I have a mouth that is driving me crazy. I feel like every single visit to the dentist leads to more visits to the dentist to deal with the problems they find. I’m spending so much time there, I should get a key at this point. I’m thinking I should just get dentures and be done with these stupid teeth. Do I see the dentist or the oral surgeon first?
Paul
Dear Paul,
If you are getting dentures, then my recommendation would be to go to a dentist who can do both the pre-denture surgery and the dentures. The surgery is not complicated and should be something every dentist is qualified to do. However, I wouldn’t convince a dentist to do it. Instead, look for a dentist who already has experience with the surgery. I would just call a dental office and ask what their normal procedure is as to whether they do the surgery themselves or refer out to an oral surgeon.
Before You Decide on Dentures
I know it sounds like your life will be a lot easier without teeth right now, but I want to make sure you understand what will happen as a result. First, as soon as your teeth are removed, your body immediately begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone. It does that to be as efficient with your body’s resources as possible. Recognizing you no longer have any teeth that need to be supported, it uses those minerals elsewhere in your body. Unfortunately, this has the side effect of shrinking your jawbone. In about ten years or so, you will no longer have enough jawbone to even retain your dentures. In dental circles, this is known as facial collapse. I’ve put an image of what this does to a jaw above.
To prevent this, you have a couple of options. First, save as many teeth as possible. If you are keeping up with all your oral health care and dental cleanings and are still having problems, evaluate how much snacking you are doing between meals. One of our biggest allies against tooth decay is our saliva, which contains bacteria fighting minerals, but it needs time to work. If you are a frequent snacker (including drinks that aren’t water), then your saliva can’t do its job. If you are not a frequent snacker, then it may be an issue of losing a genetic lottery. If that is the case and you want to replace your teeth instead of continuing to fight them, the second solution to this would be to get implant supported dentures. The dental implants signal to your body that you still have tooth roots you need to retain your bone structure.
This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.