If I’ve had dentures for a bit over ten years, is it too late to switch to dental implants. I never really liked them. My dentist kept saying I’d get used to them, but it just seems like the longer I have them, the worse they get. Hopefully, I haven’t waited to do something about this until it is too late.
Meredith
Dear Meredith,
While it is not too late, the longer you have been in dentures the more challenging it gets. After ten years, you are likely suffering the effects of facial collapse. This is why it seems like your denture situation is getting worse. It is. When your teeth were removed, your body recognizes that. In an effort, to be as efficient with its resources as possible it resorbs the minerals in your jawbone, which are no longer being used to support teeth, and redistributes the use elsewhere throughout your body.
After ten years, you’re likely finding you are having a hard time keeping your dentures in place. That’s because of how much jawbone you’ve lost. Eventually, you won’t have enough bone left to even support your dentures.
Unfortunately, the bone you need to support your teeth and your dentures are also necessary to keep dental implants in place. The good news is it is not hopeless. You can have bone grafting done. This is an outpatient procedure where they can harvest bone from your body, like your hip, or from other sources. There is also artificial bone. Any of these sources can be grafted onto your existing jawbone to ensure you have enough to support dental implants.
Implant Overdentures
Once your bone is healed, then it is time for the dental implant procedure. My recommendation is you get implant overdentures. These use four to six dental implants which are surgically placed into your bone. Then, once you’ve had enough time for the bone to integrate around the implants, your dentist will anchor dentures to them.
This will be completely different from your current removable dentures. They’ll be completely secure. No more moving or slipping. Plus, your chewing capacity will increase significantly.
The biggest benefit, however, is never having to worry about facial collapse again. The implants signal to your brain that you have teeth, so it will leave your newly grafted bone alone.
This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Jerome Cha.
