problems with dentures Archives - Dr. Noah's Dentistry Blog

Dentures that Won’t Make Me Gag

November 9, 2022 by writeradmin

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

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

February 7, 2022 by writeradmin

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

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

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.

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.

Will My Face Really Collapse if I Get Dentures?

May 30, 2019 by writeradmin

I’ve had massive problems with my teeth. So much that they’re all coming out. I’m new in my career and don’t have a lot of money. Because of that, I want to get dentures. My dentist wants me to get dental implants and said because I’m in my 30s getting dentures would cause my face to collapse. Is that true or is he trying to scare me into the more expensive procedure?

Marcus

Dear Marcus,

dentures and dental implant side by side

I don’t know how your dentist explained this to you. I’m sorry you have had so much trouble with your teeth. What your dentist is calling facial collapse, is a term used to describe the shrinking of your jawbone.

This happens after your teeth are removed. Your body recognizes there are no longer teeth roots there. As a result, in an effort to be efficient, it takes the minerals from your jawbone and redistributes them elsewhere to areas it perceives they’ll be more useful. As your dentist mentioned, this has unfortunate repercussions.

How Dental Implants Prevent Facial Collapse

As you can see from the image on the top right, dental implants place a prosthetic root in your jawbone to replace the root you lost when your tooth was extracted. This signals to your body that there are still teeth there and your jawbone remains intact.

So, here’s is what I’m going to recommend to you. First, try to save all the teeth you can. Natural teeth are always worth fighting for. You can get dental implants for the ones which can’t be saved.

If you are unable to save any teeth, it would be too much money for you to do a one-to-one ratio of teeth to implants. Instead, you’d get something called implant overdentures. This places four to six dental implants and then you can anchor a denture to them.

This gives you the protection of dental implants without needing one for each tooth.

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

Dentist Says Dental Implants are a Necessity

December 9, 2018 by writeradmin

I’d planned on getting dentures once my teeth are extracted. However, my dentist says he only does partial and no longer does complete dentures. Instead he’ll only offer me dental implants. Of course, they’re way, way more expensive. That doesn’t make any sense to me. I noticed on your site you offer both. Is my dentist just making a money grab?

Megan

Dear Megan,

It sounds like your dentist will only offer what he considers the ideal treatment. Dr. Noah’s treatment philosophy is not everyone can afford the ideal. Instead, he’ll tell them all the pros and cons of their decision and then leave it up to them.

It’s a shame your dentist just told you the ideal without explaining why. I’ll try to explain the difference here.

The Danger with Dentures: Facial Collapse

When your teeth are removed, it doesn’t just take the crowns of your teeth, but the roots underneath the gums as well. Your body recognizes this and (being the efficient living machine it is) decides to take the minerals in your jawbone which were used to help support your tooth roots and use them elsewhere in your body where it perceives they will be more useful.

The sad result of this is your jawbone begins to shrink. This is known as facial collapse. It means after 10 or more years, you will appear many years older than you really are. Even worse, you will no longer have enough jawbone left to support your dentures.

Dental Implants Prevents Facial Collapse

If you look at the image at the top of the page, I have a side by side of dentures on the left and a single dental implant on the right. Notice especially the dental implant. There is a root form that is implanted into your jawbone. Then, after a healing period, a porcelain crown will be placed on top.

It’s the prosthetic root which signals to your body, “Hey! There are still teeth here. We need our jawbone.” This protects your jawbone from being resorbed.

Implant Overdentures Can Save You Money

While dental implants are more costly, implant overdentures can work using just four to six dental implants and then attaching the dentures to them. This has several benefits.

It much less expensive.
It will preserve your jawbone.
Your dentures will be secure, unlike regular dentures.

Again, I’m sorry your dentist didn’t explain this to you. I hope it helps in your decision making process.

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

Why is My Face Shrinking?

October 13, 2018 by writeradmin

I’ve heard you can get smaller as you age, but lately, it seems like the lower half of my face is shrinking as well. I don’t know what’s going on. My dentures barely fit anymore. I’m afraid to go out in public because there’s no room for them and they slip out. Is this typical?

Avery

Dear Avery,

An illustration of the damage done by facial collapse using two pictures of a woman, one before and one after

Wearing Dentures for Too Long Causes Facial Collapse

What you’re suffering from is known as facial collapse. This occurs when you’ve been wearing dentures for a number of years. When you remove your teeth, your body realizes that you no longer have teeth roots in your jaw. Because our bodies are incredibly efficient (I mean what other pieces of equipment holds up for 80 years living mostly off burgers and fries?), it resorbs the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere, perceiving they’re no longer needed.

This is why your jaw is slowly shrinking. It’s also why your dentures no longer fit properly. Eventually, you will be unable to keep them in your mouth at all, leaving you a dental cripple stuck on a liquid diet. I’m concerned your dentist neither warned you about this nor recognized what was happening to you.

A Solution for Facial Collapse

There are two solutions for you. Both will include getting bone grafting done. This is where a surgeon builds back up the bone you’ve lost. After that, you can choose to have your dentures remade to fit the new structure. Just bear in mind, you’ll face the same issue of disintegration that your original dentures caused.

Another option is for you to replace your teeth with dental implants. This uses prosthetic tooth roots, usually made out of titanium, to help your body to know the bone is still necessary to hold in the new roots of your teeth. They have other benefits as well.

Advantages of Dental Implants

They are permanently secure. Once they’re placed, it’s like having healthy, natural teeth back. There’s no slipping. No sliding.
Your chewing capacity will increase dramatically.
They protect you from developing facial collapse.

The key is to communicate with your dentist and let him look and advise.

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

Dentist Said My Face Will Collapse with Dentures

February 15, 2018 by writeradmin

I don’t know if my dentist is saying this just to scare me into dental implants, but thought I’d check just in case. I’m losing my teeth due to a lifetime of both problems that could and couldn’t be controlled. My dentist wanted me to get dental implants, but they cost a fortune. I was considering dentures, but he says they make your face collapse. Is he just trying to scare me into the more important procedure?

Troy M.

Dear Troy,

Has your dentist given you a reason to think he’s manipulated you in the past? If so, that would be an egregious breach of trust between a patient and caregiver. Whatever his character, in this case, he’s right. Though, when he talks about your face collapsing he doesn’t mean your whole face. He’s referring to your jawbone shrinking.

Once you remove all your teeth, your body reabsorbs the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere throughout your body. This causes your jawbone to shrink little by little. As that progresses, you’ll no longer be able to wear your dentures because they won’t fit.

Why Your Dentist Suggested Dental Implants

Implants, as their name implies, places a titanium implant into your jawbone. Then after your bone has reabsorbed around the implant and is stable, your dentist can place a porcelain crown on top. Now you’re talking about all your teeth, so you don’t want to pay for a one-to-one ratio dental implants to teeth, unless of course you are independently wealthy.

Generally, you would get implant supported dentures, which is a mixture of the two treatments. It anchors your dentures to your jaw. This prevents you from losing mass in your jawbone and keeps your dentures from slipping and sliding around. Obviously, the more dental implants the better.

Talk to your dentist about what would work best in your particular situation. However, if you don’t trust your dentist, you’d be better served looking for another dentist which you can. Be sure to check their reviews so you get some idea what you’re getting into.

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