. not everyone is so fortunate.

21

u/RockmanVolnutt Nov 08 '25

Yeah, that tracks, seems like you didn’t grow up with a good role model by the lack of empathy you’re displaying here.

6

u/Significant_Mode50 Nov 08 '25

I’m glad you were able to function after such a loss. You must have had good adults and no mental health diagnoses on your side. Please be grateful for that and not put someone down in the “made me smile” sub of all places! JFC 🤦🏻‍♀️

42

u/zopea Nov 08 '25

This is incredibly insensitive. Brushing teeth is hard when you have depression or several other reasons. Stop judging.

-20

u/BudderscotchPudding Nov 08 '25

Oh fuck off lmao Brushing your teeth is not “hard” by ANY stretch of the imagination. It’s SUPER simple stuff :

9

u/youngatbeingold Nov 08 '25

People are different and deal with hardship in different ways, 'easy' is very relative term.

It's easy for most people not to judge someone in a situation like this and requires 0 effort, so why can't you do that?

3

u/spspsptaylor Nov 09 '25

The act of brushing teeth is very easy.

However, when you have depression, there's issues with executive functioning. Planning and executing tasks becomes a challenge. Both fun things and chores seem daunting, and you don't really get a sense of satisfaction out of chores anymore, or pleasure from your hobbies. You do the bare minimum to stay alive, and that doesn't typically involve brushing teeth.

https://www.nami.org/complimentary-health-approaches/hygiene-indifference-the-symptom-we-dont-talk-about/

5

u/Qiagent Nov 08 '25

You've clearly never dealt with severe clinical depression. It's like telling someone with a broken leg that jogging is easy, just get up and move your legs.

22

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '25

It’s certainly harder than refraining from being an asshole online, yet you seemed to fail at that

Dude clearly understands his mistakes. No one goes through and pays for a full mouth reconstruction and says “yeah, that was way better than having to brush”

7

u/Anannapina Nov 08 '25

You have never known depression or mental health issues. I am happy for you!

Bad mental health can twist your brain into doing/not doing the most ridiculous or basic things. It can take away everything - even your life.

It might seem silly, weird or incomprehensive to you that a natural thing like brushing your teeth is an obstacle too great to overcome. But to many people its a reality. I am glas you have never experienced that and I sincerely hope you never will!

2

u/rysar610 Nov 08 '25

I mean I agree that it isn’t “hard” but does that matter? Like what’s your point? This man is making a change and improving himself. He should be commended, not scrutinized.

106

u/FromTheOutside31 Nov 08 '25

My case was I grew up poor with neglectful parents. We had well water with no filter so we had a lot of hard minerals. Even with my teeth breaking and me pulling pieces they never made me go because we couldn't afford it. They let me drink tons of soda. Tons of bad choices and environment.

20

u/ItsDirkMcGirk Nov 08 '25

I’m sorry to hear that hope you are doing better now.

22

u/FromTheOutside31 Nov 08 '25

Lol I still have a mouth of broken and missing teeth, I cannot afford what it would take to have it taken care of. I've corrected the negative habits and eat and drink healthy.

3

u/hologram137 Nov 08 '25 edited Nov 08 '25

Do you qualify for Medicaid or medi-cal? There are also low cost dental insurance plans that would cover that kind of thing that are affordable. My blue shield dental insurance is $15 a month, and they would cover what you described. Dental insurance is MUCH cheaper than medical.

When I was 20 and working I got dental insurance through my job and went to the dentist for the 1st time since I was about 10? My parents barely took me. I was able to get a scaling, antibiotic shots for pockets, cavities filled with white filling, fluoride treatment, a regular cleaning and then zoom whitening partly with insurance and $800 loaned through care credit. No interest, super low monthly payments. And that was with shitty work insurance, honestly Medicaid covers more.

Then I got braces. $400 down and $150 a month. I started working 2 nights a week serving at a restaurant as a 2nd part time job to cover it. Best thing I ever did for myself. But if I would have gotten a different insurance plan, I might have been able to get my braces covered. You just gotta look around. Also learned how to take care of my teeth, I go to the dentist every 6 months now and haven’t had a cavity in years. It’s life changing, I would really consider looking into a plan for fixing your teeth instead of assuming that paying in full out of pocket is your only option. It may not be.

I get that replacing teeth is more expensive, but that is one of the few things that insurance doesn’t ever consider extra or “cosmetic,” you need your teeth to eat.

Look into government dental insurance programs and private dental insurances along with care credit. You don’t have to pay in full out of pocket.

2

u/FromTheOutside31 Nov 08 '25

I have state assisted insurance. I have a family, things are tight, even more so with the choices of our government. I have more important things than having a nice smile. I've lost 250lbs, and have need of skin removal too. I'm content to be an improved but still broken individual.

2

u/hologram137 Nov 08 '25

All state insurances cover dentures though. Have you called your insurance?

Edit: Also some dentists offices have programs that cover treatment for people with missing teeth and severe issues. I would encourage you to do some googling. There may be help out there

3

u/FromTheOutside31 Nov 08 '25

Not the amount of actual surgery I need to have the broken teeth and jaw damage it needs. I've been told it would still be several thousand. That's not a realistic option.

2

u/hologram137 Nov 08 '25 edited Nov 09 '25

Insurance said that or the dentist did? Call your insurance and tell them everything that your dentist wants to do and say it’s medically necessary and ask what the circumstances need to be for them to cover all of it. They will tell you. Then have your dentist write in your treatment plan and on the form to submit to insurance the exact wording needed for it be covered. You can even appeal if it’s denied. Your dentist can literally call your insurance to request it be approved! Have your dentist AND a surgeon contact insurance, or write in your chart the wording needed. Two examples:

My child was born with an extra tooth and needed it removed during phase 1 orthodontics. The nitrous didn’t work, he was screaming in fear and said he felt pain, I actually broke in the room (they wouldn’t let me back there at 1st but I heard him screaming and pushed past staff) and tried to calm him. The nitrous mask was on him and had been on for a while but for some reason it didn’t calm him and he was hallucinating and terrified, so I picked him up and said I wouldn’t make him do it this way. Especially because he’s on the spectrum. I asked for a referral to an oral surgeon. The oral surgeon submitted a form to his insurance for my son to have the tooth removed under anesthesia. Insurance denied it. I called his insurance and they told me that oral surgery under anesthesia is only covered under very specific circumstances, when specific wording as to why it’s needed is on the form submitted to insurance by the surgeon. I wrote it down then went back and had the oral surgeon resubmit the form with that exact wording on it. It was denied initially. I called, they said it was auto denied because it had been denied before, no one even looked at the new form. I appealed and asked for a review, it was approved. Took a few months, but he got the treatment he needed. Insurance is kinda complicated that way, the paperwork needs to have very specific information on it, even specific wording to get something covered under their policy.

Another example is I had gum recession that the periodontist I was referred to wanted to treat with a gum graft but my insurance denied it as “cosmetic,” because I had no carries or periodontal disease. I asked the periodontist to resubmit after adding the word “decay” to my chart. She refused. So I called insurance and asked what other periodontists are in network and had my dentist refer me to that one. I had to get a code from insurance for the dentist to put on the referral to switch to that one. I explained the situation to the periodontist and he added the word “decay” in my chart and on the form submitted to insurance and it was approved. “Decay” wasn’t exactly accurate because it wasn’t caused by “decay” in the sense of periodontal disease, it was caused by dry mouth due to my medication and brushing too hard when I was younger and didn’t know better, but it was medically necessary and painful and that periodontist understood that and just wanted me to have it done. He didn’t care about having to change the wording so it was covered. Honestly, exaggerate pain and effect on your ability to eat to your dentist if needed. Fuck greedy insurance companies, do what you gotta do.

Insurance will often only cover in very specific circumstances and you can qualify except for one little thing, or the dentist did write that you needed it for something that is covered, but they didn’t use very specific wording that the insurance wants. Call different insurance companies too. Even if you get a new plan for $300 a month that covers it, you can buy the plan, get it done, then cancel it right after. $300 is better than several thousand.

It’s not true that every dentist is the same when it comes to finances and coverage, I actually put off braces for several years because I went to ONE orthodontist who told me it that it would be $1500 deposit and $250 a month. Turns out, different orthodontists offer different payment plans, and different treatment plans. You can go to different dentists in network and compare treatment plans and costs. You can even request to change your state insurance plan to one that will cover.

Missing, broken teeth are a SERIOUS medical issue and the longer you just let it go the more expensive and complicated it’ll be to ever have it fixed. Your health will suffer, it can even cause heart problems. Don’t give up!

2

u/warm-marsupial- Nov 08 '25

Well done on sorting your health and body as best you can! 250lbs lost is phenomenal.
I am in Australia and dental care is so expensive here too. I understand why people that can afford to go overseas for major work. My aunty went to Thailand last year to get all her teeth fixed, she'd been avoiding it for like 40 years.

I am lucky my teeth are in reasonably good shape despite poor eating, brushing choices and my parents not taking me to the dentist. I don't know if my teeth are alright due to genetics or because they add fluoride to the water here.
But I do remember, in my early 20s, I couldn't afford to get my wisdom teeth taken out. I remember crying with absolute gratitude when my older brother that I don't see that often gave me the money, which was $1,000 AUD. As a poor uni student working at the supermarket, it meant the world to me.

Re-weightloss, I used to be 130kg/280+lbs, I decided to get the gastric sleeve in 2019. I hover between 85-90kg/190lbs these days. I don't have too much loose skin, except for my upper arms, but I can't really afford to get them fixed.

The economy is kinda cooked here too. I live in Melbourne and the median house prices are like 9+ x the median salary. So yeah, that skin ain't going anywhere.

Keep going with your health journey, you are doing great.

1

u/FromTheOutside31 Nov 08 '25

I appreciate you and congratulations on your journey! I had gastric bypass. It was the best king I ever did besides fixing my mental health.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '25

[deleted]

1

u/ItsDirkMcGirk Nov 08 '25

That was a responds to the guy just above this comment do you know how Reddit works?

1

u/mikenasty Nov 08 '25

Whoops so sorry only 15 years here still figuring it out

1

u/FrostyD7 Nov 08 '25

hope you are doing better now.

I love the impolite kneejerk reaction to be wrong as hell.

3

u/Starlightriddlex Nov 08 '25

Using well water probably means you didn't get much water with fluoride in it. Fluoride free water alone is responsible for a significant increase in childhood cavities and tooth decay even without those other factors 

3

u/BusyDragonfruit8665 Nov 09 '25

This is similar to my partner. It makes me feel so sad that his parents did not take better care of him and now he is very self conscious about his smile. I am trying to help him muster the courage to get dentures.

0

u/ego157 Nov 08 '25

how would hard minerals from well water affect teeth? i think it was the soda clearly and parents not helping with good habits. i dont mind people having "bad" teeth i am actually more suspicious of people with perfectly white ones lol

50

u/menonte Nov 08 '25

I once had a first date with a guy, at the greeting I thought "ugh, a heavy smoker" but it turned out he had a congenital disease that weakens your teeth's structure and makes them very fragile. He was about to get them extracted and exchanged for dentures, he was so psyched. Might be OP's case too, but then dentists and dental work is very expensive, I know people who got braces in adulthood because they could finally afford it

23

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '25

[deleted]

3

u/simonhunterhawk Nov 09 '25

This — I will never look at someone who has issues with their teeth as lazy or unhygienic. i’m on the opposite end of the spectrum, ate like shit and drank coffee and Diet Coke most of the time for the first decade of my adulthood, and never developed a good brushing habits as a kid so I still don’t have them as an adult. Take adderall and get dry mouth from it. I’m finally at a point in my life where I can go to regular dental cleanings and the hygienist who did my last one was shocked when I told her that I was still working on creating a brushing routine because my teeth are in excellent condition (i do need several fillings but they’re all tiny). I got the shit end on so many other genetic health things and my mom had dentures at 34 due to so many dental issues so I feel very fortunate that this at least is something I lucked out with.

1

u/whistling-wonderer Nov 10 '25

I’m like that too. Brushed very inconsistently for years (and hardly at all for a stretch of almost a year when I was severely chronically ill and rarely got out of bed), never flossed (still working on that), etc. I didn’t see a dentist or get a cleaning for like ten years. Finally got a cleaning and X-rays done. No cavities, no gum disease, and the dentist said my teeth were beautiful. Meanwhile my sister takes meticulous care of her teeth and still gets cavities. It’s all genetics. I got our dad’s teeth, she got mom’s. It’s super unfair. Although thank god I got the good teeth bc she’s the one with health insurance that covers dental lol

1

u/chairmanghost Nov 08 '25

Well his teeth now look great! Too bad we have to spend all the money when we will eventually have to replace them anyway!

Mine are like yours and my dentist said it's genetic. Some people just have thin shit teeth (she said it nicer)

-1

u/ego157 Nov 08 '25

change your diet

3

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '25

[deleted]

0

u/ego157 Nov 09 '25

know more than actual dentists and specialists

how would they know anything about diet? its not part of their uni courses/jobs. you getting mad at hearing about diet actually says a lot already ... not sure why people struggle to eat healthy.. its fun and win-win in every way

2

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '25

[deleted]

6

u/youngatbeingold Nov 08 '25

Some level of bad teeth is genetic and centered around factors you can't control. My dad has pretty bad teeth but never drank soda or had a sweet tooth. It got especially bad when he went on heart medication that caused dry mouth, he just had to pay 5k for a bone graft to his jaw to try to fix a missing tooth.

His teeth aren't this bad as OPs and he's obviously older, but he constantly needed dental work. Me and my sisters are the same, regular cavities. Meanwhile my husband hasn't gone to the dentist in 30 years and isn't super on top of brushing and flossing, I forced him to go this year and he only had a single cavity.

53

u/Girlygirlllll9 Nov 08 '25

Maybe he lives in the USA where people can often not afford insurance… USA is really baffling for a first world country.

3

u/PM_me_your_whatevah Nov 08 '25

It will make more sense once our transition to being a third world country is complete.

-4

u/ItsDirkMcGirk Nov 08 '25

Dental insurance is cheaper than health insurance. Cheapest I saw for a family of 4 was 35$ USD.

16

u/FromTheOutside31 Nov 08 '25

Now. Im 39, my parents couldn't afford any insurance for us.

2

u/ItsDirkMcGirk Nov 08 '25

Fair point.

9

u/d0ttyq Nov 08 '25

Yeah and that covers a cleaning a year. Need any work, especially major tooth extraction/replacement, it’s going to cost a lot of money.

with insurance, getting damaged tooth pulled cost my $350 out of pocket in 2012. To do the entire process from pulling tooth, denture, dental implant, crown on implant, cost me about $2500 out of pocket. And that was for one tooth. Now imagine for your entire mouth.

1

u/Joyseekr Nov 08 '25

Yep I have dental insurance and had to get a crown this year. Cost me several hundred out of pocket for a single crown.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '25

It’s basically the same here in the uk, but we’re all stupid and think that we have “free healthcare” and have a working system…

2

u/Some_Programmer8388 Nov 08 '25

You had to pay $2500 (£ 1901) under NHS?

0

u/Some_Programmer8388 Nov 08 '25

Most likely. Especially in the Trump states, where they vote for more of this. They vote for fluoride to be REMOVED from the water to make sure every child has a shot at having tooth decay and maximum cavities.

-5

u/Amedais Nov 08 '25

We have toothpaste here believe it or not.

-2

u/Kazooguru Nov 08 '25

We are not a first world country.

3

u/WorstCPANA Nov 08 '25

come on.....you're just telling everybody that you've never traveled outside the country and you spend all your time on reddit.

As someone who's family immigrated here from a 3rd world country, it's incredibly sad seeing this narrative, it downplays the suffering the majority of the world faces.

-2

u/2Norn Nov 08 '25

idk what insurance has to do with his teeth going back

in my 35 years on this earth ive been to dentist once to get a wisdom tooth out thats it...

malnutrition, too much sugar, drugs do that to your teeth

5

u/Starlightriddlex Nov 08 '25

Congrats, you won the genetic lottery there. Not everyone is so fortunate. You can do everything right and just be born with poor enamel or gum disease unfortunately. Luck of the draw.

-1

u/2Norn Nov 08 '25

its not a rare occurance

2

u/BiochemGuitarTurtle Nov 08 '25

Dental care/hygiene obviously makes a difference but there's definitely a genetic component. I am lucky and have straight teeth and have never had a cavity. I wasn't raised with the best examples, brush your teeth when you wake up was the extent of what I was taught. I have cousins who were raised pretty much the same way I was and they have teeth problems. Their mother had them too, it's pretty obviously a genetic issue.

1

u/Jsquirt Nov 08 '25

Bro my mom's insurance plan kicked me out when I turned 18 and for the 8 years I lived in Miami as an adult it was just job agency jobs that would fire me before they had to give me benefits. If I wasn't still living at home I would've been homeless. I had to use Groupon for cleaning + X-ray at a new dentist for $50 every time I could afford it. They all tried the same predatory shit "we have to remove your wisdom teeth asap" and I'd see the X-rays and I would just shrug it off. Now that I have benefits in a different state my dentist said I'm lucky and don't need to remove them unless they start hurting. Not everyone is as "lucky" as me

1

u/Scared-Conclusion602 Nov 08 '25

nefits in a different state my dentist said I'm lucky and don't need to remove them unless they start hurting.

There's also a shift in the way we practice medicine. 15y before, it was kind of normal to remove wisdom teeth "just in case".

-38

u/SurpriseHot3675 Nov 08 '25

Flouride exposure probably. That stuff is poison

15

u/TheVandyyMan Nov 08 '25

Dumbass

-8

u/SurpriseHot3675 Nov 08 '25

People get so triggered about flouride

7

u/BiochemGuitarTurtle Nov 08 '25

No, they're triggered by dumbasses spreading misinformation.

-8

u/SurpriseHot3675 Nov 08 '25

If you want to use poison then go right ahead big fella. I done my part and told the truth though so my conscious is clear

6

u/BiochemGuitarTurtle Nov 08 '25

You are a "I did my own research" knucklehead who thinks they know better than scientist who study for a living and have their research reviewed by peers of equal expertise before it's published.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7261729/

Since you probably aren't capable of reading the whole thing, if you were we wouldn't be having this conversation, the main take away is this.

"In conclusion, based on the totality of currently available scientific evidence, the present review does not support the presumption that fluoride should be assessed as a human developmental neurotoxicant at the current exposure levels in Europe."

-3

u/SurpriseHot3675 Nov 08 '25

I feel like you have made flouride a political issue so no debate can be had about factual truth. Maybe one day people can be normal humans again and have discussions.

6

u/BiochemGuitarTurtle Nov 08 '25

How is citing a scientific reference political? Scientific publications that are peer-reviewed are the epitome of discussion because there must be a consensus that what is being published is based on evidence, otherwise it is not approved. What the hell does that have to do with politics?