As Flabby as a Double Chin

Q: I don’t know if you’ve come across a problem like mine but it’s getting serious. I’ve managed to keep some of my teeth. They are all very well capped and I have a partial denture that was machined to fit and it’s great. I’ve had a full upper denture for as long as I can remember and it has always fit snug as can be.

When my bottom teeth were fixed and the partial was made, the dentist examined my upper because it was a bit loose and I decided I wanted everything new so I had him make me a new upper denture as well. I’ve been a happy camper for three years. The last time I saw him, I said the upper was getting a bit loose but it didn’t affect me much. He said, “If you start to notice it getting looser please let me know.” Well, it’s loose, really loose. He pointed out that I have essentially no bone left, especially along the upper front. When I bite down it feels like my denture is pressing right under my nose and then the denture dislodges. He showed me that my front gums move like a reed in the wind.

He said that’s because there is no bone for support. He said he can’t tighten that part of the mouth unless I get a graft put on that part of the jaw, but then he said there may not be enough bone to even attach the graft to. I’m still in the public eye so this scares me. He also said I don’t have any bone in back where my molars would go: so, what do I do? I’m afraid my teeth will fall out right in the middle of a speech.

A: Your situation, though not common, happens when one loses the upper front teeth while maintaining the lower front teeth and the molars are gone in both top and bottom arches. Because force from the lower anterior natural teeth is as great as ever, that force is too much for the upper anterior ridge. Over time resorption of that ridge is almost certain. When the boney ridge is gone, the remaining fleshy ridge becomes as flabby as a double chin.

The saving grace in your situation is that your sinuses provide a space where bone can be grafted and give you the bone needed for implants to act as roots for a bridge.

Once bone has been established, as many as four implants on each side can be placed and you can enjoy very secure teeth. It’s important to have at least three implants on each side to support the bridge because the shear forces on front teeth can put a lot of pressure on a bridge supported by posterior teeth. In your case the more the merrier.

If we can help, we’d like to. Call 778-410-2080 for a consultation.

Based on actual patient cases

© Calvin Ross Crapo

Victoria Implant Centre

778-410-2080

www.VictoriaImplantCentre.com

“Not Nah nah----na Nah Nah”

Q: I’m a sixty-three year old man. I’ve had bad teeth for the last twenty-five years. I’ve pressed my dentist for every idea under the sun to fix my teeth and I’ve made commitments over the past five years to do something. They’ve been very kind and patient. I’ll bet they’ve given me ten different treatment plans with prices and education. I’ve felt bad the number of times I’ve said let’s set a date and do it, only to have cold feet and back out. I knew I needed implants and dentures, but I couldn’t face it for some reason. It wasn’t really the money, though that’s what I said. I’m embarrassed to say I took lots of the doctor’s time. Well, I finally did it, an upper denture and some implants for my lower teeth. Before the surgery, the doctor said “Bill” (not my real name), “the treatment you’ve chosen is good treatment, but there will be a transition time when things will not feel very secure. The lower denture will be loose until the implants are strong enough to take the load (chewing and speaking).” He went on and said, “You’re a careful fellow but you’ve also got a bit of an impatient streak and you may not like the transition period.” For lower teeth, he said ‘teeth-in-a-day’ would be my recommendation because there’s hardly any transition time – your lower teeth are fixed, you can speak normally, you can even start eating immediately and your teeth don’t move. Think about it. “Well,” I said, “no doc, I’ve decided, and I won’t change my mind.” I’m two months into transition and I hate it! That d#$% lower denture won’t stay put. Can I change now? How could I have known beforehand? Will I ever get real stable teeth?

A: To put your mind at ease, you will have a very solid lower denture once the implants have taken and are attached. Though it may be of no consolation to you, I have a patient in the same state as yourself and he’s frustrated too. If you have at least four strong implants, a bridge on the day of implant restoration may be an option. If not, you can still have fixed teeth though it may take a bit longer.

Three weeks ago, I placed “teeth-in-a-day” for an eighty-seven-year-old gentleman. I saw him yesterday. His gums are healed and he’s had no transition experience, as you describe. This isn’t a Na! Na! Na! Na! Na! - it’s a response to your question and information for others. You couldn’t have known about the difficulty of a lower denture, but let me say this, a same day bridge, for seniors, is the most stable, pain free, healthy way to go.

If we can help, we’d like to. Call 778-410-2080 for a consultation.

If we can help, we’d like to. Call 778-410-2080 for a consultation.

Based on actual patient cases

© Calvin Ross Crapo

Victoria Implant Centre

778-410-2080

www.VictoriaImplantCentre.com