Posted by writeradmin
I’ve been having a lot of problems with my teeth and it is costing me a fortune. I am to the point where I want to just get rid of them and get dentures. As I’ve spent a lot of money on them recently, what I’m hoping for is to save some money getting rid of them. Will a dental school do my dentures? I’m assuming that will cost less?
Camilla
Dear Camilla,
I’m sorry that you’ve been having so much trouble with your teeth. I’ll answer your question first and then hope you’ll read on for what dentures will mean for you in the long run. It’s important that you have all the facts before making such a big decision.
Yes, dental schools will teach their students how to do dentures, and they do allow them to work on patients as they learn. They discount those procedures because not only are you being treated by a student, but as a result of that your appointment will take longer. They’re being instructed. They’ll also be a bit slower at doing the work, and their instructors will need to review it to ensure it is done properly. The results will be good, they’ll just take longer.
A Caution About Removable Dentures
As soon as your teeth are removed, your body recognizes that. It will do it’s absolute best to ensure it uses all its resources as efficiently as possible. One of the ways it does that is by resorbing the minerals in your jawbone because they are no longer needed to support your teeth. It will then share those minerals with other parts of your body where they are more needed.
While efficient, it has the unfortunate result of shrinking your jawbone. Because your lower dentures are held in by resting on that jawbone, that creates a problem. Eventually, there will no longer be enough of your jawbone left to keep your dentures in place. This is why so many people have dentures that slip or fall out. In dental circles, this is known as facial collapse. This can be prevented by anchoring your dentures to dental implants, but it will cost significantly more than the procedure you were planning.
This blog is brought to you by a gentle dentist in Baton Rouge, Dr. John Theriot.