I have had a difficult time ever since getting my dentures. They are not nearly as comfortable as I had hoped they would be. It is also hard to eat. One thing I am wondering is if the dentures are even made correctly. The area where my wisdom teeth were doesn’t have anything there which has me chewing on gums. My dentist said I didn’t have those teeth before my dentures so it shouldn’t matter but, for some reason, with dentures it feels even worse.
Danny
Dear Danny,
Most patients have difficulty with dentures. Even the best fitting ones can reduce your chewing capacity by 50%. One thing your dentist can fix, however, is the area of coverage. The denture should go back a bit past where your wisdom teeth were to what is called the retromolar pad. He probably does not want to do that because it would mean starting over.
However, there is a bigger issue to consider. When your teeth are removed. This situation with your dentures will only get worse. The moment your teeth were removed, your body began to resorb the minerals in your jawbone. This helps it to use your body’s resources efficiently. The unfortunate side effect is that it causes your jawbone to shrink. As this happens, it gets harder and harder to keep your dentures in place. After ten years or so, you will no longer have enough jawbone left to even retain your dentures. This is known in dental circles as facial collapse.
The Solution to Facial Collapse
This can all be prevented, including your valid complaints about your dentures, by getting dental implants and then anchoring your denture to them. These are known as implant overdentures. The dental implants signal to your brain that there are still tooth roots there and as a result it leaves the minerals in place to help support them. Anchoring the dentures to the implants means that they are completely secure. You’ll have no slipping and sliding of the denture and no uncomfortable plate for your top denture or soreness from rubbing against the bone ridge on your bottom denture.
This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.