I received dentures a little over two years ago. At first, they hurt all the time and I would get sore spots. Eventually, I adjusted. Now, for some reason another sore spot has popped up. It is a two-hour round trip for me to get to the dentist, which is a lot of hassle. As I know right where it is hurting me, is it possible that I could adjust the denture myself so I don’t have to drive so far? I’m pretty good at building and fixing things.
Bruce
Dear Bruce,
It is great that you are so good at getting things done on your own. I bet that saves you a lot of money. Plus, it gets done the way you want it to. Unfortunately, this isn’t a DIY that will work for you. There is too much involved in the fitting. It’s more than just dealing with the part that is causing you pain. There are factors involved in how the dentures are retained that could be damaged by how the adjustment is made. While I realize the drive is inconveniet, I do recommend you have the dentist do the adjustments.
You are probably wondering why it is giving you a problem again after two years. Unfortunately, this will be a recurring issue. Hopefully, your dentist mentioned to you about the dangers of facial collapse when you get completely removable dentures. When your teeth are removed, your body will recognize that you no longer have tooth roots. As a result of that and in an effort to be as efficient with your body’s resources, your body will begin to resorb the minerals in your jawbone in order to use them elsewhere in your body where it feels they will be more useful.
While a remarkable use of stewardship, it has the unfortunate effect of shrinking your jawbone. What this means for you is that as the jaw shape changes, you will end up with more bouts of pain. It also means that after ten or so years, you will no longer have enough jawbone left to retain your dentures, essentially making you a dental cripple. In dental circles, this is known as facial collapse.
The Solution for Facial Collapse
If you have some dental implants placed and then anchor your denture to the implants. These are called implant overdentures. This will signal to your body that you have tooth roots. As a result, it will leave the minerals from your jawbone intact and thereby preserving its structure as well as protecting you from facial collapse.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.