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.