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.