At the tender age of 26, a woman has had to endure the loss of all her teeth and now sports a full set of dentures after her smile was devastatingly “obliterated”. Suffering the side effects of painkillers, Natalie Lacasse started vomiting persistently, which led to the destruction of her pearly whites.
At just 19 years old, she faced the emotional upheaval of wearing dentures and has since been battling with her self-esteem.
Natalie opened up about her struggles, stating: “Needing to take out both my top and bottom dentures in an intimate moment makes me feel the last thing from sexy, the last thing from wanting to be touched [or] kiss.”
Despite her boyfriend’s unwavering acceptance saying “he doesn’t care one bit”, Natalie confesses that the problem often leaves her on the brink of tears – a reality she hadn’t anticipated before getting her teeth fitted. She explained: “This is a big question when people get dentures or are getting them is ‘Can I be intimate while wearing dentures? ‘ But when I was [first] getting dentures I was 19, and I did not think that to be intimate with my partner I’d have to take out my teeth.”
Initially provided with a partial denture, which could be kept in place, Natalie now notes that her current type must be taken out because she feels she has “no sense of where her teeth are” during romantic encounters. The issue for Natalie lies in taking a “pause” to remove her dentures amid intimacy, which she finds exceedingly “awkward”, reports Nottinghamshire Live.
She opened up about her relationship, explaining: “I have the best partner I could ever have asked for to be on this journey with me. All my confidence issues stem from within – he hasn’t said or done anything to make me feel insecure about having dentures. I feel like my denture has played such a role in me not even wanting to be intimate or close or physical.”
Detailing her struggles with intimacy, she shared how being toothless comes with its own stigma, especially for women: “It’s not the sexiest thing [to have to remove dentures] and it doesn’t make me feel sexy. [Over the last few years] I want to hide under a pillow. There’s a big stigma around women especially who are toothless.”
Natalie revealed the anxieties around physical closeness for those with dentures: “It takes a lot for us [denture wearers] to take that first step towards being intimate because we know at some point they’re going to have to come out. I’ve had teeth go flying in the moment.”
She also discussed how even seemingly normal interactions can become troubling, stating: “My dentures affect things like kissing and even hugging, saying if she is hugged too tightly by someone taller, her teeth will pop out.”
Emphasising the importance of a supportive partner, she added: “It is so important to have a compassionate partner. You need someone who’s going to be that rock for you.”
Reflecting on the origin of her dental problems, Natalie recounted an incident at 18 when a car accident led doctors to prescribe naproxen, which caused stomach ulcers after prolonged vomiting, further exacerbating her condition.
She explained: “I thought I was doing the right thing by brushing my teeth as soon as I’d vomit. I had no idea that’s the opposite of what you do after getting sick, as you’re only brushing the acid into your teeth, breaking down the enamel. I obliterated my teeth by doing this.”
After enduring ill-fitting dentures and spending nearly two years without any teeth, allowing her gums to be exposed, Natalie finally received a permanent set of dentures last year. She described the transformation in her confidence as “mind-blowing”.
She said: “After years of having bad teeth, then bad dentures, then to no teeth for nearly two years – the only way I can describe having proper teeth now is surreal. It’s still been so weird to see myself with teeth, and proper teeth that don’t hurt. I thought I had gotten comfortable and confident being toothless – but now my confidence is on a whole different level.”
“I don’t feel the need to hide my smile when I laugh, yawn or talk, I’m able to actually enjoy the holidays again, and be in public comfortably – I owe my new teeth everything. I got to a point in my journey where I accepted I wouldn’t be able to eat again, smile, or have no dental pain; and now realising that’s not the case? It’s been a whirlwind.”
“All my expectations were wrong in the best way possible. I knew I was missing out on a lot when I had no teeth – but I had no idea just how much I had missed out on until now.”