Dentures Archives - Susan M. Dennis, D.D.S

Upper Denture is Making Me Gag

Posted on September 16, 2024 by writeradmin.

Can you give me some advice? I have removable dentures. My lower denture feels fine, but every time I put my upper denture in, it causes me to gag. Is there anything that can help me with this?

Sheila

Dear Sheila,

Dentures come with a host of problems, one of which is what you are experiencing now. There are many patients who have trouble with an upper denture. There are a couple of solutions for you. First, the ideal solution is to get implant supported dentures, pictured above. This will completely eliminate the need for anything to go across your palate. While it will help your comfort and stop the gagging, it is more urgent for the lower arch to have the dental implants.

This is to prevent what is known in dental circles as facial collapse. When your teeth are first removed, your body kicks into preservation mode. It begins resorbing the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body that it perceives as you no longer needing because you do not have teeth to support. This slowly shrinks your jawbone. This is not much of a problem for your upper dentures because those are held in by suction. However, the lower dentures rest on that jawbone. After about ten years or so, you no longer have enough jawbone left to retain your dentures.

The best thing you can do is have four or more dental implants placed in each arch and then anchor the dentures to them. This will both eliminate the problem of facial collapse as well as take care of the gagging problem you are having with the upper denture.

An Alternative Solution for Your Upper Denture

If getting them on both arches is impossible, there is another potential solution for the upper denture. Upper dentures typically go all the way over the hard palate to the vibrating line of the soft palate. This can be a cause for gagging.

A prosthodontist, Dr. Finlay Sutton (Lancashire, England), published his technique of cutting the denture in a way that preserves the suction, but helps prevent the gagging in some patients. You could try this and then get the implants on the lower dentures in order to preserve your bone structure.

This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.

Can I Get a Pretty Smile without Dentures?

Posted on May 18, 2024 by writeradmin.

Thirty years ago, I had to get dentures. They were never pretty, but I did not expect them to be. They were dentures after all. Recently, a friend of mine got dental implants and they are absolutely beautiful. Is it too late for me to get those for my teeth? I would love to have a pretty smile.

Emily

Dear Emily,

Implant supported dentures

I have great news and bad news for you. I’ll get the bad news over with first. The truth is you would have been able to have a beautiful smile thirty years ago, even with dentures. What determines whether or not they are pretty has nothing to do with them being dentures and everything to do with the cosmetic and artistic skill of the dentist making them. Your dentist at the time seems to have been lacking in artistry.

Now for the great news. As long as you are in good general health, there is no reason why you cannot get dental implants now, with one caveat. It is highly likely that you will need to have some bone grafting done first. This is because when your teeth were removed your body began to resorb the minerals in your jawbone to be used where they are most needed. With no teeth roots to hold in place, they were not needed in your jawbone.

Dental implants require bone in order to keep them secure. Even more importantly, you will eventually not have enough jawbone left to even keep in your dentures. This is known in dental circles as facial collapse.

Having dental implants placed signals to your body that you still have teeth roots in your mouth and then it leaves the minerals for your jawbone in place. Very few people can afford to replace each individual tooth with dental implants. Instead, they have about four to six dental implants placed and then anchor dentures to them. These are often called implant overdentures. This will give you a completely secure smile that will increase your quality of life significantly. Just make certain your dentist has post-doctoral training in placing dental implants. Also check that they can create beautiful, natural looking smiles. One way to check their artistry is by looking at their smile gallery.

This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.

Is She Allergic to Her Dentures?

Posted on April 15, 2024 by writeradmin.

Can you help me? I’m really worried that I am allergic to my dentures. I hope I am not because they fit really well and I’m told that is a rarity. Here’s what has been happening.

Day 1: At first everything was fine but after about six hours, I started having swollen glands and some swelling around the eyes.
Day 2: Same symptoms as before, but then my throat started to swell. I took some allergy meds and that seemed to help.
Day 3: Same symptoms, but more exaggerated. I grew a bit afraid that my throat was going to close up so I took allergy pills and removed the dentures. The symptoms eventually subsided. I left them out for a few days.
Day 7: I put the dentures back in and the symptoms started again.

I think I know that the answer is that I am allergic to the dentures, but I am hoping there is something that can be done because they really fit well.

Eileen

Dear Eileen,

Yes, it definitely sounds like you are allergic to these dentures. Having the allergy medication help pretty much cinches the conclusion. The first thing I am going to tell you is not to wear them until this is sorted out. Allergies can turn life-threatening and you were wise to discontinue the use when your throat was swelling. It could easily have closed up on you and made it impossible to breathe.

Next, you want to determine exactly what it is that you are allergic to. This will require that you see an allergist. One possibility is that you are allergic to the unreacted monomer. When acrylic is used to form a denture, it starts off in the liquid form. A chemical reaction is used to turn it into a polymer and cause it to harden. However, as with many chemical reactions, there are leftover reactants. In this case, it is the monomer. If it turns out that it is the unreacted monomer that you are allergic to, then you can have your dentist immerse it in very hot water for several hours. There is some research from the National Library of Medicine that says this is quite effective in reacting the remainder of the monomer.

A second alternative would be to have your dentist remake the denture using a different kind of material.

I do want to make certain that you are aware of the long-term dangers of wearing completely removable dentures. Your body will begin resorbing the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body because you no longer have any tooth roots that it needs to support. Unfortunately, this will begin to shrink your jawbone until there is no longer enough of your jawbone left to retain your denture. This is known in dental circles as facial collapse. The way to prevent this is to anchor your dentures to some dental implants.

Unless you are “up there” in years, I think it would be a good idea to look into dental implants while you are figuring out what you are allergic to.

This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.

For Dentures Do I See a Dentist or Oral Surgeon First?

Posted on November 15, 2023 by writeradmin.

I am in my late 40s and have always avoided the dentist because of anxiety. As a result, my teeth are in bad shape. Many of them are broken. A few are missing. This has kept me from socializing. I’d like to change that and think dentures will by my solution. One thing I am not certain about is whether I should go to a dentist first or an oral surgeon first to have the teeth removed. Is there a standard practice for this?

Robert

Dear Robert,

My suggestion is that you use a dentist who can do both the extractions and the dentures. It is not hard to do pre-denture surgery, so you should not have a problem with finding a dentist who can do that for you. One thing to be aware of, though, is you don’t want to hint to the office what you are looking for when you call around. Just ask them what the dentist’s normal procedure is when it comes to giving a patient dentures. This way you know whether or not they are in their comfort zone.

Given your dental anxiety, I would like you to also look for a dentist who offers oral conscious sedation. You can do an internet search for sedation dentists in your area and then make sure oral conscious sedation is one of their options. This is administered by a pill, but is strong enough that you will sleep through the procedure. In fact, some people call it sleep dentistry. Be aware that you will need someone to drive you to and from your dental appointment with this option.

A Warning about Long-term Dentures

From the moment you extract your teeth, your body will recognize that you no longer have any teeth roots in your mouth. Realizing it no longer has teeth to support, your body begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone that help with bone support, to use elsewhere in your body. It does this in an effort to be as efficient as possible with your body’s resources.

The unfortunate consequence that results is that as the minerals are resorbed, your jawbone shrinks. In about ten or so years, you will no longer have enough jawbone left to retain your dentures. In dental circles, this is known as facial collapse.

There is a way to prevent facial collapse. Instead of just having removable dentures, you first get some dental implants placed that your dentures can be anchored to. This is sometimes called implant overdentures. Not only does this signal to your body that you have teeth roots there which need to be retained, but completely secure the dentures and you never have to worry about slips.

This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Dentist Dr. Susan Dentist.

How Far Back Should a Denture Go?

Posted on September 23, 2023 by writeradmin.

I have a denture and no part of it covers the gums where my wisdom teeth were. I keep telling my dentist it is very uncomfortable but he does not seem concerned about it. Am I overstepping? How far back should this wisdom tooth go?

Alan

Dear Alan,

Whle your denture will never be completely comfortable and even the best fitting dentures will reduce your chewing capacity by 50%, this is something that your dentist could help you with. In fact, your denture should go past where the wisdom teeth gums are. If possible, it should cover at least part of the retromolar pad. This is a pad of tissue that is just past the wisdom teeth.

It is likely that your dentist does not want to do this because it would mean starting over. That is a lot of extra work for him as well as laboratory costs. If you have already paid for your denture, you do not really have a lot of leverage. If you haven’t, you can tell him you will pay when the denture is correctly made.

If you have paid, you could tell him you are going to leave a negative review. This will have an impact on his business.

I do not know your age. However, I want to make sure you were warned about the problem of facial collapse by your dentist. When your teeth were removed, your body immediately began to resorb the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body. It does this in an effort to be a efficient as possible with your body’s resources. Unfortunately, that has a side effect of shrinking y our jawbone. After about ten or so years, you will no longer have enough jawbone left to even retain your dentures. In dental circles, this is known as facial collapse.

The prevention to this is the have your dentures anchored to dental implants. Not only will that prevent facial collapse, it will also take care all of the comfort and chewing problems that have come with your dentures.

This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.

Are My Dentures Made Correctly?

Posted on June 23, 2023 by writeradmin.

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.

Is It Possible to Get a Soft Denture?

Posted on September 27, 2022 by Dr. Dennis.

I am having a hard time with my dentures. The hard plate is causing a severe gag reflex and I can’t keep it in as a result. Does anyone make a soft denture?

Casey

Dear Casey,

There is something as a soft denture liner. This is simply a soft piece that goes between the bony ridges of the jaw and the denture. It is designed to help people with super bony ridges who are prone to develop sores there as a result. However, there isn’t a soft denture, per se. This is because the plate has to be hard in order to for your chewing capacity. Even then, the best fitting dentures will reduce your chewing capacity by 50%.

For patients in your situation, the best solution is for you to get implant overdentures. These use between four to six dental implants in each arch. Then, your dentist can anchor the dentures to them.

Benefits of Implant Overdentures

No upper plate. Your gag reflex will have nothing to gag over!
Increased chewing capacity.
Totally secure, which means no wiggling or risk of them slipping or falling out.
Prevents facial collapse.

A Word about Facial Collapse

When your teeth were removed, your body immediately began to resorb the minerals in your jawbone. It does this in an effort to be as resourceful as possible with its resources, thinking you no longer have teeth, therefore you don’t need a jawbone to retain the roots.

This has the unfortunate effect of slowly shrinking your jawbone. After about ten or so years, you will no longer have enough jawbone left to retain your denture. With dental implants in place, your body determines you still have teeth there and leaves your jawbone intact.

This blog is brought to you by Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Susan Dentist of Michigan.

New Denture Won’t Stay In

Posted on September 13, 2022 by Dr. Dennis.

I was getting dentures to save money, but the stupid thing won’t stay in. I’ve heard after ten or so years I might have that trouble, but I thought I’d at least have ten years before having to get another one. There’s practically no suction. At first, my dentist said to give the gums a couple of weeks to adjust, but that didn’t work. Now he’s talking about doing a reline. Will that do any good?

Kevin

Dear Kevin,

While the reline will help, it’s very likely your dentist skipped a step that would have made a huge difference in the fitting of your denture, especially when it comes to the fit with suction. Because there is some pretty fierce competition in the denture market and most of that is based on patient’s price shopping, it is not uncommon for dentists to cut a couple of corners to try to get an edge on price compared to other dentists in their area.

One way they do that is with the impressions. The most accurate impressions are done in two steps. First, a heavier impression material is used for what is called border molding. The border of your denture is what creates the suction. Following this is a wash and then a lighter impression material to get the fine details on the soft tissue.

Where your dentist may have cut a corner is combining these two steps into one just using a medium impression material. Make sure when he does the reline you ask him to do the full two-step process to ensure the best fit.

The whole rigamarole about giving your gums time to adjust is completely bogus and just a delaying tactic. Don’t let him pull that one again.

A Word about Long-Term Denture Use

You mention you had been warned that eventually your dentures would have trouble staying in. This is true. However, you can’t just have new dentures made to fix that. It’s not that the dentures have stretched. Rather, it is because your jawbone has shrunk.

Once your teeth were removed, your body immediately began to resorb the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body. It does that in an effort to be efficient with your body’s resources. It knows you no longer have teeth, and sees no reason for the jawbone. After ten or so years, you’ll no longer have enough bone to keep your dentures in at all. This is known as facial collapse.

In order to have “teeth” again, you’ll have to have a bone grafting procedure done to build the bone back up. After that, you can have new dentures made, but the process will begin all over again. The only way to prevent this cycle is to get dental implants. These serve as prosthetic tooth roots. Your body interprets that as you still having teeth and, as a result, leaves your jawbone intact.

This blog is brought to you by Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis of Kalamazoo.

Dentist Wants to Extract all My Son’s Teeth

Posted on September 3, 2022 by Dr. Dennis.

I have a 23-year-old son who is a recovering meth addict. He’s been doing much better and we’d like to get his teeth back in shape to help with his self-esteem. The drugs did a number on his teeth. We brought him to see our family dentist. But he wants to just extract all of his teeth and have him wear dentures. I got the impression he was judging my son. I know he’s had problems, but I think dentures will be the wrong solution. I’m trying to improve how he views himself. Dentures will have the opposite effect. Is that really the only option left to him?

Mandy

Dear Mandy,

I think you need to take your son to see another dentist. This one obviously doesn’t care about your son. Dentures at his age is one of the worst solutions. The way it comes off to me is he doesn’t feel your son is worth the effort. You can’t tell me that none of his teeth can be saved.

The Danger of Dentures

When your son’s teeth are removed, his body will immediately begin to resorb the minerals in his jawbone. While it does this in an effort to be as efficient with its resources, it has the unfortunate side effect of shrinking his jawbone, as you can see in the picture above, the result will age his appearance several decades.

Not only will that devastate the way he views himself, but it will have a horrible impact on his health. After ten or more years, he won’t have enough jawbone left to keep his dentures in place. Dentists call this facial collapse. This will have a horrible impact on his health because he will be relegated to eating only the softest foods.

The Better Solution for your Son

What I am recommending is you invest in saving as many of your son’s teeth as possible. I’m guessing there are quite a few that can be saved. It always better to have a natural tooth. Always. For the teeth that cannot be saved, I still wouldn’t recommend dentures. What I am going to recommend is you replace whichever teeth cannot be saved with dental implants.

As you can see from the image above, the dental implant replicates a natural tooth pretty well. The implant represents the root of his tooth. These are placed surgically. Then, in addition to a period of healing, there will be time for the bone in his jaw to integrate with the implant. This process, known as osseointegration is what will help his jaw to retain the implant. Then after a period of healing, the dentist will add a dental crown to represent the visible portion of his tooth.

This is hard work for both your son and the dentist. I don’t think your dentist is willing to put in the work. I know there’s one out there who will. In fact, there are quite a few. Most dentists went into their field in order to help people. That is the best type of dentist for your son. Your current dentist just seems to be going through the motions.

This blog is brought to you by Holistic Kalamazoo Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.

Dentist Won’t Fix Her Teeth

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Dr. Dennis.

I grew up without going to a dentist. Now I’m 29 and with a good job that even has benefits and want to have a smile I am proud of. As it is now, I always smile with my lips closed. When I went to see the dentist he hinted that my teeth are too much of a mess and I’d be better off getting them out and getting dentures. I’m way too young for that. I know my teeth are discolored, chipped, and some have decay but I thought teeth could be fixed. Is there no hope for me?

Lexie

Dear Lexie,

Each dentist has a different range of where they find teeth saveable, but I find it hard to believe that none of your teeth are saveable. Based on what you’ve said, some solutions for you would be teeth whitening, composite fillings, dental bonding, and dental implants for the missing teeth.

However, some of those procedures require post-doctoral training, such as the dental implants and dental bonding. That being said, I agree you are too young for dentures. At your age, you would be in full facial collapse by the time your 50.

In your position, I would see another dentist for a second opinion. Specifically, look for a dentist who offers the services you need. Don’t stop there, though. Make sure you check that they have the post-doctoral training necessary to do it well.

One good thing working in your favor is your dentist didn’t try to do procedures he wasn’t qualified for. Too many dentists will go forward with something like dental implants even though they haven’t gotten the training they really needed. This usually ends up disastrous for the patients.

This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.