I’ve been in dentures for about ten years. I wanted to get dental implants originally, but they were so expensive. I’ve saved up, but when I went to see my dentist about switching out the dentures for dental implants, he said it was too late. Apparently, my bone shrank. Did it really take me too long? Is there any way around the bone thing or am I stuck with removable dentures?
Paulie
Dear Paulie,
If they only issue is the shrinking jaw, then, no, it is not too late for you to get dental implants. You will just need an additional procedure first. I don’t know why your dentist didn’t tell you about it.
When you removed your teeth, your body recognized that and began resorbing the minerals in your jawbone in order to use your body’s resources as efficiently as possible. This has the side effect of slowly shrinking your jawbone. This is known as facial collapse. That bone is essential to help you retain your dentures. Without it, your dental implants will fail and fall out.
What you need is a bone grafting procedure that can build back up the bone. Once that has healed, then you are safe to get dental implants. Dentures can be anchored to them, giving you a secure smile. These are known as implant supported dentures. You won’t have to worry about losing any more bone structure because the dental implants signal to your bone that you have teeth which need to be secured.
Don’t pressure your dentist to do this. It sounds to me like he either hasn’t kept up with the field or doesn’t know how to do it. You will be better off finding a dentist who is trained in the procedures you need.
This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.