I’ve had dentures for a LONG time. The other day I was out with my friends. We were laughing over lunch and having a great time, so you can imagine my humiliation when my dentures fell into my soup in front of everyone. I honestly don’t know what to do. They’ve been doing this more and more. It doesn’t seem to matter how much adhesive I use.
Sylvia H. – Staten Island
Sylvia,
You’re likely experiencing what is known as facial collapse. When your teeth are removed, you body begins reabsorbing the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere throughout your body. It’s really a remarkable system how our body tries to distribute its resources according to greatest need. However, that’s put you in quite a bind. You’ve lost so much jawbone that you can’t retain your dentures securely.
You can get bone grafting done in order to build back up your jawbone. If you want, you can get a new set of dentures after that, but you’ll eventually end up with the same problem. My suggestion is that you get dental implants instead. This preserves your jawbone. But, you’ll find other benefits too. They function like your natural teeth, so you won’t have to worry about any little bits getting under your dentures ever again. Plus you can brush and floss them just like you can your own teeth.
This blog is brought to you by Hilton Head Dentist Dr. Bonnie Rothwell.
