implant supported 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.

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.

30 Years in Dentures

Posted on March 15, 2021 by writeradmin.

I have been wearing dentures for a bit over 30 years and have never liked my smile. My teeth have always looked fake. Is there a way to get a pretty smile with dental implants or is it too late for me?

Karen

Dear Karen,

The overall answer to this question, is yes, you can get a beautiful smile with dental implants even after 30 years of wearing dentures. In that amount of time, you will have lost quite a bit of the bond structure in your jaw. This is because your body began to resorb the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere as soon as your teeth were removed. In that amount of time you have been with dentures, I expect you are having a difficult time keeping them in place.

Because of this, you will need an additional procedure, known as bone grafting, in order to have enough bone structure to securely retain dental implants. Once that is done and you have had time to heal, you can get the implants placed. While some dentists do both the surgery and implant crown, others will send you to an oral surgeon. If you are going to an oral surgeon, it is imperative you see the dentist first and that the dentist is the one who plans the implant placement, not the other way around.

When you are talking about replacing all your teeth, it is too cost prohibitive to place a dental implant for each missing tooth. Instead, you will place between four to eight dental implants per arch and anchor dentures to them. These are called implant supported dentures. You mentioned your current dentures look fake. It doesn’t have to be that way. You simply need to find an artistic cosmetic dentist who uses quality materials that will not wear down quickly.

The image directly above, with a man and a woman, shows how lovely and natural dentures can look. The gentleman wanted a more subdued, natural looking smile, while the woman wanted a bright, white, young looking smile. Both have implant supported dentures.

Be certain to research the artistic skills of whatever dentist you are thinking to have do this. Look at their smile gallery to see the before and after images of actual cases they have done.

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

My Dentures Won’t Stay In

Posted on February 7, 2020 by writeradmin.

I need some help. I’ve had dentures for over 30 years but I’m having trouble keeping them in. One of the things that my dentist said is the bone ridge is almost completely gone. He said I eventually won’t be able to wear them anymore. Is there anything I can do? How will I eat?

Danni

Dear Danni,

I know what is happening as well as the solution. Hopefully, your dentist warned you before you had your dentures placed about the dangers of facial collapse. When your teeth are removed, your body recognizes that. In an effort to be as efficient as possible, it resorbs the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in a manner it perceives more useful. After ten or so years, you begin to lose enough jawbone to notice a problem. By the time you get to thirty years, as you have, you’re in full-blown facial collapse.

The solution is bone grafting. This is a surgical procedure which builds back up the bone in your jawbone. Not all dentists know how to do it, so you may need to do some investigating. Once that is done you have two choices.

Choice Number One: Get New Dentures

Once the bone is better, you can have your dentist make you a new set of dentures. The only issue with that is you will start the same cycle again. Your body will begin the whole cycle of bone resorption again.

Choice Number Two: Get Implant-Supported Dentures

One real solution is to have dental implants placed in order to mimic your tooth roots. This signals to your body that you still have teeth. As a result, it will preserve the jaw bone there as still being necessary.

Generally, you will use four to six implants per arch. After a period of healing, which also allows time for the bone to integrate to the implants, then your dentures can be anchored to them.

Other Benefits of Implant-Supported Dentures

Aside from protecting you from facial collapse, which is a HUGE plus, you will notice right some other great benefits from implant overdentures:

Your dentures will no longer move around.
Your chewing capacity will increase.
You will no longer have to worry about sores from your dentures sliding

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

Can’t Get New Denture to Stay In!

Posted on October 19, 2019 by writeradmin.

My dentist did an impression followed by a wax bite and two wax try-ins. I noticed with the second wax try-in that it wasn’t staying in and let my dentist know. He said that was only for the teeth and not to worry about it. When I finally received the new dentures, there was zero suction. When I spoke with my dentist about this hs said I likely needed time for my gums to adjust. I gave that time but nothing improved. Next, he said maybe my bite was off and he had me come in again. This time he ground down on the denture teeth. While they felt great when they stayed in, the hardly ever stayed in. Now he’s talking about doing a reline. I’m not sure if this is any better. Should I give up with this dentist?

Missy

Dear Missy,

If everything seems fine with your dentures except they are not staying in, the fit issue should be repaired with a reline. However, your dentist is guilty of skipping some steps in the process of what you told me. Though, it’s possible you didn’t tell me everything. If he did skip some steps, he’s guilty of succumbing to the pressure of keeping prices down to stay competitive. The best impressions are two-step impressions. Some dentists will even do a three-step impression.

He should take a preliminary impression with alginate. This allows for a preliminary model of the jaw. From that model, a custom tray could be made specific to the patient. Some dentists use a moldable stock tray. For the next phase, a heavier impression material is used for a process called border molding. Suction is accomplished by the border of the upper denture. For it to work, you want the border to press into the tissue a little, hence the reason for the heavy-body impression material. The final step is a wash. This is a light-body material that will fill up the interior of the impression that registers all the tiny details of the soft tissue.

If this is shortened to one step, as it seemed your dentist did, the result can be an adequate denture, but the dentist will save chair time and cost.

Consider Dental Implants

If you are fairly young, you may consider looking into dental implants. When your teeth are removed, your body begins resorbing the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body. This is in an effort to stay as efficient as possible with its resources.

Unfortunately, after about ten or so years, you’ll no longer have enough jawbone left to keep your dentures in place at all. This is known as facial collapse. Having some dental implants placed will not only prevent this, it will also secure your denture and improve your chewing capacity.

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

Dentist or Oral Surgeon for Extractions?

Posted on September 13, 2019 by writeradmin.

I have a terrible fear of the dentist and pretty much only go when I need a tooth pulled. I’m 50 years old and missing a large number of teeth at this point and feel like I need to get dentures. Do I go to a dentist or an oral surgeon for that?

Ben

Dear Ben,

I’m sorry for the struggles you’ve encountered. Many times, when someone is dealing with dental anxiety it is a result of trauma in the past with a dentist, often in childhood. This causes many patients to only go in for treatment when they have a dental emergency, such as you’ve done.

I would go to the dentist who is going to do the dentures for the extractions. If you go to two practitioners, one for the extractions and one for the dentures, there will need to be perfect communication. Denture preparation is something most dentists know how to do.

Because of your dental anxiety, I’m going to suggest you use a dentist who has sleep dentistry available. This will allow you to get your dental work done without any anxiety. In fact, if you want, you can nap through the entire procedure.

A Danger with Dentures

Before you settle on dentures, I want you aware of what you’re getting into. Even the best fitting dentures will reduce chewing capacity by 50%. The dentures for your top arch are held in by suction and the bottom ones just sit on the ridge of your jawbone. This is where the biggest problem arises.

When your teeth are removed, your body recognizes you no longer have any teeth roots. In an effort to be efficient, it resorbs the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body. This causes your jawbone to slowly shrink. Eventually, you won’t have enough jawbone left to support your denture. This is known as facial collapse. Because of your young age, this is especially important for you.

The Solution to Facial Collapse

The best way to prevent facial collapse is to have dental implants placed in your jaw. These will mimic the roots of your teeth and let your body know you still need the bone to retain teeth. With about four to six implants you can anchor dentures to them. These are known as implant overdentures and will completely eliminate the problems caused by dentures.

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