I have had horrible teeth most of my life and my dentist said I should just get dentures. While on one hand, I am excited about getting pretty teeth, which leads to my question. The other hand has me really creeped out about the idea of dentures. It seems like something just for old women and I’m 35. So, my first question. Can I get gold put on these? Second, am I being silly being worried about dentures? I’m sure things have advanced.
Pearl
Dear Pearl,
I’ll start with your first question, then I’m going to detour before I answer the second one, which I promise to get to. Can you have a gold tooth or teeth placed in your dentures? Absolutely! A great cosmetic dentist can make your teeth look any way you like and we have patients request everything from gold teeth to diamond studs, all the way up to a football team’s logo.
One thing I would suggest is if it is at all possible to bring an image of the look you are going for. When some people say gold teeth, they want an entire gold tooth. Others just want the tooth outlined in gold. Your dentist will need to know exactly what you want in order to give you the results you are picturing.
Should You Give Up On Your Teeth?
Bear in mind, that I have not examined you so it is very possible it is time to get rid of all your teeth. However, before I did that, I would certainly get a second opinion. Dentists vary in the amount of work they want to put into saving teeth. Some will do everything to save natural tooth structure that is humanly possible. Others are extraction happy. Natural teeth are always better for you than fake teeth, even with the advancements we’ve made. So, try and see if any of your teeth can be saved.
Are Dentures Your Best Option?
The short answer to this is no. Even the best fitting dentures will reduce your chewing capacity by 50%. That will make it hard for you to eat the way you used to. However, the biggest problem is the problem with facial collapse. If that sounds serious, it is.
When your teeth are removed, your body notices there are no longer any tooth roots in your jaw that it needs to retain. As a result, it begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body. While an excellent use of your body’s resources, it has the unfortunate side effect of shrinking your jawbone. After about ten or so years, you will no longer have enough jawbone left to retain your dentures. Not to mention it makes you look decades older than you actually are.
The Solution to Facial Collapse
If it turns out that you do need to remove your teeth. Do not panic. There have been advances in tooth replacement. Your best solution is to get dental implants placed in your jaw and then anchor dentures to them. The dental implants serve to send your body a signal that you still have teeth which need to be retained. This keeps your jawbone perfectly healthy and intact. Plus, the dentures are completely secure, which means you can eat anything you want. You will also never have to worry about any embarrassing incidents where your dentures fall out. This is the tooth replacement I would suggest for someone at your age.
This blog is brought to you by Des Moines Dentist Dr. Phelan Thomas.
