If you’re in the unfortunate position of having to get your teeth extracted and replaced, you have a lot to think about. What are you options? What could you have done to prevent this? Are dentures your only option? Dentures are one of the popular options because of the initial in-expense, but dentures are often chosen without knowing or thinking about the detrimental consequences. Here are five good reasons to consider alternative treatment.
- Hidden fees. Sure, dentures start out fairly cheap, but like cell phones plans or cable contracts, there’s a ton of “hidden fees.” For starters, there are adhesives to keep your dentures fixed to your gums which are a constant expense. Ditto for cleaning solutions. Also, dentures are not “one stop shopping,” they need to be realigned and even replaced every few years. So, that less- expensive fix starts to become more expensive quickly – and for life.
- Say goodbye to steak. The bite force your regular teeth and jaws provide is greatly diminished with dentures. So yes, that means biting through some of the good stuff like steak and hard fruit is going to be hard if not impossible … for life. Yeah, life without steak.
- Embarrassing moments. The top plate of a denture is held on by suction but the bottom plate, not so much. It’s held in by its own miniscule weight and your tongue’s ability to hold it in place. Yeah, you read that right, your tongue, that thing in your mouth that use to speak with. Imagine having your teeth pop out on a first date or job interview. Not exactly a great first impression.
- Self image. If you’re younger, say 30 or 40, you may think new teeth will help your self-confidence. And you’re right. However, imagine for a minute spending every night soaking your teeth in a glass … every night. That along with some of the other reasons listed could damage your confidence more than help it. It’s hard to feel young and vital when you have to do all the things you equate with the elderly.
- High maintenance. Adhesives, cleaners, denture brushes, realignments, replacements – sound like a lot of expenses? Well that’s not all. It’s also a ton of things you have to do every single day to maintain your dentures. Every night you’re going to have do almost all these things for life, and add it up, that’s a lot of time consuming maintenance for very little benefit. Think about it like this, if you had to buy one car to last you the rest of your life you wouldn’t buy one that was high maintenance, that nickel and dimed you, that you regularly had to take to a mechanic, just because it was cheaper than all the other cars. Would you?
Dental Implants – the better option
Put plainly, dentures are not the only option. There’s dental implants that affixes the plate into the jawbone with small, surgically implanted studs. There’s no substitute for good oral hygiene and maintenance or your real teeth but Dr. Hall can give you the full run-down on alternative options to dentures. Come in today for a consultation.
