I Need a Soft Denture

I am fairly new to dentures and I’m just going to say bluntly, I’d rather gum everything than continue with this. I am gagging on the dental plate constantly. It’s actually made me vomit. Please tell me there is a soft denture. Otherwise, I don’t know what I’m going to do.

Laurie

Dear Laurie,

There is such a thing as a soft liner, but that is likely not what you’re asking for. Just to clarify, a soft liner is a “normal” denture that has a soft lining. These are designed for patients who have bony, painful ridges. These do have three downsides— they are more expensive, they are harder to clean, and they don’t last as long.

You’re asking about the plate, though. Unfortunately, the denture plate needs to be firm. Without that, it will be challenging to keep your dentures in as well as to chew. So, if the plate is necessary, where do you go from here?

Implant Overdentures

Many patients find themselves in your position. They hate their dentures. They can’t eat. There is an alternative. You can get implant supported dentures. This will completely take away the need to even use a denture plate all while securing your dentures to your jaw in a way that dramatically increases your chewing capacity.

Implant overdentures use four to six dental implants, then after a period of healing, your dentures will be anchored to them. These dental implants are essentially prosthetic tooth roots. While there are many benefits to dental implants, the most essential benefit is they prevent facial collapse. Dentures alone cause facial collapse.

Dentures and Facial Collapse

When your teeth were removed, your body recognized that. In response, your body began resorbing the minerals in your jawbone in order to use them elsewhere. It does this because it knew without teeth there, you didn’t need to jawbone to keep them in place. The tragic result of this is, after ten or so years, you will no longer have enough jawbone left to even retaining your dentures. This is what is known as facial collapse. As I mentioned above, placing dental implants into your jaw prevents this. Your body interprets the implants as you still having teeth and therefore leaves all the minerals in your jawbone in place to give them support.

This blog is brought to you by Naperville Cosmetic Dentist Dr. David Newkirk.