Can I Get Better Dentures or Implants at a Dental School?
Posted by writeradmin
I’ve had dentures for a couple of months and I am finding it very hard to eat. It’s actually easier for me to eat by taking them out completely. My dentist says they are fine and I would have to pay for new ones to get them redone. I was wondering if I can get them redone or even get dental implants at a dental school. I’ve heard procedures can be less expensive there, but don’t know if they do these kind of things. I’m also assuming that because there is a teacher present it will be done okay, right?
Linnette
Dear Linnette,
Yes, dental schools do take patients. They will also cost less because there is a trade-off in that it will take longer because they are learning. The quality of work is good as well, with the exception of cosmetic dentistry. That I would only go to a post-graduate school for.
All dental schools teach dentures so there is a high demand for patients with that procedure. Very few dental schools teach dental implants. You could find some post-graduate schools which do dental implants.
There are a couple of things to bear in mind. Dental implants are more expensive. Even if you go with dentures, I am going to recommend that you begin saving up for implants. Even the best fitting dentures will reduce your chewing capacity by 50%. The bigger issue is the bone loss.
Problems with Dentures
When your teeth are removed, your brain recognizes that. Because it knows that you do not need to keep teeth roots in any more, it will begin to resorb the minerals in your jawbone in order to use them elsewhere where it perceives they will be more useful. While amazingly efficient, it does have the side effect of shrinking your jaw bone.
Not only does that age your appearance, but your lower dentures rest on that jawbone. After ten or so years, depending on the speed of resorption, you will no longer have enough jawbone left to keep in those dentures. In dental circles, this is known as facial collapse.
Dental Implants — The Solution to Facial Collapse
The way to prevent that is by getting dental implants and then anchoring your dentures to them. This is known as implant supported dentures, sometimes called Implant overdentures. Not only will it prevent facial collapse because the implants are prosthetic teeth roots which signals to your body that there are teeth there, but it also prevents all those annoying problems that normally come with dentures.
Because the dentures are anchored to the implants, there is none of that movement, that led to slipping and sliding. You will also be able to eat anything you want again.
This blog is brought to you by a friendly dentist in Arnold, MD, Dr. Meredith Esposito.