I Lost All My Teeth Aged 23 | BORN DIFFERENT

BY THE time she was just 23, Alex had a full set of dentures - but that has not stopped her smiling. Born with a genetic issue that means she has brittle teeth, she was in and out of the dentist's office as a child. Aged 18, she underwent 22 root canal surgeries in a bid to save her smile - but within a year, things had worsened to the point where she needed all her teeth pulled. And by 23, she had a full set of dentures. Though she had initially felt insecure about needing them so young, seeing her new smile for the first time gave her a huge confidence boost. Now, Alex regularly shares her story online to normalise tooth loss. She receives lots of questions, from what foods she can eat to what her husband Adam thinks, but is happy to open up in the name of education. She concluded: "I want people to know it's okay to be young and have dentures. Teeth don't define who you are."

Videographer: Kevin Huang
Producers: Erin Cardiff & Becky Robinson
Editor: Shiona Penrake

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[alyssamorgn]

I've had full dentures since I was 20. I'm now about to turn 25 in 4 days. When I was 17 I had a dentist badly mess up a crown on my front tooth. I went to a different dentist to try and get it fixed and they told me it couldn't be saved and pulled out the one next to it and gave me a partial. The partial was terrible so I was left missing 2 front teeth for a couple years, completely killing the small bit of confidence I had left. To make it worse, they then proceeded to do a bunch of unnecessary work on all of my teeth (knowing it wouldn't hold and that I'd have to keep coming back) just to get all of my insurance money.. They left my teeth completely destroyed.. By 20 I switched to a good dentist and she said unfortunately there was no way to save my teeth from how badly they ruined them and that I'd have to get dentures. I had to have all my back teeth removed in sections over a couple of months and then the last 10 in the front all at once right before I was given my dentures. It took a lot of getting used to but being able to smile again was amazing. They weren't the best dentures because they were covered by my not so great insurance, but they lasted me 4 years until a few months ago I was able to afford to buy really nice ones. I'm so happy with my new ones and feel sooo confident having them in and am able to eat so much more foods than I could before. They're very comfortable and don't even need an adhesive to stay in because they're so well fitted. People are amazed when they learn my teeth are dentures and are usually just convinced that I have very nice teeth. I've learned to become more comfortable in not being ashamed that I'm so young, but have dentures. Luckily my loving boyfriend has been with me through the whole process (we've been together for over 7 years) and has loved me and helped me feel beautiful even when I was walking around missing 2 front teeth for a couple years. Thank you for sharing your story and doing what you can to help others like me be reminded that there's no need to be ashamed of it. Also, coincidentally I'm from PA too lol.

[koffinkat]

Such a pretty girl, We all need to show empathy for others and understand that you do not know someone until you know them.

[asavannah]

22 root canals 😥 I'm glad she is not suffering anymore and helping other people with similar issues. Her dentures look great.

[That_BIack_Cat]

Lovely, young woman. I love that these kinds of health issues are not as isolating as they used to be. Technology hurts us in a lot of ways but the fact that we know about what people are going through is because anyone can self report on social media. We no longer need corporate media to learn about the lives of those that have challenges we may not understand.

[scp-]

She should never feel ashamed. This is why we have science and doctors, to provide you help. May she continue to strive xx

[HK-ujqc]

My mom, who just died at 82 a few months ago, had what they call "soft" teeth. She had full dentures at 15 yrs old AND still had the same dentures when she died, 67 yrs later. She never had any trouble with them.

[JJ-wkwy]

Such a beautiful and confident young woman. I love how she persevered, despite losing all of her teeth. Look at what she has accomplished! Seeing her story makes me feel less afraid if losing my teeth were to ever happen to me.

[SRWJ]

I'm 26 and lost my first tooth at 22 due to overcrowding, not receiving braces as a teen and a dodgy root canal done in the public system when I was a teenager. Genetic factors plus that molar rotting ended up in me losing the tooth above that molar at 24, being told that I have a lot more that will need removing as soon as possible. I've now been putting off that removal for 3 years and the root of my lower wisdom is impacting my nerve leaving me with extreme nerve pain in my jaw and numbness around my lips/chin...
Losing your teeth at a young age is confidence crushing, society places such a large standard on teeth and this woman is absolutely incredible ❤ I was not as brave as you!

[GeeklingNo]

Dentures are in a way a disability aid. Teeth are as important for daily life as working legs. I feel the same way about my cane as she does about her teeth. It opened so many doors and it gave me my confidence back. A lot of times ppl look at us and think ‘that poor girl has to use a walker’ but for us it’s often a case of increased independence or freedom from something that was holding us back. The lack of real teeth might be sad but having dentures is a blessing and it’s ok to like them. I’ve had several people act like I ‘like having a disability’ because I like having a cane. My cane gives me freedom and if I make it look cute then I’ll feel cute using it. It’s ok to like your medical aids!

[moxnix]

It's always nice when you have a loving & supportive husband.

[brittneyambruster]

I can relate to this in a small way. I’m 24 and currently have a dental implant due to a failed root canal. I had to wear a denture for almost a year and my self esteem declined. I now have my implant and trying to embrace it!

[rebeccabolyard]

Everyone who has watched this video that has good teeth with strong enamel should be grateful and should take care of what they have. So sad she had to lose all her own teeth, but so glad that she ended up with dentures that make her look absolutely beautiful. It is great to see she has such a loving supportive husband as well!😊❤

[kalinjax]

I lost all of my teeth at 26 and have been sharing my experience on YouTube for 11 years. I get so many messages from people who have done everything right and still lost their teeth. The worst thing is, they’re often ridiculed by the dentists and blamed for losing their teeth. It’s sad. And to add insult to injury, medical insurance doesn’t cover this stuff. Good for her for helping other people. ♥️🙏

[dixoncider]

I’m 26 and I am in the same boat she is.. I’ll be getting dentures next Friday right before the new year.. and words can’t really explain what is going through my head but this girl pretty much said it perfectly. I needed to see this, my life has been constant pain and tooth loss.. I’m ready but super nervous, wish me luck!!

[lband]

Honey, you are SUCH an inspiration! I’m almost 50 and about to be getting full dentures (even though I previously had beautiful teeth-health problems developed and I didn’t have many thousands a year to keep up with what would be needed and problems worsened) so seeing people that are happy and beautiful with full removable dentures is SUCH a blessing.💗

[SHELLEE]

This is good to see and show how things work, insurance isn’t covering a bunch of stuff for some young people no matter how much you go to the dentist but they will cover dentures or partials. I know this because I’ve been going through it especially when I’m pregnant like now my teeth get work got 2 fillings 3 months ago they failed and now it’s more problems I don’t even eat candy or hard foods so it sucks praying for everyone

[LaceyNatasha]

Im 39 and I was also born with weak teeth, I was in and out of the dentist since I was 4 years old, and have had some dramatic things that happened to my teeth and needed multiple surgeries. I'm so scared of thr dentist bc of what had happened to me as a child, but now I only have 3 roots left to get cut out and then I'm on my journey to a better smile I hope!! Thank you for your story it really does help ppl like me out I hope I get a beautiful smile like yours !

[peacelovehope-jqry]

Dentures or partial dentures are more common in young people than we think. It's good to finally see some people opening up. So many others live in shame and even hide the fact that they are wearing dentures from their loved ones. It can be very traumatic to lose your teeth at a young age. Alex's story is so inspiring and it will help many other young people with tooth related issues.

[indiaballou]

You really are amazing ❤️, I lost all my teeth and have still not been able to afford any dentures to this day, I just turned 33 and I doubt I'll ever be able to afford dentures but thankfully my husband still loves me, and I still have my kid's who love me, and I am just grateful to be alive. I just wanted to thank you for being so positive and stating the obvious which is it doesn't matter if you lose your teeth young or old, it happens to everyone, and that's not what makes someone beautiful!!! I obviously wish I could get dentures someday, but I do realize it's not what's important. Thank you again.

[curtiswilliams]

Hi Alex I had the same thing to happen to me. I'm just still having a really hard time dealing with not having my real teeth any longer.😔 God Bless you 🙏 you look Amazing with your confidence. I'm hoping one day I can deal with having lost all my teeth. And having dentures it's still hard though 😔