I can finally smile after all my teeth rotted away and I was forced to get dentures at just 29-years-old
A WOMAN in her twenties was forced to get dentures after all of her teeth rotted away and fell out.
Courtney Luna had to fork out a whopping £47,000 on a new smile at just 29 years old.
Now the young woman, from Kansas City, Missouri, US, is finally able to smile confidently again.
Production worker Luna has suffered with poor teeth as long as she can remember.
Her baby teeth all decayed when she was a child, and her adult teeth were just as fragile.
Luna’s dentists diagnosed her with dental enamel hypoplasia – a defect characterised by thin or absent enamel.
In a desperate bid to fix the problem, Luna has tried everything from braces to dietary changes – but to no avail.
She said: “Throughout my whole life, it has just been pain, deadly infections, three abscesses that caused major swelling, sleepless nights, and tears.
“I have spent so many hours of my life in the dentist chair.
“I’ve had root canals, crowns, fillings, and even had braces when I was a teenager, which even had to be removed due to decay.
“I’ve tried changing my diet, brushing regularly, trying everything I could to reserve them, but despite all of that, my teeth would still randomly crack or pop in half, just from eating a normal meal.”
The excruciating pain and long hours spent at the dentist forced her to opt out for dentures to permanently correct her smile.
Luna decided it was time for a drastic change as her teeth were still falling out and no medication was helping.
She said: “I realised that no matter what I did, I’ll still end up having to get them removed shortly down the road anyway.
“I decided I wanted to get some form of implant dentures since I’m still young, and wanted to prevent any bone loss to my gums.”
She chose to get retained dentures and conus-style implants.
Luna has thus far splurged a staggering £47,000 on her teeth, including her present dentures.
She had to endure a sinus lift, bone grafting, complete extraction of her upper teeth and placement of four implant posts – all while being awake throughout the entire ordeal.
Luna has had only the upper half row of teeth completed because the dentist suggested doing them individually.
She is now eager to finish her bottom set.
She said: “Recovery has been painful, but going smoothly.
“It has been a long process due to the bone grafting needing to settle, and then my implants also settling in.”
But despite the surgeries and costs, she is happy with her results after a long battle to achieve her smile.
She said: “Despite all the tough surgeries and lots of debt, I am still very thankful that getting implant dentures was even an option I could take.
“Having no more sharp nerve pains and abscesses in my top teeth anymore has been such a good experience so far, and I’ve felt no regret getting my teeth removed.
“Even just wearing my top dentures right now has given me so much confidence with my new beautiful smile.
“I want to show the world that you can make the best out of whatever situation you’re in, even if you’re like me with dentures at 29 you can still be happy and enjoy your life!”
