Is It Too Late for Me To Get Dental Implants?
Posted by writeradmin
I don’t know if it is too late for me but I will hold out hope until someone kills it. About 14 years ago I had to have all of my teeth removed and replaced with dentures. It was all my fault. I was always afraid of going to the dentist and avoided it so well that I now don’t have any teeth. I felt dental implants were too expensive so opted for the dentures. I’ve pretty much hated them from the beginning but hoped I’d get used to them. A year later, I decided I was not going to get used to them and started saving for dental implants. As you can see, it has taken me a while. I went back to the dentist who gave me the dentures and he said it was too late. I just want to double check with some other dentists before giving up. I’m having a hard time adjusting to the idea of staying in dentures after I’ve been saving for so long, especially lately because they’re not staying in very well.
Kam
Dear Kam,
The short answer is unless there are some complicating issues you have not mentioned, there is no reason why you could not get dental implants. The longer answer is that you will need an additional procedure in order to do it.
You mentioned a shifting in your dentures since you first received them. Now it is harder to keep them in place. This is because the jawbone that holds them in place began shrinking since the day you had your teeth removed. Your body does this in order to be efficient with your body’s resources. Soon you won’t have enough jawbone left to even keep the dentures in. This is known in dental circles as facial collapse.
In order to get dental implants, you will need that bone structure restored. This can be done with with a bone grafting procedure. Once that is healed, then you can move forward with your dental implants. You will be provided with a temporary tooth replacement while your body heals and osteointegration begins. This is an important step because the bone must integrate with the implants in order to secure them. Once this has happened, your dentist can anchor a new pair of dentures to them.
This will be so much better than the removable dentures you are used to. Because the dental implants are anchored to the dentures they will not move around and your chewing capacity will be much greater. You will, once again, be able to eat whatever you want. Your quality of life will be greatly improved.
Dealing with Dental Anxiety
For those who may be reading this and are dealing with the same type of dental anxiety that Kam struggled with, I have something that can make a huge difference in your life. If you see a sedation dentist, you will be able to get anxiety free and pain free dental care. In fact, certain types of dental sedation will even relax you so much that you can sleep right through your dental appointments. Before you avoid the dentist and end up needing dental implants yourself, try dental sedation. It has changed many anxious patient’s lives.
This blog is brought to you by Naples, FL Dentist Dr. Long.