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Originally posted by meff
My wife doesn't have a single sound tooth left. About 12 nearly completely broken down to the gum teeth. She also has some teeth "bits" or roots that have had the g um completely grow up over them. She is looking forward to getting them all pulled and getting dentures (that's been recommended). With that kind of gum inflammation, and pockets of infection, would what have to be done f irst before getting the dentures?
You so totally rock. Thanks for the thread!
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There are a couple things that she can do depending on time &, unfortunately, money. The cheapest way of doing things would be complete upper & lower dentures. This is ok for some people but most people have a hard time with the lower denture staying put. Implants change everything here and even as few as 2 implants can mean a huge difference as far as stability and function. The downside is that insurance companies (in their huge-hearted quest for quality patient care) so far refuse to cover implants.
As far as the infections go, not a big problem. The problem IS going to be the fact that after the remaining teeth and root tips are extracted, the bone & gums will heal and change shape. As they change shape, the dentures won't fit as well. This is why most often, an "immediate denture" (one that's placed immediately after extractions), is often relined after ~3 months (once the tissue has healed enough) in order to get a better fit. I'll be honest and say that most still find this to be crappy. Hence, the implants.
Sorry to hear that she's in this situation but I'm glad that she'll be dealing with it now.