The "Toothless Princess" on TikTok Is Breaking Down Denture-Related Stigma

Every now and then, we stumble across someone on social media who makes us go, "Whoa!" because their story is just so uniquely inspiring. Enter: A woman named Alicia, who goes by Princess Glitterhead on TikTok, has gone viral in recent months for her videos sharing about her life with snap-in dentures. The mom of four has attracted millions of views, likes, and followers — and in the process, she is helping to reduce the stigma surrounding wearing dentures and being toothless.

Princess Glitterhead had never even had a cavity until she was 18 — but when she became pregnant with her first daughter, things took a drastic turn with her dental health.

"During my pregnancy, my teeth rapidly began to decay — from the inside out. Both of my eye teeth broke off at the gum line a week or so apart from each other," she told BuzzFeed. "I remember laying in my yard feeling like my life was over. I would never be respected. I would never be pretty. My husband might leave me. He married me with perfect teeth and within a year I was already missing teeth."

The situation with her teeth grew worse with each subsequent pregnancy, leading Alicia to spend thousands of dollars in dental work and restoration. But ultimately, things reached a breaking point after she welcomed her fourth daughter.

"Five years ago I was a #breastfeedingmama & I didn’t understand why I was getting sick," Alicia shared in June 2021 via Instagram. "Gaining weight. Migraines. Dry skin. Hair loss. No sex drive. Sleepy. Depressed. Sweet tooth. Emotional. Depressed. Bloated. Acne. Uncomfortable. Stopped recognizing myself in the mirror. I had developed an autoimmune disease #hashimotosdisease while nursing my 4th & final baby. This led to many issues & my teeth continued to crumble. My body just seemed depleted."

Ultimately, she decided that snap-in dentures were her best option after her bridges and crowns from 10 years prior had abscessed. She was only 34 at the time.

"My advice to you — if your teeth are suffering, try to get to the route of the issue if possible. Sometimes it feels impossible," she explained. "I feel like my body just had a hard time going through pregnancy and postpartum on top of many other things. Not sure why it’s so hard for people to comprehend. It takes a lot out of a mother in many ways. Not just physical. Depression is real & it causes people to stop trying. We need to not shame people. Let’s lift them up and see what happens."

Princess Glitterhead's honest look into her life with dentures has inspired countless others via social media.

One TikTok user commented, "I have them and hate the way I look without them so bad. Seeing you being confident about it has helped me with my insecurities with it. Thank you."

"We don’t have to hate ourselves for needing dentures, no matter what the reason," Alicia wrote via Instagram. "There is no reason to feel shame for fixing something about yourself that will improve the quality of your life. Our children deserve parents who smile at them. We deserve to feel love and be happy. We have the power to make this decision the best thing we ever did for ourselves."