Since I’ve been 16 years old I have suffered from tooth decay of a upper front tooth which slowly cause a painful deterioration of the nerve of that tooth. Not having any insurance, dental or medical, there was no choice but to live with it. Needless to say it caused a lot of pain, the tooth broke off causing me not to smile, as the tooth had broken off leaving a gap in the front teeth. This also caused a strong smell from the decaying nerve. I later realized, I had lived through a root canal. The smell was the rotting of the nerve itself.
Working for a few years saving enough to get an upper denture, the rest of the teeth needed to be pulled as there wasn’t enough to support a partial denture. The lower teeth had similar challenges but the damage was to the lower back teeth. Not having funds to have a lower denture I learned to live with the loss of the back teeth. I could still eat using the front bottom teeth to chew food. As I got older it was necessary to adjust to not having the lower back teeth. Being forced into medical retirement, I became disabled and dental and medical coverage was supplied by the State of Wisconsin.
The remaining teeth started to become loose, causing pain which eventually cause me to have the remaining teeth pulled to be replaced with a full lower denture, at least that was the plan. The state paid for the removal of the remaining teeth, and would pay for the lower denture.
I had the remailing teeth pulled and an appointment was made for the replacement of the upper denture, and a new lower denture. The upper impression went without a problem, the lower impression was a bit harder. This resulted in six failed attempts to get a mold for a denture that would fit the lower jaw. After the last failed denture mold, I was informed that I would need to have four implants to hold that denture in place. I had medical insurance with the state which regretfully it doesn’t cover implants, which is why I’m seeking funds to have this procedure done. Not having lower teeth creates a serious challenge in eating, only soft foods, which limits the intake of proteins.