I can't tell you anything about impants because I haven't got any
and I don't intend to get them any time soon if at all.
Dentures are another matter. I've worn full dentures for 18 years
now. Everyone seems to warn you off them. The dentists say keep as
many of your teeth as you can. Well I didn't. I had them all out
in two sessions. One for all the remaining back teeth. Then I had
to wait about five weeks and had my front teeth out and was fitted
with immediate dentures.
The worst part was the interval between having my back teeth and
front teeth out. I couldn't eat properly and I wasn't learning to
use dentures. I think if I were to go through the process all over
again I would have all my teeth taken out at once.
The extractions are not as bad as you think. I had a few days of
pain killers but the mouth starts to heal quite quickly.
Learning to use dentures takes time. Be patient. Eating in
particular is a frustration and a challenge at first. But gradually
you will get better at it and modify the way you eat within your
dentures capabilities.
I found that after a month or two I was faring quite well. You
learn to speak with dentures in a few days. But keeping them secure
and eating with them without conscious effort takes longer.
I found that my gums had healed and stabilised after about six
months when I had my dentures permanently rebased. It was then that
I fully adapted to dentures. I could eat most things and did not
need adhesive to keep them secure. I find my dentures
satisfactorily, I am on my third set now, and do not regret the loss
of my teeth. Maybe I've been lucky but my gums continue to support
dentures well.
The first thing you will notice is the improvement to your
appearance. For the first time you can have the teeth you always
wanted and teeth you can be proud of. Longer term denture wear may
change your appearance a little but it is not really noticeable.
Dentures are easy to maintain and after the initial cost of
acquiring them a much cheaper option than retaining deteriorating
teeth and much less painful.
From my experience, if your teeth are at the end of the road and a
cause of pain and discomfort, as mine were, I would opt for full
dentures as soon as I could. They should work fine. If they don't
you always have the option of implants later on.
Good luck!