Does My Mother Have Options Other Than Dental Implants?
My mother is 84 years old with teeth that need a lot of work. Her dentist is suggesting that she remove them and get dental implants. I’ve looked into this and it appears to require a pretty extensive surgery. At her age, I am a bit concerned this is more than her body can handle. Are there better options for someone at her stage of life?
Danielle
Dear Danielle,
I am glad you wrote. Under normal circumstances, it would be important to get dental implants to replace her missing teeth, especially on her lower arch. When her teeth are removed, her body recognizes that. As a result, it will begin to resorb the minerals in her jawbone in order to use the resources of her body as efficiently as possible. The downside to that is it starts to shrink her jawbone. In about ten or so years, she will not have enough jawbone to even keep her dentures in. This is known as facial collapse.
If she were younger, this would be disastrous. Given her age, I don’t think facial collapse is her biggest issue. You know her best, but depending on her health, the surgery required for the procedure might not be worth the risk. In that case, what you can do is simply get her dentures. These can replace her teeth without the hardship of having dental implant surgery.
If she’s perfectly healthy and you think she’ll be around for quite some time, then dental implants will protect her jawbone. I would factor in her health before making a decision.
This blog is brought to you by Moline Dentist Dr. Thomas Goebel.
Is It Too Late for Me to Have a Pretty Smile with Dental Implants?
I am a denture patient and have been wearing them for over 20 years. My smile has been unattractive this whole time. Is it too late for me to get a pretty smile with dental implants? I’ve seen pictures of them and they look much better than my smile.
Alana
Dear Alana,
I’m glad you wrote. Technically, it is never too late to get dental implants. Given that you have been in dentures for over twenty years, you will need one additional procedure to make it work, though. When your teeth were removed, your body recognized that and immediately began to resorb the minerals in your jawbone that you no longer needed to hold in your teeth. It does this in order to be efficient with your body’s resources.
However, the side effect for this is it slowly shrinks your jawbone. Your lower denture rests on that jawbone. You’ve likely started noticing that your denture is slipping more. Soon, you won’t be able to keep it in at all. This is known as facial collapse. Hopefully, your dentist warned you about this when you first discussed getting dentures.
The prevention of facial collapse is to place dental implants in your jaw and anchor your dentures to those. Some people call these implant overdentures. The implants signal to your body that you still have teeth to retain so it leaves your jawbone intact. You’ll also find that it increases your quality of life significantly. Even the best fitting dentures will reduce your chewing capacity by 50%. With dental implants, you’ll be able to eat anything you want again.
In order for you to get those dental implants, you’ll first need a bone grafting procedure. This will replace all the bone structure you lost while wearing dentures. This bone is essential in order to retain your dental implants. Then, once that is healed you can move forward with the implants.
One thing to be aware of is that the beauty of your smile will have nothing to do with whether or not you have dentures versus implants. Instead, it depends on the artistic skill of your dentist. You can have a skilled cosmetic dentist create gorgeous dentures. Ask to see their smile gallery of cases they’ve done to get an idea of the type of results they get. Also make sure they have post-doctoral training in dental implants. This is an advanced procedure and you don’t want to end up in a worse situation than you started.
This blog is brought to you by Moline Dentist Dr. Thomas Goebel.
Implant Overdentures with Biophosphates
I have two problems going on currently. One is I have been negligent with my oral health and am losing my teeth. Additionally, I am being treated for osteoporosis and taking Boniva. I want to get implant overdentures but I’ve been told that people with osteoporosis cannot get dental implants. I REALLY do not want dentures. Is there a way around this?
Kevin
Dear Kevin,
I’m sorry for all you are going through at the moment. That is a lot to deal with. It is hard when we realize we’ve made some unwise choices and are now faced with even harder decisions. I am proud of you for stepping up and trying to get this under control.
You didn’t mention if your osteoporosis was under control or not, but if it is, then you can get dental implants as long as you take some precautions first. The biophosphates do a great job of increasing bone density. The problem lies in how it does that. The process blocks or interferes with osteoclasts, which are cells that eat bone.
Taking this medication during a dental implant procedure can lead to an increased risk of dental implant failure as well as osteonecrosis or death of the jawbone. You can still get dental implants, but you will need to pause the medication for a period of time to increase your chances of a successful procedure.
Generally, you will want to stop your medication four months before your procedure and stay off of it until your implants have had an opportunity to integrate with your jawbone. This will only be possible if your osteoporosis is under control.
If you are good to go, once you have your dental implants integrated, your dentist will then anchor a pair of dentures to them in order to complete your implant overdentures.
I know you are probably discouraged with the state of how things are going for you right now. The good news is that today’s technological advances in dental care can give you the closest thing to having a healthy natural smile again.
This blog is brought to you by Moline, IL Dentist Dr. Goebel.