Recently, I’ve had many patients come in to ask if it would be better to make an attempt at saving their teeth or to replace them with dentures. There are various reasons to choose either method. While each has its own benefit, they both have specific drawbacks.
Reasons for Dentures:
Pros.
- More cost effective.
- More natural appearance.
- Less complicated course of treatment with fewer steps involved.
Cons
- Reduced chewing power. Remember: This is like a saddle on a horse as opposed to a post or roots in the ground. Ever try putting a saddle on a bony horse?
- Bone is structural tissue like muscle that will shrink from not being stressed by force transmission from tooth roots which leads to less support and retention of the dentures. This can cause a rocking effect and they may begin to feel loose.
- While regular maintenance can minimize the rate of bone shrinkage, it does not eliminate it.
Dental Rehabilitation:
Pros
- Normal chewing force with sensory feedback (i.e. knowledge of food location, density and needed chewing force)
- Conserves bone volume, density, and strength. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it just like muscle. Remember: Structural tissue.
- Less invasive.
- Can produce a more natural appearance and feel.
- Can extend the life of natural teeth or dentition and allow the patient to save and plan for a transition to dentures(ie... buy more time.)
Cons.
- Long, multiple steps
- More expensive than dentures.
- If it fails, dentures will be required regardless.
- Bridges rely on natural teeth for support and retention. If either supporting side is lost, then the Bridge will fail and need to be replaced.
- As long as you retain your teeth, you risk developing and suffering from tooth decay (dental caries) and gum disease (periodontitis). In other words, the only way to preclude suffering from these diseases is to remove the teeth.
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