I have had dentures for a few years and I’m absolutely sick of them. I’ve given it the old college try but I can’t go any further. There have to be other options. Tell me what you’ve got.

Victor

Dear Victor

You are definitely not alone in your dislike of dentures. They have a lot of disadvantages. Even the best fitting dentures reduce your chewing capacity by 50%. They slip and slide around. However, their biggest disadvantage is the way your body responds to them.

When your teeth are removed, your body recognizes the roots of your teeth are no longer there. Recognizing that and given how efficiently our bodies were designed, it begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone to use somewhere it perceives those minerals will be of more use.

The result of that is known as facial collapse because as more and more of the minerals are used elsewhere, your jawbone shrinks until there’s not enough left to even support your dentures.

The Best Alternative to Dentures

There’s one procedure which rises above the rest in the tooth replacement pool— dental implants. I’m honestly shocked your dentist didn’t suggest them to begin with. A good dentist lets you know what all your options in treatment are.

With dental implants, as you can see at the picture above, a prosthetic root is implanted into your jawbone. In the second phase, which is done after healing has taken place, either dental crowns will be placed or (depending on how many teeth you’re replacing) a full set of dentures can be anchored to the implants.

In an almost complete 180 to dentures, these have many advantages. First, it’s like having healthy natural teeth again. They’re permanent. They’re secure. Your chewing capacity will return to 100%. You can eat whatever you want and brush and floss as you would with your natural teeth.

However, their most important advantage is they will completely prevent facial collapse.

Talk to a dentist who has a lot of experience in dental implants. They should have a 98% success rate.

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