My Dentures are Loose!
Those of you who have dentures know exactly what we mean by that. Upper dentures usually have a better retention than the lowers since these are less reliable, lack suction, and move around during mastication.
Once a tooth is extracted, the bone that was once surrounding the tooth starts to resorb. It is a slow process that takes many years to become obvious to the patient. During this time, the shape of the jawbone changes, the width of the bone decreases, and the height diminishes. As a result, there will be less surface area to stabilize the denture. Most denture wearers are aware that their dentures become looser over time. The bone that is lost is permanent and will never grow back.
Upper dentures have better retention because there is more surface area and the tissue around the denture border can adapt the denture, thus, creating a seal that will maintain the suction. The shape of your jaw will play a role as well.
On the other hand, the lower jaw provides a smaller surface area. The denture will basically rest on the tissue with no suction. And to make the matter worse, the tongue will press against the denture all the time and cause it to move.
If you had no luck using denture adhesive, dental implants is your best bet to anchor the dentures in place. Implants are anchored to the jaw bone and the denture is then snapped onto them. This procedure is known as over denture, and there are many different ways it could be fabricated. As a rule of thumb, the more implants anchored; the better your denture will function. At a minimum, you will need two implants; however, we almost always recommend an additional implant to provide better retention and in case one of the implants fails. You could need as many as seven implants for an over denture depending on your specific expectations.
Loose denture
A set of stable dentures will allow you to eat meals that you otherwise could not—such as: salads; corn; pretzel; and the like. It will also eliminate being worried about slippage during meals and speech as well.
Feel free to contact us for a consultation to answer all of your questions regarding your loose dentures.
