Commonly Asked Questions
The Truth About Dentures
“The first day the denture goes in is the last day of health for the jaw bone. It only gets worse from there—guaranteed.” –Dr Mark Sowell
A word of warning to the denture wearer: One of the things that is seldom shared with the denture client is that there will always come a day when no denture can be satisfactorily made or worn due to the deteriorated condition of the jaw. When that day comes, the only way to get teeth again is with major bone grafting taken from the top of the hip in the hospital. There are roughly a half a dozen surgeons in the U.S. that have a very high success rate with hip grafts to the jaw bone. The best surgeon in the U.S. is located at the University of Detroit and, therefore, Dr. Sowell recommends that his clients requiring this type of graft have the procedure performed there. Upon adequate healing, Dr. Sowellwill then place the dental implants and teeth in his Seattle office.
It is best to avoid ever reaching this point in life by having implants placed well before the day of needing a hip graft arrives.
If you are under the age of 65 and wearing a denture, Dr. Sowellshould perform an immediate implant evaluation because after the age of 65, no insurer or Medicare will cover this medically necessary surgery which then becomes an out-of-pocket expense for the client. This alone can cause the cost to get your teeth back to double!
Effects on the Jaw Bone by Wearing a Full Denture
Up to 40% of the jaw bone is usually lost in the first 6 months |
Continual “pounding” of the jaw bone causes more jaw bone to be lost. The “oral wig” is made bigger with either a reline or a new denture as the bone disappears |
The “oral wig” is again too loose now that more bone has dissolved |
Once gain, the denture is made bigger to compensate for the missing bone |
And, yet again the bone has continued to go away. Notice the small circle. That is where the nerve that normally runs deep inside the jaw becoming exposed and lying just beneath the gum tissue |
Finally, once the nerve is exposed and the denture is relined again, the denture puts pressure onto the exposed nerve causing pain or numbness—ouch! The only way to replace this bone is to remove it from the top of the hip and graft it to the jaw |
Effects of Wearing a Partial Denture: “The Roller-Coaster” Effect
Bone Loss Under the Partial:
“The Bone Roller-coaster” |
The three pictures above show a side view of a human jaw. The first picture to the left shows a normal jaw with teeth in it. The second picture shows what happens to the jaw bone shortly after three extractions. The bone melts away. With time, the bone loss becomes more extensive from not having teeth and the partial denture resting on the bone. And the final picture to the right shows this eventual bone loss. In addition, the clasps on the partial denture eventually cause the front teeth, holding the denture to get loose and to be lost. In minor cases, bone grafts are taken from another spot in the jaw to move to the damaged area. In severe cases, the doctor has to go to the hip to get enough bone to replace what is missing.
