I Can’t Keep My Denture In

I’m in tears most of the time. It’s bad enough going out knowing that you are in dentures and they’re going to slide about.  And, I’ve put up with uncomfortable eating for the last 30 years with particles of food getting under my dentures. And now, I can’t even keep them in. Not even with adhesives. I’ve stopped going anywhere in public. I’m gutted and miserable. Is there anything that can keep my teeth in at this point?

Olivia

Dear Olivia,

I am so sorry for all that you’ve been dealing with. Not feeling comfortable enough to be around others is devastating. The good news is that there is a solution. Though, you’ll need to understand why it happened first so that you don’t end up in the same position again.

Do Dentures Cause Facial Collapse?

When your teeth were removed, your body recognized that. As a result, it immediately began resorbing the minerals in your jawbone in order to use them in other places in your body where they would be more needed. Our bodies are remarkably efficient. It knows you don’t need to keep teeth roots in because you don’t have teeth, so it shifts the resources.

The only downside to that is as the minerals are moved, your jawbone begins to shrink. Your lower dentures rest on the ridge of your jawbone. With the amount of time you were in removable dentures, there would no longer be enough of your jawbone left to keep your dentures in place. In dental circles this is known as facial collapse. I’m actually a bit surprised this didn’t happen much sooner.

It does not sound like your dentist warned you about this being a consequence of wearing completely removable dentures long term. I’m sorry about that.  There is a way to prevent this from happening. However, to do that, you first have to build back up the lost bone structure. This is done with a bone grafting procedure.

Once that has healed you have two choices:

1. Get new dentures, but bear in mind that whole process of facial collapse starts again.
2. Have dental implants placed, then anchor your dentures to them. this is know as implant supported dentures.

How Do Dental Implants Prevent Facial Collapse?

Dental implants are the best tooth replacement option you can get. Because the implants are placed in your jawbone, it signals to your body that you still have teeth there. As a result, it leaves the minerals in place and your jawbone intact. This is an advanced procedure, so you will want to ask your dentist about their training as well as their success rate.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Bailey at Angel’s Smile Dental Care, the only female-owned dental practice in Draper, UT.