I’m not sure what to do. I’ve had dentures for years. For some reason, recently they won’t stay in. It’s keeping me from going out and interacting with people. Is there anything I can do to fix it?
Lanie
Dear Lanie,
I’m sorry for the position you’ve found yourself in. Fortunately, I can help. It doesn’t sound like when you originally had your dentures placed that your dentist warned you about the downside. When your teeth were removed, your body recognizes that. In an effort to be efficient with its resources, your body resorbs the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere.
The unfortunate result of this is your jawbone slowly begins to shrink. After a while, as you are facing, you no longer have enough jawbone left to support your dentures. This is known as facial collapse.
The Solution to Facial Collapse from Dentures
The first thing you will need is to build that bone structure back up. You can do that with a bone grafting procedure. Once that is done, you can then move forward. You’ll have two choices:
Choice One: Get Dentures Again
You can get new dentures to fit on your jawbone again. This is the most affordable option. However, you will need to be aware that it will be the same cycle of bone loss starting over.
Choice Two: Get Implant-Supported Dentues
A better option, if you can afford it, is the get implant overdentures. This uses between four to six dental implants and then attaches your dentures to them. The implants serve as prosthetic roots. These signal to your body that you still have teeth and it will then preserve your jawbone.
Your dentures will be completely secure. There will be no more reason for you to fear to interact with people again. The dentures won’t fall out or even slip.
In addition, you’ll find your chewing capacity will greatly increase as well.
This blog is brought to you by Huntsville Dentist Dr. Steve Murphree.
