problems with dentures Archives | Poplar Crossing Dental

Can You Get Soft Dentures?

Posted on April 15, 2025 by writeradmin.

I am wearing dentures and having trouble with the upper dentures. The hardness of the denture plate is making me gag quite a bit. The lower dentures seem fine and don’t bother me at all. Is there a chance there is something like a soft denture, at least for the upper arch?

Ainsley

Dear Ainsley,

There are dentures with soft linings, but not a soft denture. These are mostly useful for the bottom denture though. They help people who are having pain with the lower denture, which rests on a lower ridge bone. Sometimes a patient will have a bony ridge, which can be an irritation. The soft liner makes that a bit easier and can help prevent sores.

The upper dentures needs a hard plate because it depends on that framework in order to help you with chewing. Even though there isn’t a a soft denture, there is a solution for your problem. My suggestion is that you upgrade to implant supported dentures. Though this is normally more important for your lower dentures, which I’ll explain momentarily, it will simultaneously solve your upper denture problem as well.

Your lower dentures are held in by resting on the ridge of your jawbone. Unfortunately, once your teeth were removed, your body immediately started to resorb the minerals in that jawbone to use elsewhere in your body now that there were no teeth to support. After about ten years or so, you will no longer have enough of a jawbone left to retain your dentures in place. In dental circles, this is known as facial collapse.

By placing dental implants in your bone, it signals to your body that you still have teeth and you will need those minerals to help you retain your teeth. Because of that, it will leave your jawbone intact. Then, you can anchor a denture to the implants. Not only will you no longer have to worry about facial collapse, but if you do it on your upper denture as well then you will have no plate there, which means no gagging. As a bonus, you will find your quality of life, including your chewing capacity, greatly improved.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.
Click here to learn about dental implants versus a dental bridge.

I Have to Have All My Teeth Extracted. How Can I Keep My Face from Collapsing?

Posted on March 21, 2023 by writeradmin.

I am only thirty years old and have to have my teeth extracted. My dentist said my calcium deficiency has ruined my teeth. I have two children who are still toddlers and I don’t want to look like a grandmother, especially because I am a widow and do hope to remarry someday, if I meet someone. Is there a way to do this without my face collapsing? I’ve been in tears for days.

Allie

Dear Allie,

I am sorry you have so much to deal with on your own. My condolences on the loss of your husband are included in that. Is it your dentist who told you that your calcium deficiency is why your teeth need to be removed? If so, he or she is making excuses. Your teeth are fully formed before adulthood and any deficiency you have now will not have an impact on your teeth. I am going to highly suggest you get a second opinion before going forward with your dentist’s recommendation to remove your teeth.

Different dentists vary in their willingness to save teeth. Some do not want to do anything except extract. Others will work like mad to save even teeth that are far gone. You want a dentist who is willing to fight for your teeth. It is possible your teeth are in bad condition because you have had two pregnancies close together. If you had a lot of morning sickness, this can be very hard on your teeth. That does not necessarily mean they are unsavable. However, we will go over what to do if they do need to be extracted.

What is facial collapse?

For those who may be unfamiliar with this term I want to go over what happens when your teeth are removed. Our bodies are designed to be remarkably efficient. When your teeth are removed, your body recognizes there are no longer tooth roots and will begin to resorb the minerals in your jawbone that were helping to retain your teeth. It does this in order to use its resources in the best way it can. While a fantastic way of distributing resources, it has the unfortunate effect of slowly shrinking your jawbone. After ten years or so, you will no longer have enough of a jawbone to even retain your dentures in your mouth, effectively making you a dental cripple.

The Solution to Facial Collapse

If it turns out you do need to extract all your teeth (which I am still not convinced of), then you can get implant supported dentures. Implant overdentures use four to eight dental implants in each arch. Then, once the bone has integrated with the implants, your dentist will anchor a denture onto the implants. Because of the prosthetic roots that dental implants provide, your body interprets them as the roots of your teeth and therefore leaves your jawbone completely intact. This would be my recommendation if your are losing your teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

I Can’t Keep My Denture In

Posted on August 19, 2022 by writeradmin.

I have been in dentures for over 30 years. I first lost my teeth when I was just 30 years old. I can’t keep them in. there is no ridge left on my lower jaw which means I cannot keep my dentures in anymore. I’m guessing I have to replace this but I’m not sure if it will do any good without the ridge on my jawbone.

Evelyn

Dear Evelyn,

Implant Overdentures

I am sorry you are in this situation. I wish your dentist would have warned you about this when you were first fitted for dentures. Once your teeth were removed, your body immediately began to resorb the minerals in your jawbone. It did this because your body recognizes you do not have any teeth that need support anymore. In an effort to be as efficient as possible with your body’s resources, it resorbs those minerals in order to use them where they will be more useful in your body. The problem with this is that your jawbone slowly shrinks until you no longer have enough support for your denture. This is known as facial collapse in dental circles and is what you are going through.

The prevention for this would have been to get implant overdentures. This places dental implants as prosthetic tooth roots in your jawbone and then anchors your dentures to them. The implants prevent the loss of any jawbone as well as giving you a denture that is completely secure. No slips and your chewing capacity would be significantly increased. Unfortunately, you don’t seem to have been given this option.

Snap-on Denture

At this point, you have a couple of options. Before any of them are viable, however, you will have to build back up your jawbone. In order to do that, you will need to have some bone grafting done. Once that has healed, that is where decision time begins.

First, you could just replace your denture. However, you are still young and will face the same problem as your body, once again, resorbs all the minerals. Your second option is to get implant over dentures, as described above. They will cost a significant amount of money. If that is too much money, don’t give up. Even as many as two implants for a snap-on denture will help preserve your bone.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Dental Implants after Ten Years in Dentures

Posted on December 30, 2020 by writeradmin.

I have had dentures for the last ten years and have hated them the whole time. I have money for dental implants but my dentist thinks the length of time I’ve been in the dentures may keep me from getting the implants. Is it too late for me?

Bonnie

Dear Bonnie,

You are not alone in hating your dentures. While some patients adjust to them, many find them a pain to deal with. Technically, if you are otherwise healthy, it is never too late to get dental implants. However, depending on the bone density in your jawbone, you may need an additional procedure.

When your teeth were first removed, your body began to resorb the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body where they will be more useful. Unfortunately, this has the unfortunate side-effect of slowly shrinking your jawbone. After ten years, it starts to get harder to properly fix your dentures. In twenty to thirty years you won’t have enough jawbone left to keep your dentures in. This is known as facial collapse.

In order for dental implants to stay securely, you need enough bone to integrate with them. It’s possible if you’ve lost enough bone that you will need to have some bone grafting done to ensure there is enough for the bone there for osseointegration. Once that is done and healed, it will be time to get your dental implants.

Your dentist can place four to six dental implants in your jaw and then anchor your dentures to them. These are known as implant overdentures. You will find this life-changing compared to your dentures. The first thing you’ll notice is your chewing capacity goes up dramatically. Even the best fitting dentures will reduce your chewing capacity by 50%. In addition to that, there will be no more slipping and sliding. Plus, you’ll never have to worry about them falling out. The biggest benefit, however, is that having prosthetic tooth roots in your jaw prevents facial collapse.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Can I Have a Pretty Smile After 30 Years?

Posted on July 29, 2020 by writeradmin.

I have had dentures for 30 years. I have always hated them. I’ve recently learned about dental implants. I wish I had known about these years ago. They look so much more natural than my dentures do. Is it too late for me to get them? My dentures aren’t even staying in any longer anyway.

Marilyn

Dear Marilyn,

I am sorry you have spent all these years unhappy with your smile. I almost hate telling you this but both dental implants and beautiful dentures have been around for decades. The problem you actually faced is an inexperienced and unknowledgeable dentist.

The good news is it is not too late to fix this. You will need one additional procedure in order to ensure the procedure will be successful. You have been in dentures for so long that you’ve likely lost too much bone structure to adequately retain your dentures.

When your teeth were removed, your body began to resorb the minerals in your jawbone in order to use your body’s resources more efficiently. By the time you’ve been wearing dentures as long as you have, then you no longer even have enough jawbone to adequately support your dentures. This is known as facial collapse and is why your dentures are no longer staying in place.

You’ll have to build that bone back up. In order to do that, you will have a bone grafting procedure done. This will make sure you have an adequate replacement of the bone you lost during the last 30 years.

Once you have had time to heal from that it will be time to begin your dental implant procedure.

Implant Overdentures

What you will do is have between four to eight dental implants placed in each arch of your teeth. Then, once the new bone you have has had time to integrate with the implants your dentist can anchor a newly made set of dentures to them.

I know you were worried about dentures not looking great. That has more to do with the artistic ability of the dentist than the procedure itself. You can have a stunning smile.

What you’ll need to look for is a dentist who has both experience in dental implants and cosmetic dentistry training. Look for someone skilled in dental implants first. From there, you can check out their smile galleries to get an idea of the beauty of the work they’ve done.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker. We offer metal-free dentistry.

All-on-Four Dental Implants

Posted on July 6, 2019 by writeradmin.

My husband is tired of his dentures. When he first got them, we were under the impression they were his only real option. The longer he’s had them the more he’s despised them. We recently learned about dental implants. We went to see a dentist about them and he said that the All-on-four procedure is his only solution because of bone loss. What I want to know is if this will be as good an option?

Carly

Dear Carly,

All-on-Four Dental Implants

I’m sorry your husband wasn’t given all his options at the beginning. This would have saved you a lot of hassle and discomfort, not to mention paying for two procedures. I hate telling you this, but your husband isn’t being given all his options again. In fact, whatever dentist you saw wasn’t completely honest. The all-on-four procedure isn’t your husbands only option.

While the dentist is right that there was likely a lot of bone loss, you can have bone grafting done. This will enable your husband to do traditional dental implants. You asked if all-on-four is as good. It isn’t. While the procedure has gotten a little better, it is still considered controversial. Plus, if one component of it breaks, the entire unit will have to be replaced.

The theory behind this procedure is to place the anchoring implants at an angle which, in theory, requires less bone structure to be available. That would be a good option if we couldn’t add to our bone structure, but we can.

Get Dentures Supported by Dental Implants

I’m going to recommend he have the bone grafting done and then have implant supported dentures. This places dental implants in his jaw, which in turn will protect him from further bone loss. After a period of healing, he can have dentures anchored to them.

He will find a much higher quality of life. There’s not slipping or sliding, no food getting underneath, and his chewing capacity will be significantly increased. This will completely change the way he feels about his teeth.

I’d also like you guys to look for a better dentist in your area. Hopefully you can find one who keeps up in his field or at least has the guts to say he doesn’t know or can’t provide necessary services.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.