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Can I Stop My Face From Collapsing with Dentures?

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I have just been diagnosed with a severe calcium deficiency. My dentist is suggesting I just go ahead and extract my teeth now and get dentures so I don’t spend a fortune trying to keep them. I have been reading about dentures and came across an article that said my face will eventually collapse?? How do I stop that? Can I stop that? I’ve been crying since seeing my dentist. I’m only 42 and my teeth aren’t perfect, but they are all my own.

Abigail

Dear Abigail,

An image of a woman before and after facial collapse.

The results of facial collapse

I’m going to start with the concept of facial collapse. This is a term given to the result of long term denture wear. When your teeth are removed, your brain notes there are no longer teeth roots in your jawbone that need support. In an effort to be as efficient with your body’s resources as possible, it will begin resorbing the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body. This has the effect of shrinking your jawbone as it loses more and more of those minerals. Eventually, you will no longer have enough bone left to retain your dentures.

There is a way to prevent this. You would need dental implants placed in your jaw. These are prosthetic tooth roots and it will cause your body to leave the minerals alone, preserving your jawbone as a result. Then, you can anchor your denture to that in a variety of ways from fixed implant dentures (as the best option), all the way down to snap-on dentures.

Before you do that, however, I take issue with your dentist’s assertion that a calcium deficiency means you’re going to have problems with your teeth. Your teeth have been fully formed for years. A calcium deficiency developed in adulthood will have no impact on your teeth. What you will have to deal with are nerve problems, muscle cramps, and osteoporosis. Those are serious, so don’t minimize this diagnosis.

It sounds more like you have one of those dentists who would rather pull teeth than work on them. This is not the best dentist for people who prefer to preserve as much natural tooth structure as possible.

This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David Marion.

What If I’m Can’t Afford Dental Implants?

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I feel absolutely helpless at the moment. I feel like my teeth can’t be saved and trying to has almost bankrupted me. I had seven children and vomited almost daily during my pregnancies, which did a number on my teeth. Then, as soon as I was done having children, when I thought I’d get to take a break and take care of myself for a change, I was diagnosed with cancer. The radiation and chemo have also done a number on my teeth. They are literally crumbling. My dentist said I need to get dental implants but there is no way I can afford them. What if the only thing I can do is afford dentures? Will it be as horrible as my dentist is hinting?

Kristin

Dear Kristin,

An image showing before and after facial collapseI am so sorry for all you have been through. Let’s see if we can figure out some helpful solutions for you. First, understand the reason your dentist is pushing you toward dental implants.

When your teeth are removed, your body recognizes there are no roots of your teeth to support. In order to be as efficient as possible with your body’s resources, it will then start to resorb the minerals in your jawbone in order to use them where they are more needed. This has the unfortunate side effect of shrinking your jawbone. After about ten to twenty years, you will no longer have enough jawbone left to even keep your dentures in. This is known as facial collapse.

Having dental implants placed signals to your brain that you still have teeth that need to be supported. As a result, it leaves the minerals of your jawbone in place. This is the ideal solution. Rarely, however, is life ideal.

One thing you can do is only get implants on your lower arch. This is the most important when it comes to facial collapse because the dentures actually rest on the ridge of your jawbone. Your upper arch is held in by suction so you are safer to leave those with dentures.

If you can’t afford to do full implant overdentures on your lower arch, then maybe see if snap on dentures are a possiblity for you. This can use as few as two dental implants and will at least preserve some of your jaw.

I hope this helps and that the remainder of your treatment goes well.

This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David Marion.

Can I Get Implant Parts Online?

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I have snap on dentures. I often have to replace the male retention caps. At this point, I am having trouble affording even the basics in this economy. Last week I had to choose between food and replacing my retention caps. My dentist charges $25 per cap. So a set costs me $100. I just can’t do this anymore. I looked online and you can get four for $20 for the whole set. That is quite a markup. I tried to order them online, but you have to be a dentist for them to send them to you. Is there any way for me to get these?

Larry

Dear Larry,

Snap on Dentures

You have three good options here. First, would just be to talk to your dentist directly. Let him know your situation. While it is true that dentists need to mark up some things to help with overhead, this will be such a minor boost to his overhead that he should be willing to work with you on this. If he doesn’t, here are two other things you can try.

Call around to some other dental offices and talk to the staff. Most dentists and the people who work for them are compassionate. It’s normally the staff that orders these and not the dentist directly anyway. They just use his information on the orders. Start with dentists who offer affordable dental implants. They are more willing to work with people on tight budgets.

If both of those things fail, I looked on Ebay. They do sell them and some of the overseas sellers do not require you to be a dentist to purchase them. The only downside to this option is you’ll have to know how to pop them into your denture as well as exactly what you need. There are varying strengths and resistance on these items.

This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David Marion.