Dentist Humliated Me Over Wanting Dentures

I’ve had three pregnancies that had me so sick I was hospitalized all three times. It played havoc on my teeth. I’ve spent a fortune and haven’t even scratched the surface. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m only going in for dental emergencies. I can’t keep living this way. I finally went to the dental office and said I just want to remove my teeth and get dentures. He essentially yelled at me and told me it was the stupidest thing he’s ever heard someone my age recommend (I’m 29). I left in tears and with no idea of how to progress with my disaster of a mouth. What do I do? Would it really be so horrible?

Katie L.

Dear Katie,

I’m very sorry you were treated this way. It’s a shame your dentist wasn’t more understanding, especially because a little compassion would have gone a long way to helping you to a useful solution. There are times you can’t help that your teeth are falling apart. Your situation sounds like one of them.

Though I’m sure your teeth are in a mess and you’re completely discouraged, I’m not going to suggest you extract them and get dentures. The reason for that is by the time you’re 40, you’ll have lost most of your jawbone and will be unable to even wear your dentures any longer, leaving you a dental cripple and reduced to a liquid diet. This is known as facial collapse and is the result of wearing dentures long-term.

Alternatives to Dentures

My recommendation, aside from finding a different dentist is to have your dentist list out everything that needs to be done, in order of importance taking care to save as many teeth as possible. For the teeth that can’t be saved, I’d recommend dental implants. They’ll place a prosthetic root in your jawbone protecting you from losing those minerals.

The key is a dentist that can give you a reasonable plan so you’re not just interminably working without knowing what’s the most efficient means of saving your teeth. Having a total treatment plan also makes it more affordable.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. David Newkirk.