Dentures or natural teeth?

From what i heard (not sure if your grandma is an exception) there is nothing like your own teeth so try to keep them as long as possible. My mom had the best dentures made but never quite mastered exactly how to chew with them which limited what she ate which of course was the point in getting them in the first place.

Natural teeth can be a problem for those with dementia and bedridden at home for several years. How do you know when the patient's teeth are an infection problem, and if they are what do you do about it? The concern of not knowing is worrying. I am in that position and thankful that at least my wife has an upper denture. The lower natural teeth are now crumbling but as far as I can tell there is no infection . . .yet. If you anticipate the future may include dementia my advice would be to remove one's natural teeth before it's too late.

Jinx, I've wondered myself if the pain and expense involved in preserving out natural teeth is worth it.
My mom had a full upper denture most of her life and never had any problems eating. We have had more problems since she had to get a lower partial, they don't fit as snugly without adhesives. Since she now is on a modified diet I can't say if she would be able to eat real food or not.
I do know that her first set of porcelain teeth lasted over 20 years, her second set also lasted almost as long, but the teeth they make now seem designed to be replaced and repaired much more frequently.
I also wonder about mouth care once we are in a nursing home, it seems that when staff are overburdened oral care is one of the first things to go. I recall visiting an aunt who had food pocketed in her cheeks hours after any meal, it is no wonder that the teeth she spent so much money on and had been so proud of rotted away and had to be removed.

It is always better to keep your natural teeth even though you have to get root canals and crowns. An upper denture can work for you if you have a good bone ridge, but I would definitely hesitate to get a lower denture because most people don't have good bone on the bottom which is necessary to keep a denture in.

There's nothing like your natural teeth. Dentures are not comfortable fir everyone and they can be hard to get used to. The best thing to do is brush twice a day, floss every day, and use listerine. Go to a good dentist who will give you a thorough exam and cleaning. But to have good teeth removed is just barberic. Not to mention painful. Not to mention that at a version age gum shrinkage prevents the proper wearing of dentures, so now you're on a diet of mush. Please do not do this. I've had 5 root canals and 1 implant. My teeth are beautiful and functional. Most important thing you can do if you don't already is floss every day.

Don't do it!! My mom went for dentures and she was never the same afterwards. She was embarrassed, her sense of self was damaged, food became stuck between the dentures and her gums, her speech was effected and as we age, even our mouth contour changes and the teeth never fit well.

My daughter is a dentist. Her advice to me is to do whatever you can to keep your own teeth. As long as you don't suffer from a lot of bone loss you should be able to do that. Her other advice is to never skip flossing. If you have enough time for either brushing of flossing, floss. I have also seen what it's like for my mother in law and her dentures. For whatever reason they filed most of her lower teeth down and fit her with a partial that she can't use anymore. Her bottom teeth are now useless nubs, Her uppers don't fit well and she can only eat mushy foods. She'll sit and chew a little scrap of nothing all day long. At 97 with heart issues no dentist will touch her. My husband even has to take them out and put them in for her now. Not fun. Do what you can to keep your teeth. Visit a dental school for dental work if cost is an issue.

This is a question I've been asking myself. My husband had to get his teeth pulled and then full dentures about 10 years ago because ruined teeth was one of the side effects of the chemo and radiation he had as cancer treatments. He was in his mid-50's. He tends to forget to wear the dentures because he likes to chew bubble gum to keep his mouth moistened (dry due to medications), but he's never said that the dentures were a problem in terms of how food tasted, etc. He gets his from the VA at no cost, but as long as they fit comfortably he seems to be fine with them -- he's had several pairs (due to dropping them and then stepping on them, losing them because they fell out of a pocket, etc.) and the current ones fit so well that he doesn't need to use an adhesive.

My Mom who passed away about 3 weeks ago at age 96 had most of her own teeth but did wear a partial upper and a partial lower for many many years. Over the last 3 or 4 years, her natural teeth broke off and crumbled away in spite of good dental care, and she became sensitive about how she looked -- she worried about smiling with her mouth open, and some things became too difficult for her to want to eat. Minutes before she passed, she kept trying to close her mouth and could not keep it closed, so I placed a soft folded towel under her chin just enough to keep her mouth closed. She visibly relaxed and was breathing fine through her nose, and then in just a little while she passed over. I kept the towel in place for a while to prevent her jaw from relaxing and her mouth coming open, because it just seemed obvious to me that she didn't want to "go" that way and have everyone see her mouth looking ugly. She had been a really beautiful woman, but never vain about it, but I knew that her self-esteem was damaged by the breakage and discolorations of her natural teeth in these last years, and my heart went out to her over it.

So I think about that for myself ... I do need a partial for my uppers to replace molars. Maybe down the road in another 10 or so years, I'll opt to go for full dentures.

Well Jinx4740 far be it for me to tell or advise any Person, as all I can say is what works for me. All of my Life I had been plagued with bad teeth, oh fillings galore and extractions too to the point that I had nine teeth left on top and six underneath when I decided I'd rid myself of the lot. When my last tooth was pulled it was definitely the happiest moment of my entire life. I decided that dentures were not for me, so I'm managing well without. I am now 56 years growing bald and I survived three major brain operations and Life is good. I'd say choose whatever you are happiest with and makes you feel good.

I answered on this, but an experience this week really solidified my belief that should work hard to keep as many natural teeth as you can.

Had lunch with a group of friends from HS. We all turn 60 this year. One gal, I have noticed, began letting her teeth "go" in her late 40's. She'd just let the rot, literally right out of her mouth. I'd see her twice, maybe 3 times a year and they got worse and worse. Along with the grossness of looking at broken, brown, rotting teeth, her breath could stop a train.

She evidently got dentures sometime in the past 6 months. They do not fit well, they look VERY fake and are too big for her mouth. She can barely talk and she looks older than she did with few teeth. She can't eat with them in, so she surreptitiously slipped them out to eat. Then snuck them back in at the end of the meal.

I don't say this to be mean--I felt horrible for her. She has money, healthcare, etc., her lack of dental care was by choice. Even in HS she rarely brushed her teeth--and now she's paying the price. She looks 80..and not a happy, healthy 80. I know her teeth decaying has caused her a lot of health problems.

Take care of your natural teeth as long as you possibly can!!!! She still could have saved a lot of hers and gotten implants--but opted to go the full upper and lower route. Maybe her dentist is lousy, but my intuition tells me she has lost a lot of bone structure and these things are never going to look good.