Dr. Noah's Dentistry Blog

Questions About Dentistry Answered

Snap on Smile for a Bulimic?

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I am a recovering bulimic and have hardly any enamel left on my teeth as a result. My dentist says I need porcelain veneers on all of the teeth, but that is way more than I can afford. Can you tell me if snap-on smile would work as a result? My teeth are so sensitive and hurt all the time.

Amy

Dear Amy,

image of snap-on smile

I am sorry for what you are going through, but at the same time really proud of you for taking the steps to recovery. You are in a tough spot. The most that you will get out of snap-on smile is an improvement in your appearance. Unfortunately, it will not help with the sensitivity.

What you need to help with that are dental crowns. I am not sure why your dentist suggested porcelain veneers. When done correctly they can provide you with a beautiful smile, but they only cover the front of your teeth. It is the back of your teeth that takes the brunt of the damage from bulimia. Porcelain veneers will be useless to you in this case.

What you need is an artistic dentist who can provide you with beautiful dental crowns. This is still expensive. However, if you call around you will likely be able to find a dentist sympathetic to your situation who will do this is stages for you. He or she can triage the teeth and decide which are more urgent to get crowned and then work from there. Look for someone who advertises as an affordable dentist. They tend to be very compassionate toward people in your situation.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.

Dentures that Won’t Make Me Gag

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I haven’t been to the dentist in close to 20 years. As a result, my teeth are an absolute wreck and I need to get dentures. The problem is that I have one of the worst gag reflexes known to man and dentures require an upper plate. I even gag when trying to brush my teeth, which is why my teeth are such a mess. A friend of mine said there is a way to get dentures that don’t need a plate. Have you heard of those?

Camilla

Dear Camilla,

implant overdentures

Implant Overdentures

I am sorry about your gag reflex. That sounds a bit miserable. The good news is your friend is correct. It is possible to get dentures without needing a dental plate. You do that by getting implant supported dentures, also called implant overdentures. These use between four to six dental implants per arch and then anchor your dentures to them. In addition to being completely secure, you will also find you can eat anything you want. Even the best fitting removable dentures will reduce your chewing capacity by 50%. This is not something you will have to worry about with implant overdentures.

The downside is two-fold. Dental implants are more expensive. They also require surgery in order to place the implants firmly in your jawbone. Patients find that the pros far outweigh the cons.

If you are on a tight budget and cannot afford six dental implants, you can get snap-on dentures. These only require two implants on the bottom arch. For the top arch you will need more.

I suggest you talk to a dentist who offers dental implants and have a consultation with him or her to see what options are best for your situation and budget.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.

My Dentures Won’t Stay In

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I’m am only 58 years old and have lower dentures. They will not stay in anymore. My dentist told me that I have lost a lot of the ridge that holds them in. Is there anything I can do to keep them in? Not even adhesives work at this point?

Della

Dear Della,

Before and After Facial Collapse

Before and After Facial Collapse

This is a difficult position you are in. When you first got dentures, your body immediately recognized that you did not have teeth on your bottom arch anymore. In order to be as efficient with your body’s resources as possible, it began to resorb the minerals in your jawbone in order to use them elsewhere in your body where it feels they will be more useful. This has the unfortunate effect of shrinking the jawbone, which includes the ridge that holds in your dentures. This is known as facial collapse. By the way, it also tends to make you look older than you are as well.

implant overdentures

Implant Overdentures

The solution to this is bone grafting. It is an outpatient procedure that will build the bone back up. Once you have that bone you have a couple of choices. You can just get dentures again, but you will have the same cycle of facial collapse start again. Ideally, you would instead get implant supported dentures. These use between four to six dental implants and then anchor the denture to them.

snap on denture If you cannot afford that many dental implants, you could look into getting snap-on dentures. This uses just two implants and your denture will snap onto them. This will keep your bone in that area from shrinking, which will prevent them from falling out ever again. Obviously, the implant overdentures will be more secure because they have more implants, but even just the snap-on dentures will be a good option for you.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.