Archives for June 2013

My son has gotten himself in a lot of trouble the last few years. He’s been a drug addict all that time and has completely destroyed his teeth. He’s asked for help with everything and we’re doing what we can for him.  We have recently taken him to get his teeth looked at because the drugs have destroyed them. The dentist told us he wants to take out 28 teeth and give him a full set of dentures. Is this the best option? It sounds like an awful lot of teeth. I’m also worried it is a bad idea to do those in one appointment.

A worried mom

You have a right to be concerned. I don’t think this is a good treatment plan at all. This will be easy on the dentist and a disaster for your son. First, the amount of novocain required to extract that many teeth is pretty large and there is a large risk factor in that.

There are other issues though. Dentures are remarkably uncomfortable. He’ll never be able to eat the same. They’ll slip around and even fall out. However there is a bigger issue. Once his teeth are extracted, his jawbone will begin to shrink. Before he is 40 years old he will be a dental cripple and not even able to wear  his dentures.

Surely some of those teeth can be saved. Regardless of the amount of work, that is what the dentist should be focused on. If they can’t be saved, then I would recommend dental implants. They will keep his jawbone from shrinking.

It sounds like you are a good mother. I wish you the best.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Jerome Cha.