Baton Rouge Dentist

Am I Too Young For Dentures?

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Hi,

As a child, I never learned how to take care of my teeth. I also never went to the pediatric dentist, either – I didn’t see any dentist until I was in my twenties. When I finally went in, it was for a toothache and the dentist found that nearly all my teeth had serious issues. I was quoted an insanely high treatment plan estimate – nearly $10,000, even with insurance! I can’t afford that, but I’ve been going in whenever there’s a problem. Since then, I’ve had multiple teeth pulled, and I don’t see that stopping in the foreseeable future. I asked if I could just get dentures instead, but was told I was too young (I’m in my 30s). Would dentures really be that bad? It’d be nice to have a beautiful smile for once. Am I really too young for dentures?

Thank you,

Bebe, from Versailles, Kentucky.

 

Hi Bebe,

It’s difficult to fix a problem 30+ years in the making, but finding a supportive dentist will be a good start. Your dentist should have taken your concerns into account. Given your background, it’s not so unheard of to get dentures, even at your age. Your dentist should design a treatment plan that that saves any healthy teeth they can, instead of getting all of them extracted at once. This can be done over time and will save you money.

The only issue with dentures is that they will not feel like your natural teeth. While you may be a candidate for a partial or full upper denture, you can also consider implant overdentures, though implants would increase the cost.

Once all your teeth are extracted, the process of resorption will begin; your jaw will begin to break down over time, and this can lead to facial collapse, where the face is shrunken in appearance. Dental implants in the jaw will halt this process. If you get your teeth out now, you will be dealing with bone loss for the next few decades.

Dentures are not bad, but you should definitely save as many teeth as you can, and hold onto your natural teeth as long as possible. In your case, dentures would improve your smile, life, and confidence, but will lead to the issue of bone loss later on. Take your time with this process, and find a dentist you can trust to lead you through this.

This blog post is brought to you by Baton Rouge dentist, Dr. Ryan Perry.

 

 

PERIO SURGERY VS. DENTURES?

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I need to have a periodontal surgery where they cut the gums and lay them open to clean the teeth and possibly fill in where there is bone loss. With insurance I’m looking at close to $4000, plus I need a deep cleaning prior to the surgery, which is $1200. From what I’ve been told because my bone loss is 6 to 8 throughout my gums, this may not work. I’m 36, and I’m wondering if it would be better to just have my teeth extracted and get dentures. What do you think?

Thanks, Howard

Dear Howard

Sorry to hear about your gum disease problem at such a young age, however your teeth sound like there still savable. Bone loss involving six to eight mm pockets is considered moderate periodontal disease and very treatable especially if your teeth have very little or no mobility. Having the periodontal treatment recommended will stop the progression of the disease, therefore will help prevent you from losing your teeth; however it is vital that you develop exceptional oral hygiene habits and have dental cleanings every 3 months to maintain your smile and dental health.

The periodontal surgery can cost about the same as having all your teeth extracted and having dentures placed. Dentures are not like your natural teeth and most people can’t eat some of the foods they are use to. New denture wearers develop sores and gum pain which can end after a while or can last a lifetime especially if the denture is poor fitting. The bone and gums shrink over the years and dentures can become loose, therefore need to be relined or replaced. Upper dentures seem to stay in place better due to the suction we gain from the roof of the mouth, however lower dentures are another story. On the lower arch we do not get the same suction, there is less of a foundation, and the movement of the tongue prevents the lower denture from staying in place most of the time. If you choose to get dentures we would recommend that you consult your dentist about an over-denture on the lower jaw. This consist of having dental implants placed on the lower arch which then attaches to the denture keeping it stable and more comfortable.

We highly recommend that you save your natural teeth if possible. Always remember you will never have another set of teeth like your own and a denture is the last resort one should take.  If you’re concerned how well your teeth will respond to the periodontal surgery and there longevity you should get a second opinion to help you make the best decision for you.

Post courtesy of Dr. Perry, Baton Rouge Dentist.

Timing of wisdom teeth removal

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I am nearly 60 years old, and have had all my wisdom teeth up until a few weeks ago. One of the upper teeth had cracked, and my dentist said it was easier in this case to remove it than to repair it, so we took both the top teeth. The procedure went very well, and I am completely recovered.

My question is, do I have to have the other two out now? I’ve always heard of people having all four taken out. I asked my dentist about it and he said there is no reason to, though if I decide I want to I’ll have to have an oral surgeon do those as they are impacted. He said it might also affect a dental bridge I wear on the left side.

Is it worth it? What are the benefits? Thanks in advance for your help.

Celia in Bar Harbor, MA

Dear Celia,

In your case, it does not sound like there is a compelling reason to remove your remaining wisdom teeth. There should be a better reason than just “they are wisdom teeth”. It also sounds like that would be a more difficult and expensive procedure, with a long recovery. If your regular dentist did the extraction on your upper wisdom teeth, then they were probably not impacted. If the bottom ones are, their removal is more difficult, and the recovery will take longer.

Your dentist is giving you sound advice. I would keep the wisdom teeth in until there is some good reason to remove them.

Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Perry’s office sponsored this blog post.

For more information about natural looking, comfortable dentures, see our website.

Should my 20 year old daughter have all her teeth pulled?

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I really need some advice for how to guide my 20 year old daughter. She is a recovering addict, and I find that it is hard to get compassionate advice when people think you’ve brought your troubles upon yourself. She is trying really hard to turn her life around.

Her teeth have been completely ruined by the drug use. The dentist at the clinic wants to pull all her teeth and then fit her with dentures.

She is 20. Isn’t there some other way? The dentist wants to pull the teeth and fit the dentures all in one visit, which I was not going to allow in any case. This is just another example of the inhumane treatment recovering addicts encounter from medical professionals.

My daughter is in a lot of pain from her teeth, and I recognize that something has to be done, but I just keep hoping there is some other alternative.

Please help us.

Anne in Key West, FL

Dear Anne,

It is so sad when we hear stories like this. Everyone deserves a second chance, and compassion.

We are also not in favor of this treatment plan at all. Twenty is absolutely much too young to get all of her teeth pulled, especially when you understand the long term implications of this. When you lose a tooth, the bone at the site of the lost tooth begins to be re-absorbed into the jaw almost immediately. If you lose ALL your teeth, there is nothing preventing your jaw bones from becoming thin and brittle. Over time, the thinning bones make it impossible for the patient to wear any kind of denture at all. This condition is called facial collapse. It is tough enough to deal with in a person who is 80, but your daughter would be suffering this in her 40s. Treatment at that point involves expensive surgery for bone grafts and dental implants.

Almost certainly at least some of her teeth can be saved. Those teeth will help preserve the bone of her jaws and slow the process of re-absorption. Then partial dentures (which can be fairly reasonable, cost-wise) can be anchored on those remaining teeth to provide a more stable result. In the worst case scenario none of her teeth can be salvaged, at which point I would strongly recommend considering mini-implants to anchor a full denture. Even two implants per jawbone will help.

Many of us can only imagine how difficult the path you’ve walked is. Your compassion and love for your daughter are obvious in your desire to get her good dental care. We wish you the best of luck in this endeavor.

This blog post provided courtesy of the office of Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Perry.

Can I wait to get a dental implant?

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I have a tooth that has to come out. I’ve seen two different dentists (my regular dentist and a endodontist) and they both say that it can’t be saved, because there is decay below the gumline. I don’t have any kind of dental insurance, and I’d like to wait a while to save up the cost for the dental implant. Is there a limit on how long I can wait to get this procedure done?

Lily in Ann Arbor

Dear Lily,

If possible, you should not delay this any longer than is necessary for the socket to heal from the infection. The reason for this is that as soon as a tooth is removed, the teeth that surround it begin to move to close the gap, and the opposing tooth (the corresponding tooth in the opposite jaw) will begin to super-erupt to meet a tooth that is no longer there. These are all natural tooth movements that happen because our teeth shift to”touch their neighbors” when a tooth is removed.

These movements can cause changes in your bite that can result in serious problems. Headaches and TMJ disorders can result, and the longer the situation continues, the more lengthy and expensive the healing process will be.

As soon as your socket is healed, you should get the root form for the dental implant placed. This will probably take several weeks to heal, so in the meantime, you will need some kind of temporary denture appliance such as a dental flipper to keep the surrounding teeth from shifting. Think of it as a sort of dental placeholder.

Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Perry supports this blog as a source of clear, accurate dental information.