 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Medical Forum / General / Dentistry / August 2006Why Not Full Dentures?
I'm the one that had the earlier question about who pays to re-cement a bridge. I've spendt some time reading on this site, and all I really see looking forward about my teeth is more of the same. More money that will go down the drain. Money I really can't afford. So, why not just have whats left pulled and have dentures?. Every time I say this to anyone they are horrified that I would even think of doing that....but when you read some of the problems that people have had with their teeth and the huge expense, with no real results...what could possibly be worse? I've just had it. I don't trust any dentists anymore. Could someone please explain what would be so awful about doing that? I"m beginning to think that the dentists say it's a terrible thing to do, because then they can't count on me to pay their absolutely ridiculous fees for work that always fails. Depends whose fault it is ..... usally a bridge STAYS PUT ...... some as long as 68 years and counting! YUP one of my patients although not my bridgework. Joe -- Joel34 A valid question from a layman, but unfortunately things aren't always as simple as they seem. To give you the short version, extracting all your teeth and having full dentures will give you a life of trouble and you'll probably spend the rest of your time on earth regretting what you did. And now the slightly longer version: Dentures are not a substitute for teeth. They are a substitute for not having any teeth. Which means that a denture is much better than not having anything at all to chew with, but they really suck when compared to your natural "gnashers". Because they are essentially two big pieces of acrylic floating in your mouth and not actually anchored to it, your masticatory ability will be severely limited. Soups, mashed potatoes and shakes will generally be ok for you, but stakes, chops and the really good stuff might become a bit too hard, especially as time goes by. When teeth are no longer present in your jawbone, your body begins to resorb the bone present to hold them in place (I guess it feels it doesn't need it anymore). This same bone however, is critical for denture retention. If you do this while you are still relatively young you will end up with no bone there at all and dentures that will be so loose as to be useless for eating, or even talking. I've seen quite a few patients in their 60s, and some younger ones, with that kind of problem, especially for the lower denture. My attempts to construct an adequate conventional denture for them have invariably failed. Such people usually need implant-retained dentures, which brings as back to the "huge expense" category you mentioned. My advice is don't even think about it and try to find a good dentist (perhaps through recommendations of your friends) George George Your's is the standard response of s dentist to the prospect o dentures for a patient. Obviously no-one would want dentures if the have healthy teeth. In my case I did not have healthy teeth or gums an over a twenty or so year period had all sorts of treatments. Thes delayed matters but did not in the end prevent the loss of all m teeth. So for the last two years I have been wearing full dentures They are not as bad as you say. I can eat much more than just mashe food. My appearance has improved and so I feel has my health. In fact felt healthier almost as soon as my last tooth left my mouth. Had known what dentures were like and had been given the option, I woul have chosen dentures over years of unsatisfactory teeth. I think man other people would do the same -- rya > George: > Your's is the standard response of s dentist to the prospect of [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > have chosen dentures over years of unsatisfactory teeth. I think many > other people would do the same. Dear Ryan, Teeth are important to me because I'm a dentist, but I understand that every person has a threshold of teeth trouble when he finally says "enough is enough!". My advice to try to keep your natural teeth as long as possible (especially the lower ones) comes from my experience with my patients. I have several patients in their 60s who have lost their teeth at a young age and have been denture users for a long time. The top ones aren't bad, but all the bone in the lower jaw is gone and their dentures are so loose they're lucky if they can eat mashed food (most of the time they go by with soup). I tried again and again to provide them with satisfactory replacements and it's impossible - there's nothing there for the dentures to anchor on. Most of these patients now face thousands of pounds of implants and some will require additional corrective surgery before they can have a viable denture. Regards, George You are happy with full dentures now -- you don't state your age. However, as time goes by, the alveolar ridges will start to resorb [slowly fade away] and it will become increasingly difficult to wear/eat with your lower denture. I've seen NUMEROUS patients with problems with their teeth and they ultimately get dentures and are happy for a while, but sooner or later become extremely frustrated with their lower denture moving around too much. > George: > Your's is the standard response of s dentist to the prospect of [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > have chosen dentures over years of unsatisfactory teeth. I think many > other people would do the same. George Obviously nobody is going to go to the dentist and say pull out m healthy teeth. I wish I had had healthy teeth but I did not. It was matter of time until I lost them I agree that it is a question of the patient's threshold for retainin teeth. In this I was never consulted. I was always given the answe which you have given: You'll regret getting dentures, bone loss, poo artificial substitutes, etc. Had I been asked I would have had th extractions much earlier. As it is I have suffered a certain amount o bone loss that could of been avoided. Also I would of been younger an adapting to dentures may of been quicker, I don't know Bone support is an issue with dentures, I know. The support for min is adequate now and I hope it will remain so even though there will b more strinkage. Regular check-ups will help. Ironic really. I hav regular check-ups now when I neglected them for years when I had teeth So my problems were part my own fault and part genetics - gum diseas started quite early One of the factors that made me less fearful of dentures were m parents' experience of dentures, particularly my father's. Both wor dentures from a young age. I guess before they were thirty. The continued to have a full diet until the end. Yes they were difficul things; crusty bread, hard and sticky food and a greater reliance o cutting things up small but they didn't exist on soup and mashed food Also they recommended that their friends get dentures when teet troubles arose. For my father, teeth were more trouble thatn they wer worth. While my mother warned me about the risks of not cleaning m teeth before going to bed because otherwise I would get dentures lik her, it was obvious she didn't mind the fact of dentures herself My point is this. In my parent's time dentists were too quick I thin to extract teeth; now they are probably too slow. Dentures ar described giving only the negative and not of the positive. Patient are not given a choice Jacob I am now 60. I would have to say, if asked, I prefer dentures to th state of my teeth when they were extracted. Also I would have preferre to have avoided the efforts to save my teeth which turned out (and think always were) futile - and expensive I know there is a risk of excessive bone loss but I also expect that will have many years of reasonably satisfactory denture wear an probably for the rest of my life if my parent's are any guide Yes, the lower denture presents greater difficulties than the uppe but I have learned unconsciously to keep it in place -- rya I certainly hope that you continue to be satisfied with your new dentures. Considering your specific situation, apparently, you made the best choice. I would not, however, want the general public to believe that dentures are some fantastic solution to dental problems. I certainly wish you good luck with yours, and am happy that you are very satisfied! > George: > [quoted text clipped - 47 lines] > Yes, the lower denture presents greater difficulties than the upper > but I have learned unconsciously to keep it in place. Hi Ryan, 60 is not a bad age to have a denture. On contrast, I have a 30-year old patient with almost full dentures (drug abuse problem) that will have to go through 30 years of bone resorption before he reaches your age. I also saw a 22-year old patient last year who asked me to remove all of his teeth and replace them with dentures. I declined of course. Jacob You mentioned that I had made the best choice, apparently. My point i that it was not my choice. Had it been my choice and the situation ha been fully expained to me, I would have made the choice of ful dentures much earlier, based on what I know now. The treatment for gu disease was expensive and ultimately ineffective and I wished I coul of avoided the discomfort and cost of it and bowed to the inevitabl earlier Nobody would want to go through the process of losing there teeth an adapting to dentures if this could be avoided, rather than deferred. I is painful at times, frustrating, inconvenient and embarrassing. Th patient should know what to expect with dentures, there limitations fo eating, difficulties with the lower denture and the long term shrinkin of your gums. That needs to be balanced with ability to adjust t dentures and the long term outlook for retaining teeth and bone, th cost and disomfort and the enthusiasm of the patient My experience is that dentists delay that decision, often for too long when there patient's health and well being would be improved b dentures. The attitude is that dentures should be avoided at all costs I disagree I think that many patients would be better off being fitte with dentures sooner rather than later. This is something that dentist seldom if ever do. I know this is a difficult area of judgement bu there is a reluctance to exercise it -- rya |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.