Dentures Archives | Williams Family Dentistry

Can I Have a Pretty Smile After Twenty-Seven Years in Dentures

Posted on February 28, 2025 by writeradmin.

Today marks twenty-seven years that I have had dentures. Twenty-seven years being ashamed to smile because my teeth look obviously fake. Is it too late for me to get something prettier, like dental implants?

Katie

Dear Katie,

You can absolutely get a beautiful smile with dental implants. You do have a couple of things to consider as you go forward with this. First, you have been in dentures a long time, which means that you’re likely showing symptoms of facial collapse. This is when your bone has shrunken to the point where it is getting hard to keep your dentures in. This eventually happens to everyone who is in completely removable dentures.

The dental implants needed for implant supported dentures will require that bone for them to stay in place. That means you will first need to have some bone grafting done to build back up the bone in that is needed. Another side benefit to this procedure is you will notice your repaired jaw makes you look years younger. Then, after that is healed, you can have the dental implants placed.

The second consideration is the dentist. Dental implants are an advanced procedure, so you will want a dentist who did post-graduate training in them. Additionally, you want to get an idea of how skilled they are with cosmetic dental work. I hate telling you this, but if the dentist who made your dentures had been a skilled cosmetic dentist, you would have had a pretty smile all this time. However, that would not have prevented the facial collapse which will have to be dealt with eventually whether you get implants or not.

Have the dentist show you images of cases they’ve done, so you have an idea of whether or not they can create a beautiful smile for you.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY dentist Dr. James E. Williams.

Shouldn’t Dentures Go All The Way Back?

Posted on November 22, 2024 by writeradmin.

I have dentures and I’m having the hardest time adjusting to them. Not only do they feel weird, but the dentures don’t go all the way back. I don’t have wisdom teeth there any more and I’m essentially chewing on my gums. I was hoping there was a way to get my dentist to fix this, but he said he put them the standard distance. I just want to double check. Is that accurate? Will I ever get used to these dentures?

Michael

Dear Michael,

Thank you for writing. While dentures have a lot of problems and some people never get used to them, this is something that is within the ability of your dentist to fix. My guess is that you’ve already paid for these and he doesn’t want to re-do them, which is what he’d have to do in order to fix them. It is fixable. Plus, what he did is not the standard procedure.

Your denture should actually cover the wisdom tooth area plus go just a smidge past that onto what is known as the retromolar pad. You don’t want it to go too far onto the pad, otherwise, the lower denture will cause problems with the fit of the upper denture.

You may not have much leverage if you’ve already paid for it, but you could appeal to his ethics and quality of his work. Feel free to show him this post if it helps.

Before you move forward, I will tell you that even with the dentures being extended, you will have problems. Even the best fitting dentures will reduce your chewing capacity by 50%.

There is a bigger issue, though. I don’t know if your dentist mentioned about the issue of facial collapse, but it is very important you understand the risks of long term use of completely removable dentures. Once your teeth were removed, your body instantly recognized that you no longer have any teeth roots. In an effort to be as efficient as possible with your body’s resources, it takes the minerals from the jaw bone where you no longer have any roots and resorbs them in order to use those minerals elsewhere in your body where they will be more useful to your body. The human body is absolutely amazing.

Unfortunately, this has the side effect of slowly shrinking your jawbone. After about ten or so years, you will no longer have enough jawbone left to even keep your dentures in. This is known as facial collapse.

There is a way to prevent this. It requires you to get about four to eight dental implants, then have your dentures anchored to them. This is known as implant supported dentures. Not only will it prevent facial collapse, but it is also will dramatically improve your quality of life. Your chewing capacity will increase and you’ll have no slipping and sliding around in your mouth.

If you are going to replace your denture and you can afford to get dental implants, I strongly suggest that you get them. If you can’t afford them right now, then replace the dentures, but do the best you can to save up for the implants, because eventually dentures will not be an option.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. J. E. Williams.

Do I Go To A Dentist or Oral Surgeon First for Dentures?

Posted on December 19, 2023 by writeradmin.

I have been afraid of the dentist since I was a child. As a result, I only went to the dentist when a tooth was so bad it needed to be removed. Now I am to the point that I need dentures. For the tooth extractions, do I go to the dentist or the oral surgeon?

Danny

Dear Danny,

Any dentist should be able to do the tooth extraction surgery for your tooth extractions. I would go to a dentist who could do both the extractions and create and place your dentures. You don’t want to go to two separate practitioners for this. Don’t call the office and ask them if the dentist is able to do the pre-denture surgery as well. Instead, just ask what the normal procedure is for that office. This way you are getting someone with experience and not someone who says that just to get your business.

Because of your experiences with the dentist that led to your dental anxiety, I am also going to recommend you see a sedation dentist for your procedure. This is administered by a pill and will give you a pain-free/anxiety-free experience. There is no need to put you through any more trauma.

I do want to make sure you understand that your jawbone will begin to shrink after your teeth are removed. After about ten or so years, you will no longer have enough jawbone left in your body to retain your dentures. The way to prevent that is to anchor the dentures to dental implants. This is something I would discuss with your dentist before making a final decision.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. James E. Williams.

Should I Get Refunded If My Dentist Did Not Finish My Denture in Time?

Posted on October 31, 2023 by writeradmin.

I am in a tough spot. I called my dentist because I needed to replace the denture that fits over my four existing mini implants. I explained that I am moving out of state in three months and needed a time frame for how long it would take the denture to be completed. They quoted me three weeks. Fast forward two and a half months later and they finally called me to come in for my denture. When I did, the dentist had a horrible time getting it to fit. He forced the denture on and sent me on my way. I was in horrible pain the entire next day and could not even eat noodles. I called the office and they told me to come back in. I had to see a different dentist from their office because mine was off that day. He looked at everything and said he saw two problems. First, the denture itself was structured incorrectly and slanted to one side. Second, the holes around the attachements were not drilled out properly. He suggested I come back and they can start the procedure over. I told him I’d get back with him. The big problem, aside from not really having confidence in this office, is that I am just plain out of time. Their three weeks took ten and I only have two weeks left before I have to leave. Is it reasonable to just ask for a refund and have this done in my new area after the move?

Justin

Dear Justin,

Full sized versus mini dental implants

I am sorry this happened to you. Yes, you are being more than reasonable about this and are well within your rights to ask for a refund on both legal and dental grounds. First, they made an agreement with you to have the dentures ready in three weeks. They missed that timeline. In fact, they blew past the time and didn’t even keep in contact with you about the delays. This is a breach of contract.

Second, they were unable to get the denture to fit over the implants. Add to that the structural problems that, if left as they were, would have caused you to have jaw pain and could have led to TMJ Disorder.

I would start by just nicely asking for a refund. If they balk at that, then let them know that you will be leaving a bad review, speaking to the dental board, and (if insurance was involved) contacting the insurance company. At least one, if not all of those, should give him pause and encourage him to do the right thing.

When you get to your new location, make sure you have a dentist with post-doctoral training in dental implants take care of this for you. This way you know that you are getting a dentist who knows what he is doing this time.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. J.E. Williams.

My Dentures Will No Longer Stay In My Mouth

Posted on July 31, 2023 by writeradmin.

I am hoping you can help me. I’ve had dentures for about 17 years. They’ve served me well, but now I just can’t get them to stay in my mouth. I’m guessing they’ve stretched out over the years and I need a new one. Do I need to start the procedure over or can my dentist just copy the old records? I’m not even sure my old dentist is still in practice any longer.

Brent

Dear Brent,

Your denture is not falling out because it is stretched out. What you are dealing with is known in dental circles as facial collpase. When your teeth were first removed 17 years ago, your body recognized that you no longer had any teeth roots. In an effort to be as efficient with your body’s resources as possible it immediately begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone in order to use them elsewhere in your body where it perceives they will be more needed.

While very useful in supplying your body with the resources it needs, it has the unfortunate side effect of shrinking your jawbone. After a number of years, as you are discovering, there is no longer enough jawbone left to retain your dentures. I wish your dentist would have warned you about this before you got dentures because there is a way to have prevented this.

The good news is that there is a solution for your situation. The first thing you will need to do is to have bone grafting done. This will build up all the bone structure that you lost over the years. Then, after a period of healing, you then have a choice. First, you could just go ahead and get new removable dentures made. Just be aware that you will find yourself back in the same spot as your minerals again begin to be resorbed. A better option, if you can do it, is to get implant supported dentures.

With this procedure, you will have four to six dental implants placed in your jaw. After the bone has had time to integrate with the implant, then a denture can be build that will be anchored to the implants. These are known as implant overdentures. They will not only completely secure them, but will also prevent facial collapse.

One thing you will immediately notice is your quality of life going up. Even the best fitting dentures reduce your chewing capacity by 50%. Now, with implant supported dentures, you can eat whatever you want and never have to worry about them slipping or sliding again.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. James Williams.

Should I Save My Last Two Teeth

Posted on September 30, 2022 by writeradmin.

I am in the unfortunate position of losing my upper teeth left and right. Soon, I will be down to just the two front ones. Here is where my dilemma is. Should I keep these two front teeth, which seem to be in pretty good shape and get two different removable partial dentures or should I remove them and get complete dentures? I understand natural teeth are better so I’ve spoken to a couple of dentists about this and they both said opposite things. My removable dentures are driving me crazy so I am hoping getting a complete denture will fix that. As it is I am having to remove the partials when I want to eat. What is best in this situation?

Arnold

Dear Arnold,

I am glad you wrote. Please know that while I can give you some general guidance here, without seeing your x-rays or examining you I can’t give a definitive answer. Take my word in generalities.

A general principle is that it is better to keep all the natural teeth that you possibly can as they are better in the long run. However, you are in a unique circumstance. You have two natural teeth and you said they seem fine. Maybe they are, but eating on just those two teeth will cause them to deteriorate quickly from the stress.

In all honesty, complete upper dentures will be a smidge more secure because they are held in by suction. However, they may still move around. One thing you could do is to get implant-supported dentures. They will completely secure your upper teeth and the ideal solution.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Going Directly to Lab for My Partial Denture

Posted on April 7, 2022 by writeradmin.

I had a good experience with my last partial denture several years ago. I needed a new one and decided I would cut out the middle man and go directly to the lab and save some money. This has not worked out as well as I hoped. Here are the problems I have had. The front tooth being replaced by this does not stay attached to the metal. He also had so much plastic backing on this that it put all the pressure on a single bottom tooth. This gave me concern that I would lose that tooth. Finally, there is a problem with the seating because it rocks when I chew which is an irritant both emotionally and physically. I’ve been back nine times for him to work on it and he just told me to stop bothering him about this. I asked for a refund and he refused. Is there any way to get my money back? I thought this would save me money, but it has been a disaster.

Andrew

Dear Andrew,

The rocking is a big problem and hints at a distorted framework. The only way to fix this would be to start over, which is why the lab’s tinkering hasn’t worked. The reason they did such a good job the first time and not when you went to them directly is almost positively because of the impression they took of your teeth. It takes specific training and skill to make a proper mold impression. They don’t do that on a regular basis so their impressions will not be as accurate. This is key in getting the denture correct.

You asked for a way to get your money back. I believe that will be simple. You may not have been aware of this but it was actually illegal for the lab to work directly with you instead of through a dentist. The lab, however, would have known that. To get your refund, I would simply tell them to either refund your money or you will testify against them. I feel certain he will be happy to give you your money back.

Your best bet in getting a great denture is through a skilled dentist. Your dentist obviously did a great job last time. If finances are difficult right now, I would speak to your dentist about that in private. Most dentists are compassionate and went into their field because they wanted to help people. They may have a way to allow you to make payments and help with affordability.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Dentist Doesn’t Want to Fix Her Teeth

Posted on November 10, 2021 by writeradmin.

I have really bad teeth and have all my life. I take care of them and go to the dentist but there always seems to be issues to fix. Recently my dentist said I’d be better off just removing my teeth and getting dentures. I’m only 32, surely we can fix these teeth?

Karlyn

Dear Karlyn,

I am going to say right off the bat that you are too young for completely removable dentures. When your teeth are removed, your body deals with that by resorbing the minerals in your jawbone to use in other places in your body that it feels they will be more useful. While it is great for natural conservation, it has the unfortunate effect of shrinking your jawbone. After ten or so years, you will look decades older and will not even be able to keep your dentures in place. This is known as facial collapse.

While I haven’t examined you, I am not convinced that at least some of your teeth cannot be saved. Different dentists have varying degrees of enthusiasm for hard work and it sounds like your teeth are hard work. I want you to find a dentist who is passionate about saving your teeth. They are out there.

If there are teeth that cannot be saved. The better replacement for someone as young as you are would be to get a dental implant. This uses a prosthetic tooth root that will preserve your jawbone.

One thing you can do that you may not have tried is to limit your snacking. I don’t know if you are a snacker but that can derail oral health. This is because our saliva is the greatest defense we have against decay. If you don’t have breaks between meals without snacking, your saliva doesn’t have the time it needs to do its job. I would limit yourself to no more than one snack a day. You may already be doing this, but it was worth mentioning.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Can’t Keep My Dentures In

Posted on July 14, 2021 by writeradmin.

I am sixty-two years old and have been in dentures for close to thirty years. In recent months, I cannot keep them in for anything. Is there anything I can do to fix this?

Jane

Dear Jane,

Your upper dentures are held in by suction, so those generally have less trouble staying in. The bottom dentures, however, simply rest on the ridge of your lower jawbone. The big problem with that is a condition known as facial collapse. When your teeth were first removed, your body recognized you no longer had teeth roots. To maintain efficiency in your body, it immediately began resorbing the minerals in your jawbone to use in other places in your body that it perceives will be more useful. After twenty years or so, you will no longer have enough bone left in your jawbone to retain your denture. This is what you are currently facing.

The solution to this is to have a bone grafting procedure done. This can be done outpatient and will build up the missing bone. This will give you back the jawbone you need. From there, you will have two choices. The first option is to simply get a new denture to wear. It will stay in. The problem with that is you will find that you will again start losing bone structure. The cycle will start over again.

A better option would be to get implant overdentures. This uses four to six dental implants and then anchors a denture to them. The benefits of dental implants are significant. In relation to the facial collapse issue, the implants signal to your body that you still have teeth. Because of that, it will leave your jawbone intact and you will not have to worry about your jaw shrinking. You will also love the security that comes with them. They don’t slip and slide. You never have to worry about them falling out. Additionally, you will find that your chewing capacity increases substantially, allowing you to eat whatever you want.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Will Medical Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Posted on May 28, 2021 by writeradmin.

I had to get dentures on my upper teeth. I am having an almost impossible time with the dentures. The upper plate makes me gag. I think getting those implant dentures will help. However, I do not have a ton of money. Will insurance cover these. When I first had to lose the teeth, I got the dentures because they were cheap, but I don’t think I can live with them. I’m hoping my medical insurance will cover this because I can’t wear the dentures and I need teeth.

Phoebe,

Dear Phoebe,

Many patients struggle with the denture plate, especially those with a strong gag reflex. Getting implant overdentures will be a big help. There will be no need for a denture plate. You will feel like you have normal teeth. That’s the good news. The bad news is your medical insurance will not cover even a single dollar. If you have dental insurance, it will cover your dental implants in part. Don’t expect it to cover all of it. However, it will be worth it.

One thing to be aware of is you don’t want to let just any dentist do this procedure. It is not taught in dental school. Whoever does the procedure needs to have post-doctoral training in dental implants. In addition, you want to make sure they also have enough experience to document a reasonable success rate, which should be no lower than 95%.

In most cases, you would pay for this procedure in two payments. The first when you start the implant procedure. The second when it is time for the dentures. If cost is still an issue, there are dentists who will be willing to work with you. They often advertise as affordable dentists. They will allow you to break up payments even further. Some have in-house payment plans. Some work through Care Credit, which is a very affordable medical credit card.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

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