I’m having the worst time with my dentures the last few months. While I’d never call them pretty, even when I first got them about 17 years ago, they are so stained now, it looks like I have no oral hygiene at all. To top it off, now they won’t even stay in my mouth. Let’s start with one problem at a time. Is there a good way to get them to stay in my mouth? Will whitening my dentures work to make them look better?
Pricilla
Dear Pricilla,
You should know that teeth whitening only works on natural tooth structure, so it won’t do anything to whiten your dentures. However, I have a solution for you that will solve both of your problems at once. The length of time you have been wearing dentures is enough time for facial collapse to set in. I don’t know if your dentist warned you about this when you first got dentures, but here is how it works. When you first had your teeth removed, your body recognized this and, as a result, began resorbing the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body. This slowly shrinks the size of your jawbone. This is especially challenging for your lower denture because it rests on the ridge of your jawbone. By the time you reach 10 – 20 years, there is not enough jawbone left to retain your dentures. This is what you are facing now.
The Solution to Facial Collapse
Here is what you need to do to repair this. First, you will need a bone grafting done. This procedure builds back up the bone structure you’ve lost. From there, you have two choices. You can simply get new dentures made or you can get implant overdentures made. If you choose just dentures, the cycle of facial collapse will start over again.
With implant overdentures, you will have between four and eight dental implants placed in your jaw, and then, after the bone has had time to integrate with the implants, a denture will be attached to it. This not only completely secures your denture, while also increasing your quality of life, but it will also prevent any further loss of your jawbone. This is because your brain interprets the implants as roots of your teeth and leaves your jawbone intact, certain that you need the bone.
This blog is brought to you by Des Moines Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Phelan Thomas.