Teeth questions
December 18, 2008 12:02 PM   Subscribe

Question about gum bone grafting and dentures.

Asking for a friend if that's ok:

I just have gum bone grafting about 4 weeks ago. Now I am waiting for them to recover before I go for implants which will be between mid Feb 2009 to mid March 2009. I would like to get people's opinions from the internet on the type of denture which goes better with the implants. I am looking for the right denture which is:
1) Easier to take care of during cleaning.
2) Doesn't break easily-stronger.
3) Better looking - look more natural.
4) How often to go for cleaning with a hygienist

I am going to have 6 implants on the upper gum and 6 implants on the lower gum to support my dentures. I have extracted all my teeth. According to my periodontist at UBC, he has said that the dentures will be in 2 sections on the upper gum and also in 2 sections on the lower gum. But, I have no idea which kind of dentures is better. He said that I have 3 choices:
1) movable dentures (which has the pinkish part of the dentures covering the gums only and it will not cover the upper platelet of the gum).
2) Clip on fix dentures (which are metal and is heavier).
3) Bridge dentures which is also fixed
4) Overall which kind of the above 3 is better ?
posted by reformedjerk to Health & Fitness (2 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Sorry you have to go through all this, but maybe the good news is it will be done once and for all.

As my father entered the last year of his life, his removable dentures were one of the biggest sources of grief that he had. Nurses putting them in upside down, emergency transports losing them in the ambulance, there was always some kind of problem. If they were out, he couldn't communicate they he wanted them back in, and got really frustrated.

So if there is some way to reconcile with permanent ones, I'd do that. If you've still got some hair, too, you'll be the most popular guy in the nursing home.
posted by StickyCarpet at 3:41 PM on December 18, 2008


Your friend can email me directly if he would like, I have worked as a dental assistant to a Prosthodontist for a few years now. These are exactly the kind of cases we do.

My short answer is that, in a "money is no object" case, doing fixed work would be the way to go. One drawback is that having lost the papilla of tissue between the teeth, food and liquids can make their way under the bridgework. Sometimes we will fill in that space with pink porcelain.

However we have had great success with patient satisfaction with implant retained, yet removable dentures. Using only four implants up top and two on bottom arch, regular dentures are fitted with snap attachments that engage the implants emerging from the tissue. These dentures are held tightly in place and give the wearer great confidence with eating, laughing, sneezing.
posted by Jazz Hands at 5:19 PM on December 18, 2008


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