Denture advice for someone getting a top set.?!
Question: My mom has to get dentures, a full top set. The dentist wants to remove her remaining teeth (6 front, all very loose) in his office, where he will fit the new dentures (mold already taken).
Will this be very painful? She has the option of getting anesthesia but has to travel 2 hrs (each way) and would require someone taking time off work. She prefers to be close to home and use her own dentist.
Her dentist suggests that she have a cheaper set of dentures put in first (she would pay around $400.00) and after 6 mths use her insurance to get a better set. His reasoning (which sounds logical, but what do I know) is that the first set will get loose fairly quickly because they are taken from a mold of her teeth as they are and that there will be some bone loss etc.
He says it will also allow her to get a set that are cosmetically better because they will not be from a mold taken from her own teeth.
Is this good advice? She has been with this dentist for about 7 yrs so she trusts him. I am just looking for some reassurance.
Answers: My mom has to get dentures, a full top set. The dentist wants to remove her remaining teeth (6 front, all very loose) in his office, where he will fit the new dentures (mold already taken).
Will this be very painful? She has the option of getting anesthesia but has to travel 2 hrs (each way) and would require someone taking time off work. She prefers to be close to home and use her own dentist.
Her dentist suggests that she have a cheaper set of dentures put in first (she would pay around $400.00) and after 6 mths use her insurance to get a better set. His reasoning (which sounds logical, but what do I know) is that the first set will get loose fairly quickly because they are taken from a mold of her teeth as they are and that there will be some bone loss etc.
He says it will also allow her to get a set that are cosmetically better because they will not be from a mold taken from her own teeth.
Is this good advice? She has been with this dentist for about 7 yrs so she trusts him. I am just looking for some reassurance.
extractions should not be painful or complicated and probably can be done at her dentist's office. the front teeth come out fairly easily and those teeth don't have complicated roots and stuff to make pulling them out hard. she should be fine under just novocaine.
your mom's instincts are right about the immediate dentures. the dentist is proposing to make an 'immediate' denture. they're immediate b/c they go in right after extractions (der, right?). they should be made off models of her existing teeth but he/she can fit a denture to try in before with only current missing teeth (like her back teeth). i don't know if there's another way.
it's important to some to have immediates made b/c patients aren't walking around without teeth for months on end, waiting for socket healing. generally, insurance companies (state and private) don't pay for them b/c they are considered cosmetic. 400 bucks isn't too bad at all at private practice. at dental schools (which is generally the cheapest), they charge 550/ arch.
the dentist's reasoning is correct that it slows bone loss. but don't know how much. 'bone loss' does occur, but dentist are more considered about lower bone loss than upper, b/c it's harder to fit dentures on the lower then upper. but it should heal faster and her smile will look much better with immediates.
it's good advice to get them, esp at that price. you use that for 4-6 months, but what the hell, our parents lived long and worked hard, they deserve it.
take care and good luck.
ttg
this is good advice. her remaining teeth are essentially in the way and not helping her in any way. once they are removed, the resolution of the her existing gum disease may make her feel better overall. but, remember that dentures are not a replacement for teeth, merely a replacement for no teeth. good luck.
Yes, this is a smart way to go. She can get used to the feel of dentures for 6 months while her gums change then get a much better-fitting set. Personally, I wish I had gone to a denture specialist, but I guess mine are okay (from my dentist). They do fit well and only my family can tell they're fake 'cause they've known me forever, obviously!