“Not Nah nah----na Nah Nah”
Q: I’m a sixty-three year old man. I’ve had bad teeth for the last twenty-five years. I’ve pressed my dentist for every idea under the sun to fix my teeth and I’ve made commitments over the past five years to do something. They’ve been very kind and patient. I’ll bet they’ve given me ten different treatment plans with prices and education. I’ve felt bad the number of times I’ve said let’s set a date and do it, only to have cold feet and back out. I knew I needed implants and dentures, but I couldn’t face it for some reason. It wasn’t really the money, though that’s what I said. I’m embarrassed to say I took lots of the doctor’s time. Well, I finally did it, an upper denture and some implants for my lower teeth. Before the surgery, the doctor said “Bill” (not my real name), “the treatment you’ve chosen is good treatment, but there will be a transition time when things will not feel very secure. The lower denture will be loose until the implants are strong enough to take the load (chewing and speaking).” He went on and said, “You’re a careful fellow but you’ve also got a bit of an impatient streak and you may not like the transition period.” For lower teeth, he said ‘teeth-in-a-day’ would be my recommendation because there’s hardly any transition time – your lower teeth are fixed, you can speak normally, you can even start eating immediately and your teeth don’t move. Think about it. “Well,” I said, “no doc, I’ve decided, and I won’t change my mind.” I’m two months into transition and I hate it! That d#$% lower denture won’t stay put. Can I change now? How could I have known beforehand? Will I ever get real stable teeth?
A: To put your mind at ease, you will have a very solid lower denture once the implants have taken and are attached. Though it may be of no consolation to you, I have a patient in the same state as yourself and he’s frustrated too. If you have at least four strong implants, a bridge on the day of implant restoration may be an option. If not, you can still have fixed teeth though it may take a bit longer.
Three weeks ago, I placed “teeth-in-a-day” for an eighty-seven-year-old gentleman. I saw him yesterday. His gums are healed and he’s had no transition experience, as you describe. This isn’t a Na! Na! Na! Na! Na! - it’s a response to your question and information for others. You couldn’t have known about the difficulty of a lower denture, but let me say this, a same day bridge, for seniors, is the most stable, pain free, healthy way to go.
If we can help, we’d like to. Call 778-410-2080 for a consultation.
If we can help, we’d like to. Call 778-410-2080 for a consultation.
Based on actual patient cases
© Calvin Ross Crapo
Victoria Implant Centre