This four-part article series discusses the problems, challenges and repeat expenses associated with denture wearing, some of them as serious and potentially fatal as malnutrition.

Welcome to the second installment of our four-part article series in which we present to you the wisdom of oral surgeons in Colorado Springs on the subject of teeth replacement using removable dentures. In this series, we will endeavor to delve deep into the crippling challenges and problems associated with wearing dentures. We will also highlight and explain why dental implants are the preferred choice of teeth replacement specialists across the country. It is the aim of these articles to convince patients of the merit of making a proper investment in their oral health, bite function and smile aesthetics by choosing the more sophisticated solution to missing teeth.

A Brief Recap of Part 1

In our first installment, we introduced the biggest problem associated with denture wearing: accelerated bone loss in the jaw. Your teeth play a fundamental role in keeping the jawbone alive and stimulated. Without them, the bone tissue atrophies and shrinks, causing problems, such as:

• The periodic need to have dentures refitted, the costs of which add up in the long run. After 5 years, 60% of denture patients typically have to have their false teeth refitted. Not a great testimonial for utility and value, is it?

• The premature aging of one’s natural youthful facial contours, and one we didn’t get to in our last article.

• Compromised Success of Alternative Treatment: Bone loss in the jaw compromises a patient’s candidacy for other teeth replacement solutions, namely dental implants. Wearing dentures can actually leave a patient in a position where their mouths can no longer support dentures, but at the same time they are not candidates for Colorado Springs dental implants.

In these positions, patients are either looking at bone grafting surgery, which is expensive, invasive, painful and can take many months of healing before new teeth can be placed. Or, they literally face a life without any teeth at all. Most elderly denture wearer’s simply throw the towel in and it’s in these cases that malnutrition can become a severe problem. In fact, denture wearing is thought to reduce one’s life expectancy by a shocking 10 years!

How do you possibly put a price on that?

Removable Dentures and Bite Functionality

Dentures, as a teeth replacement, are supposed to help patients eat as normally as possible given the circumstances. And while they may initially achieve this goal, the steady loss of bone volume in the jaw causes all sorts of functional problems. For one, dentures become loose over time and can be difficult to eat with. Additionally, dentures rest upon the gums and rub against the palate, which can get very sore and inflamed from all abuse it takes during eating (see image below of the oral sores caused by dentures).

Dental implants, on the other hand, are supported entirely and directly by the underlying jawbone, as is the case with natural teeth. Because they don’t rest on or rub against the gums, dental implants feel far more natural and comfortable and don’t cause any of those traditional denture problems. Oral discomfort is a critical problem when it comes to eating. In fact, 50% of denture wearers say they eat better without their false teeth!

Perhaps most shocking of all is a comparison of bite strength between a patient with a complete set of natural teeth (200 lbs/inch sq.), a denture wearer of a few years (50 lbs/inch sq.) and a denture wearer of 15 years (6 lbs/inch sq.) In other words, wearing dentures for 15 years reduces your bite strength by 97%! That leaves you with a very limited diet, indeed! An estimated 30% of denture wearers can only eat soft foods.

Dental Implants in Colorado Springs: Stay Tuned for Part 3

To read more about what oral surgeons in Colorado Springs have to say about the real price of removable dentures, stay tuned for the third installment of this four-part article series.