I had prepaid my dentist for implant supported dentures. While the dental implants are placed, I have been wearing temporary restorations for quite a few months now, and just found out that the dentist has lost his license. Now I don’t know what to do because I used up my money paying for work that is incomplete. Do you have any recommendations for me? I don’t know the reason behind him losing his license.
Elliot
Dear Elliot,
First, I’m going to say upfront that I am sorry that you were stuck in this situation. I have a couple of possibilities you can try. For those reading who may not know what implant supported dentures are, it is when you have about four to six dental implants placed in your jaw and then have the dentures anchored to them. I’ll explain why this is essential when you are dealing with dentures after I help Elliot with his situation.
The first thing I would look into is whether anyone bought your dentist’s practice. When your dentist lost his license, he also lost his source of income, so it is very likely the only option he had was to sell his business to have something to live on while he regrouped and found a new career. The sales contract should include the obligation to finish off any work that the dentist started but left before completing.
If that doesn’t work, the next thing I would try is to contact the state dental board. This won’t be the first dentist to lose his or her license, so they may have a procedure or advice already in place for patients in your situation.
Why You Want to Anchor Dentures with Dental Implants
When your teeth are removed, your body recognized that. Because you no longer have any teeth roots that need to be supported, it will resorb the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body where they will be more useful. Our brain is incredibly efficient with our body’s resources. The only downside to this particular switch in resources is that it will slowly shrink your jawbone.
Your lower dentures rest on the ridge of that jawbone. After a while, you will no longer have enough of your jawbone left to keep your dentures in. This is known as facial collapse. Placing dental implants in your jaw tells your body that you do have teeth and it will leave your jawbone intact. Plus, your dentures will be completely secure, which increases your quality of life significantly.
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