I have not been crazy about my dentures. One thing that has been specifically irritating is the fact that I am chewing on the gums where my wisdom teeth used to be. The dentures are not covering that area at all. My dentist doesn’t think this is a big deal, but it is making life uncomfortable for me. Should they go back far enough to cover that area?
Brian
Dear Brian,
I am glad you wrote. I will be honest that dentures have many flaws, some serious, that lower your quality of life. However, the situation with the gums by your wisdom teeth is one that is definitely fixable and should not have been an issue for you to begin with.
Your denture should cover not just the area where your wisdom teeth were, but also go a smidge further. Just past your wisdom tooth area is your retromolar pad. Ideally, the denture should cover part of that as well. You do not want it to compare the entirety of the pad because that causes the upper and lower dentures to conflict with each other.
A possible reason your dentist is trying to ignore this is that the only way to fix the problem is for your dentist to start over with brand new impressions. This is a lot of work for him, especially if you have already paid for it.
You have a couple of options here. You could show him this blog post. If his integrity is not pricked by that, then you can threaten to post a negative review online. These reviews do impact a dentist’s ability to draw in new patients.
A Danger with Completely Removable Dentures
I hope your dentist warned you about the dangers of wearing completely removable dentures in the long term. When your teeth are removed, your body immediately begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone as a means of being as resourceful with your body’s needs as possible. While efficient, it does have the unfortunate side effect of shrinking your jawbone.
You will notice that it will become harder and harder to for your to eat and keep your dentures in place. Eventually, you will lose so much of your jawbone that it will no longer be possible to retain your dentures. This is known in dental circles as facial collapse.
The Solution to Facial Collapse
The way to prevent this issue is to get implant retained dentures. This is commonly called implant overdentures. The dental implants serve as prosthetic tooth roots and will signal to your body to keep those minerals in your jawbone. You’ll find your quality of life goes up dramatically and you’ll be able to eat anything you want again.
This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.