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My son is a recovering drug addict. Most of his teeth are destroyed. I am frantically trying to find the best solution for him. He is trying so hard to improve his circumstances. Our dentist is suggesting removing all of his teeth and giving him dentures. That seems like a lot to do at once. Should I do it in stages? Is there a way to make the dentures look natural on him? He’s already so discouraged about the state of his life. He’s only twenty-three years old. I do not want him looking like an old man.
Beverly
Dear Beverly,
I do not like what your dentist is recommending for your son. It sounds like he doesn’t think your son is worth a lot of his trouble. Taking out all of your son’s teeth and replacing them with dentures does not benefit your son in any way, but it is an easy way for him to make some money. Twenty-three years old is way too young to be getting removable dentures.
As soon as his teeth are removed, his body will start resorbing the minerals in his jawbone. By the time he is in his late 30s, he will not have enough jawbone left to even keep his dentures in. He’ll be on a liquid diet and look decades older than he is because his jawbone is shrunken.
Again, this is not the best dentist for your son. My suggestion is first you look for a dentist who is willing to work to save as many of your son’s teeth as possible. If there are teeth that truly cannot be saved, then you can replace them with dental implants. These serve as prosthetic tooth roots and will preserve his jawbone as if he still had natural teeth.
Let’s say for argument’s sake that none of his teeth can be saved. I don’t think that will be the case, but you do need a plan in case. Implant supported dentures will be the next best thing to natural teeth. These will use four to six dental implants on each arch and then anchor dentures to them.
Even if that became necessary, I would not allow a dentist to remove all of his teeth at once. That would be too traumatic and require a significant amount of Novocain. This would not be a good situation for your son, which makes me highly doubt that this dentist has any care at all for him or his health.
This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Dr. John Theriot.