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I have been wearing dentures for a little over ten years. It has gotten harder and harder to get them to stay in my mouth. Did I wait too long to get dental implants?
Gina,
Dear Gina,
I am glad you wrote. No, it is not too late for you to get dental implants. However, given the length of time that you have been in dentures, you will need to have one additional procedure first. The reason you are having a harder time keeping them in lately is because of a procedure known as facial collapse.
When your teeth were removed, your body began to resorb the minerals in your jawbone in order to use them elsewhere in your body. While an efficient use of your body’s resources, it also has the unfortunate side effect of slowly shrinking your jawbone. Eventually, you will no longer have enough minerals in your jawbone to keep your dentures in. Because of that, you will need to have a bone grafting procedure done. This will build back the lost bone structure that you lost. You will need that structure in order to retain the dental implants, which have to integrate with bone. Once that is done, it will be okay to get your dental implants.
The good news is that once you have implants placed, your dentist will anchor dentures to them. Not only will you no longer need to worry about facial collapse, but you will find that your quality of life goes up significantly. Even the best fitting removable dentures will reduce your chewing capacity by 50%, but with implant supported dentures, you will be able to eat whatever you want.
If you’re in Auburn, AL and want to know what your options look like from here, the team at Auburn Dental can help you figure out the next step and whether implants are still a good fit for you.
