NATALIE had no idea that a minor car crash would lead to losing her teeth. Suffering with back pain from the accident, doctors prescribed her medication, but after just a week, Natalie experienced extreme vomiting from the meds. She told Truly, "My stomach was on fire, almost everything I was eating was like a hot, deep burning, stabbing sensation. Then it turned to vomiting. I was just vomiting non-stop and because I was vomiting multiple times a day, I was brushing the same amount I was getting sick." The following year, Natalie was taking a sip of her coffee when she lightly knocked her tooth with the mug. To her horror, half of her front tooth snapped out. Natalie explained that she rushed to a dentist, "They asked what happened and that's when they told me. The brushing after vomiting, especially for that long, would have been enough to totally obliterate the enamel." Since then, Natalie has lost more teeth and relies on dentures - something that she has sometimes struggled to deal with getting at such a young age. Natalie explained, "Getting dentures was a knock on the confidence. I put a lot of my identity into my looks at that time and so everything changed." In this episode of Shake My Beauty, we'll hear about Natalie's journey and how now she doesn't just embrace her dentures, she loves them. Reflecting, Natalie said, "Dentures do not mean the end of smiling, if anything dentures are just another reason to keep smiling."
Follow Natalie @natsdentureadventure
Follow Natalie @natsdentureadventure
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00:00 My name is Natalie and I lost my teeth when I was 19 years old.
00:03 I took a sip out of my coffee mug and half of my front tooth just snapped out.
00:09 Just completely fell into my mouth.
00:11 When I started to lose my teeth, I wasn't fun to be around anymore.
00:16 A lot of people suggest that I've been a drug addict.
00:20 Dentures do not mean the end of smiling.
00:23 If anything, dentures are just another reason to keep smiling.
00:29 My name is Natalie and I am 24 years old.
00:33 I was born and raised in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.
00:37 I have a lot of different hobbies, mostly all different types of art forms.
00:43 I also like a lot of downtime with my cat and my fiancé.
00:47 I was around 18 when I first started having problems with my teeth.
00:54 My car accident was in February of 2017. I didn't think I was hurt.
01:00 By the next morning, I could barely walk.
01:03 My lower back felt like it was shredded apart.
01:06 They prescribed me with a morphine hybrid.
01:10 About a week into taking the medications, my stomach was on fire.
01:15 Almost everything I was eating was just like a hot, deep, burning, stabbing sensation.
01:22 It was like if you ate almost chemical cleaners.
01:25 Then it turned to vomiting.
01:29 I was just vomiting non-stop.
01:32 And because I was vomiting multiple times a day some days,
01:37 I was brushing just the same amount I was getting sick.
01:42 I was just brushing all of that stomach acid into my teeth and into my gums,
01:48 which completely obliterated my enamel.
01:52 For months, my teeth were very transparent and getting really brittle,
01:56 but it wasn't causing pain, so I wasn't really paying attention a whole lot.
02:03 By the following year, it was insane.
02:09 I took a sip out of my coffee mug, and I lightly bumped it into my lip.
02:16 Like that, half of my front tooth just snapped out, just completely fell into my mouth.
02:21 And that's when I realized my other teeth, they already had little chips and little markings.
02:28 When I showed up to the dentist and showed them my front tooth was missing,
02:35 they essentially asked what happened, and that's when they told me.
02:40 The brushing after vomiting, especially for that long, would have been enough to completely just obliterate the enamel.
02:48 Art has always been really important to me.
02:52 I've always found my way back to art to find a place of zen and calmness.
02:59 The two options they gave me were to try and save my teeth or try to remove my teeth.
03:07 The option to save my teeth would have costed over $10,000.
03:13 That wasn't foolproof. It was going to work.
03:16 Or the option to pay about $1,500 to get the tooth removed and put onto a denture.
03:23 So it was really a no-brainer for me.
03:25 I have 15 teeth left, 3 hidden and 11 decayed, broken.
03:31 Eagerly waiting to come out.
03:35 So this is my denture.
03:39 The hardest part of having dentures has been getting used to all of the different facial and mouth movements
03:49 that move your denture without you realizing.
03:53 So like yawning, coughing, sneezing, really everything is pulling on your mouth.
04:00 They really don't want to fit today.
04:02 Uh-uh. They do not.
04:06 I couldn't talk with it for weeks.
04:10 It was at a time in my life where I had the most confidence.
04:15 I was 19, I just moved out, I'm really adulting, I feel good.
04:20 So getting dentures, it was like a knock in that confidence.
04:24 I put a lot of my identity into my looks at that time.
04:28 And so everything changed from my social life to the way I saw myself,
04:35 to the way even I carried myself.
04:39 Hola. Okay, I'm going to tell you guys what it's like getting this denture adjusted
04:45 and why it's basically been unadjustable.
04:48 I joined TikTok to start sharing my experience dealing with dentures and adding some humor to it.
04:55 I tried to think of what I was seeing when I was 19,
04:58 and it was a lot of negative stuff about having dentures.
05:01 I realized how many people are going through similar situations,
05:06 but also how much it can impact the overall process holding it in.
05:14 I was able to laugh at myself again.
05:17 Finding the humor in dentures and having no teeth is huge
05:22 because you need to laugh at yourself to heal.
05:25 I went from having no one in my life who understood what I'm going through
05:30 to literally thousands of people getting it, resonating and reaching out.
05:36 I think when people first hear dentures, they think, "Old person."
05:41 You associate with bad hygiene or, you know, not taking care of your teeth.
05:46 And like, there's so many reasons you can have dentures.
05:51 I am not changing my TikTok. I am trying to change that.
05:55 I started to love my dentures once I realized this is my new normal.
06:00 Once I let that guard down, I realized how much of a relief it was
06:05 to no longer be hiding my smile and my laugh when I talk.
06:10 Right now, me and my fiancé, Ryan, we are headed to the park for a little picnic date,
06:16 and we are leaving the denture behind.
06:19 I would like to have my mouth constantly in public.
06:22 I wouldn't even go just to the general store if I didn't have my teeth in.
06:27 When I started sharing my story is when I realized I don't need to wear my teeth out in public
06:32 when they hurt me so bad.
06:34 I'm not going to put myself through that to make other people feel comfortable.
06:39 It's very common for me to not think about my teeth, and I forget that it's not so normal.
06:46 It's pretty clear when someone's eyes directly just stare straight into your mouth.
06:51 Do you mind taking some pictures of me?
06:53 Thank you.
06:54 For the 'gram?
06:55 Yes.
06:56 I've had people even just freeze mid-sentence when they're talking to me.
06:59 As soon as I open my mouth, it's like instant shock.
07:02 And a lot of people kind of suggest that I've been a drug addict.
07:08 Well, that's a really good one. Look off again.
07:11 Ryan has been such a rock since day one.
07:16 Losing teeth is not a pretty process to go through, but he's never made me feel any different.
07:23 I honestly don't know what I would do without him in this process.
07:28 I am beyond proud of Natalie.
07:30 All she's done, been through, and she keeps persevering.
07:34 And she's managed to turn it into a positive situation and build a platform to help other people.
07:39 So yeah, beyond proud of Natalie.
07:42 If you are young getting dentures, the biggest advice I can give is to be patient with yourself and to be kind to yourself.
07:51 Dentures do not mean the end of smiling.
07:54 If anything, dentures are just another reason to keep smiling.
07:58 Pop your teeth out, scare kids, do whatever makes you happy with them.
08:02 But dentures should be the last reason you should not smile.
08:06 [MUSIC]
08:10 [BLANK_AUDIO]