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Can I Get Dental Implants After 30 Years in Dentures?

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I have been wearing dentures for close to thirty years. Because of that, I have not had a pretty smile in many years. Plus, my dentures don’t even stay in anymore. I think they have stretched out over the years. A friend of mine has dental implants and her smile is beautiful. Is it too late for me to get a beautiful smile with dental implants?

Laurie

Dear Laurie,

Implant overdentures

Implant Overdentures

Technically, you can get dental implants at any time. However, the length of time that you have been in dentures means you are dealing with facial collapse. I don’t know if your dentist warned you when you first received your dentures, but this is one of the downsides to dentures. When your teeth were removed, your body recognized that and began resorbing the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere. While this is a remarkably efficient way of preserving your body’s resources, it does have the unfortunate side effect of slowly shrinking your jawbone. At this point, you probably have very little jawbone left. This is actually the reason why your dentures are not staying in.

Before you get the implants, you will need to build back up that bone structure again. This can be done with a bone grafting procedure. Once that is completed, you will need some healing time. From there, it will be time to get your dental implant procedure going. Because you were in full dentures, you will get implant overdentures, which is much more affordable than trying to replace each and every tooth with a dental implant.

Getting a Pretty Smile

Getting a beautiful smile has very little to do with whether you have dentures or dental implants. Instead, it is based on the skill of your dentist in cosmetic procedures. Dentures can be made to look stunning and dental implants can look fake. It all depends on the skill of the dentist. I would ask whatever dentist you choose to work with to see his smile gallery. This is a brag book of sorts that shows before and after pictures of cases he’s worked on. You’ll want a dentist who gets beautiful results. If they do not have a smile gallery, that means they do not do enough cosmetic work and likely cannot give you the beautiful smile you have been hoping for.

This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David Marion.

Losing Teeth Like Crazy

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I have pretty advanced gum disease and have already lost seven teeth. Is it possible for me to get dental implants to replace my teeth or will I be stuck with dentures?

Joe

Dear Joe,

Implant overdentures

Implant Overdentures

Dental implants are a great solution when you’ve lost your teeth. Anyone in good general health can usually get them. However, your gum disease will be an issue that will have to be addressed in order for this to be a successful option for you. In order to retain your dental implants, you need to have enough bone to integrate with the implants. Gum disease eats away at your bone structure, which is why you’ve been losing your teeth.

Here is my suggestion to give you the best outcome possible. Get serious about your gum disease treatment. Once that is handled, you will need to build back up the bone structure. There is an outpatient procedure known as bone grafting which can do that. Once you’ve healed from that, it will be time for your implants.

I know you’re probably thinking that is a lot of trouble to go through to get those implants. Maybe it would be easier to just get dentures? While it may seem easier at first, you will not feel that way with your quality of life. Even the best fitting dentures reduce your chewing capacity by 50%. Then, because there are no roots of your teeth any longer, your body will begin to resorb the minerals in your jawbone. This shrinks your jawbone to the point where you will no longer be able to keep your dentures in. The implants are worth it. They are like having healthy, natural teeth once again.

This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David Marion.

Should I Keep My Last Two Upper Teeth?

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I have two upper partial dentures. The only thing left on my upper teeth are the top two front ones. I can’t decide if I should keep them or extract them and get a full upper denture or keep the last two good teeth. I don’t know anyone else in this situation that I can ask. Is there a clinical opinion on this?

Marc

Dear Marc,

I am going to have to preface this by saying my advice is given based on general principles drawn from what you’ve said. I haven’t examined you or seen x-rays so there is no way for me to give you a definitive response.

In most cases, it is better to save your natural teeth whenever possible. Whenever you extract a tooth and replace it with a removable device, there is always some shifting and movement. If you replace it with a dental implant, that is closer to having a healthy natural tooth.

The Danger of Facial Collapse

There is usually an even bigger issue with having all your teeth removed, which is known as facial collapse. When your teeth are extracted, your body recognizes there are no longer teeth there. In order to use its resources well, your body begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone in order to use them elsewhere where it perceives they’ll be more useful. After ten to twenty years, depending on the individual body’s response, you will no longer have enough jawbone left to retain your dentures, a condition dentists call facial collapse. This doesn’t affect upper dentures nearly as much because that is held in by suction. However, if you were wearing a lower denture, it would be disastrous. These just rest on the ridge of your jawbone, which will disappear.

Your case is different. Yes, you have two teeth left, but with the eating/biting stresses put on them as your only natural teeth I don’t expect them to last long. The teeth for a complete denture will be much easier on your natural teeth on your bottom arch. In a situation such as yours, the best solution would be to remove those two upper teeth and place an implant overdenture there. This places four to six dental implants and anchors a denture to them.

Not everyone can afford that. However, even the least secure option of completely removable dentures will be better than what you have going on now. You’ll be more comfortable and it will look more natural.

This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David P. Marion.