Posted by writeradmin
When my dentist placed my dentures for the all-on-four procedure, the dentures are a few millimeters forward from the gumline. This has made my lips look really bulky and feel uncomfortable. I just want to make sure this was the way it was supposed to be before I said anything.
Laura
Dear Laura,
I want to make sure we are talking about the same thing. A gumline is where I have the arrow pointing in the image above demonstrates the location of the gumline. What I think you are referring to is the ridge of the jawbone in relation to where the the denture is placed.
If you were wearing a completely removable denture, then the lower front teeth would be placed directly above the ridge of the jawbone. If they are placed too far forward then the denture will tip. You mentioned that you have all-on-four dentures. This would mean that they are anchored down so you do not have to worry about the tipping.
The position they are in is within parameters even for removable dentures. However, that is not the only factor. One of those is the appearance of your lips. When dentures are created, then they should be made with a wax try-in. You would not only check their appearance, but also your bite, speech, vertical dimension, and the fullness of your lips.
If your implant retained denture is placed with screws, then it is possible for it to be removed and reset. While it is not a difficult procedure to remedy this, the dentist is likely to charge you something, so I would plan for that. I would ask him to do it for free because it does not sound like he checked everything like I outlined above. However, if he charges it won’t be much.
This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Dr. John Theriot.