If I’ve had dentures for the last ten years, is it possible to get dental implants? I heard it was possible, but my dentist said I’ve been in dentures too long. I know he’s the dentist and I’m not, but I know someone who’s done it. Which dentist is right?
Caroline
Dear Caroline,
I’m glad you wrote. As long as you are in good general health, you can technically get dental implants no matter how long it has been. However, depending on the amount of bone loss you are dealing with, you may need an additional procedure.
The Danger of Dentures
When your teeth were first removed, your body recognized that. In an effort to be as efficient as possible with your body’s resources, it begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone because you no longer have teeth roots to support.
The longer you are in dentures, the more bone loss you’ll experience. Eventually, you would lose so much jawbone that you will not be able to even keep your dentures in. This is known as facial collapse.
Having sufficient bone support is essential. Without it, there is no way to retain the implants. It’s possible you’ve lost enough bone where you’d have a problem. The good news is that alone isn’t enough to keep you from getting dental implants as long as you are willing to have an additional procedure done.
Getting Dental Implants After Bone Loss
What you need is a bone grafting procedure. If your dentist didn’t suggest that to you he either doesn’t know about it or does but isn’t comfortable placing dental implants. Either way, you’d need a different dentist to move forward.
You’ll want a dentist who has had both post-doctoral training in the procedure as well as experience in successfully placing them. Make sure to ask whatever dentist you’re considering to place them what their success rate is.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.