Hello. I’m a 40-year-old adult with only 17 teeth left. Is a partial the way to go or should I get the implants or is there a denture besides the soft liner that is totally soft and hooks in the back of your upper and lower ja w? I’ve been in serious pain every day of my forty years and would love to know what it’s like to not wake in pain.
- Troy in California
Troy,
I’m not sure what your pain is from. Is it a jaw pain? Or is it toothaches? When you are missing a lot of teeth, you will often have jaw pain. This is called TMJ disorder, and it comes from your bite being off, which can cause spasms of your jaw muscles or other problems.
There are several reasons why dental implants would be much better for you than removable partial dentures. Partials put stress on the remaining teeth which can cause you to lose them, and they are often uncomfortable. Dental implants don’t have those problems. Plus, with so many teeth missing and you are only 40 years old, unless you get some dental implants in the spaces where you used to have teeth, your body is going to dissolve away the bone that used to support those teeth, and you will end up with facial collapse. Too many dentists don’t discuss with their patients the long-term effects of some of their decisions. Do you want to be able to eat when you are in your 70s? If you end up with facial collapse, you won’t be able to retain a denture in your old age, which means you may not be able to eat anything chewier than baby food when you get to be in your 70s. So try to keep the teeth you have left, and replace the missing ones with dental implants.
You don’t need to have a dental implant for each missing tooth. Especially if money is a factor, be up front with your dentist on what you can afford, and develop a plan to protect your remaining teeth and insure your long-term dental health.
Related information:
Phoenix TMJ specialist