Dentures or natural teeth?

Eddie: I don't use teeth to peel coconuts! OMG.

Also--taking a person who is living in a NH or ALF to the dentist for the many procedures required to GET dentures would be quite the task.

A good NH should be making sure that oral hygiene is being addressed. A lot of bacteria and such can easily be moved from the mouth to the body--my own hubby, a transplant patient, takes antibiotics prior to ANY dental procedure, including cleanings. Bacteria can enter through the gums and an infection can quickly become systemic.

Yes, it's more work for the aides and such, but it's one thing you should check before you place someone who can't care for their teeth in a facility--do they have basic teeth cleaning help available?

I had pretty OK teeth until I was on statin drugs for several years. First a couple of molars got loose, and then lost a front tooth. A local dentist wanted to pull all the teeth and due full dentures because he says that most people's medical issues are caused by bad teeth. I had him make me a front partial while I "thought about the dentures), and never went back there! A few years later, when some lower fronts were getting loose, I went to the local dental school, and they advised a top full plate and a partial, leaving what lowers were still good. BTW, I do oil pulling while I'm dressing in the morning, so it takes no extra time, and did it stabilize the bottom teeth. Results: the bottom partial has never fit right, and the supposed new permanent one was worse, so I did some work with a file on it and it's tolerable (don't wear it all the time). I'm still wearing the temporary top plate, which is OK, except that I cannot chew well with the dentures; do better with just my leftover bottom teeth. The full top plate does not allow food to touch the palate, so I don't get any taste on the roof of my mouth. My dentist at the dental school says that dentures are not better than real teeth; they are better than no teeth.
I also read recently that some people are more bothered with things touching their body; one example was people who can't stand labels on shirts. I am one of those, so I am constantly aware of the dentures. If you are a person who doesn't feel their clothes, you probably would get used to the dentures more easily.
BTW, there are articles on line about root canals being bad for your health. ??

Always keep your natural teeth whenever you can! Dentures can be fine but with most people, the gums start shrinking over time and then the teeth don't fit as well. They start hurting because even though the gums shrunk the dentures are the same size and then it looks like a person is all teeth! If you can afford it, get implants after researching of course. Implants are put in the gum and bone. They fit just like real teeth and you should be able to eat pretty much anything you could eat before losing your teeth. Or, to keep costs down, my dentist made impressions of my existing teeth and made teeth for me out of the same stuff teeth are made of. Then she cemented them in and hooked on to the existing jaw tooth and front tooth and I have at least 3 teeth that sit on top of my gum but doesn't move at all. I go in for the examination every 6 months and she cleans my teeth and I also clean them with a tool each week. These are much cheaper than implants but that's all I could afford. I didn't want dentures at all. Both of my parents had them and hated them every time they put them in the mouth. Also, dentures have an odor that is unmistakable no matter what you do to clean them.

Do whatever you can to keep your natural teeth! Brush twice a day limit acidic foods and drinks, use a water pick if your not good at flossing.
No denture can replace the look and feel of your natural teeth.
I too have several crowns and root canals due to large fillings from childhood, but with proper care I have a full mouth of beautiful teeth.
Dentures? Never!

I had 3 implants instead of having a partial. It is a little more expensive, but it is as close to being natural teeth as you can get. Look into dental colleges for some savings for any dental needs.

What is oil pulling? As I suggested, dentures are never going to be the same.

Although my teeth were in great shape I smoked for 20 years thus causing terrible gum disease. I quit smoking at age 40 but it was too late as my upper teeth had all become loose. I made the choice to remove my upper teeth in favor of dentures. It was the right decision for me. I no longer suffer from extreme sensitivity and constant worry. My husband, age 65, still has all his own teeth. He's lucky to have very excellent dental genetics. My Mom lost her upper teeth in her sixties (45 years of smoking) and now at 82 still finds it very difficult to wear a denture as she has a very sensitive gagging reflex. She still enjoys a varied food plan though, with some supplements, and has not lost any weight. What I'm suggesting is that you not fear dentures as for many they are an excellent option.

Thunder, I have had three root canals. The first was done when I was 10 y/o (I have no idea as to why that upper incisor became infected) and the other two were done when I was 37. All three are still doing fine. All three were crowned after the last two root canals were completed. I was told the incisor should be crowned because it "could become brittle and break longitudinally with no way of repairing it" so I went ahead with it. I am now almost 64 y/o, so obviously the first root canal has lasted nearly 54 years and the other two over 26 years. The crowns are all original, too.

Keep your own teeth.! And try Sensadyne toothpaste. I have tried others and this one works great. Also, Colgate makes a mouth wash called Peroxyl. Just don't over-swish as any peroxide type product can make the gums sore. My Dad has implants and had to get them as a result of an accident long time ago. At 91 with Alz he can still take care of them. It is all about the habit that was started long time ago. But I know that it will change when he does.

Don't do it. Dentures are a "last resort" thing! They are uncomfortable most of the time....move around in your mouth ergo....don't forget poly grip at the store!! You will make 100 trips to your dentist for some adjustment or another. Just extractions for them are painful, and no guarantees. My vote is take care of the teeth you have..see your dentist regularly, and brush and floss daily! Once your teeth are gone, they are gone. Seeds from Tomatoes, and other veg and fruits get caught under them, my parents, and my brother are always having to go and rinse them after eating certain foods. If you teeth can no longer be repaired, then make sure you have sufficient bone density so that you can try dental implants

my husband is depressed and has mild dementia. He has serious balance problems, and doesn't sleep well and never gets out of bed. This has been going on for 15 years...and he is so weak he cannot do much without assist...anyone else going through this besides me?

Keep the natural teeth as long as possible. Try most anything to keep the teeth. My friend had implants put in and that worked out for her but dentures no way.

Thunder--In turn thanks for providing your experience. As you said, people have different experiences.

Years ago I mentioned to a hygienist that I had a few fillings that were several decades old, and I got a rather dumbfounded response of "really??" I suspect a lot of the dental work done these days has more to do with cosmetic considerations rather than permanence.

One thing a little off topic, but still on the topic of teeth. My sister-in-law had a lot of old mercury fillings because her parents had a total of 6 kids and the only time they went to the dentist was to lose a tooth. She then left the family home at high school graduation and then got the bad mercury fillings. She recently had those removed as they were going into her body and making her very ill. She had to go to a specialized dentist, who captured the "mercury vapors" when the fillings were replaced.

I had mercury amalgam fillings in all the molars when I was a kid, and never had any problems with them for over 50 years except for one that cracked and the tooth was crowned. I figured that not disturbing them was better than messing with the mercury. I had trouble with the gums after a couple of years on statin drugs. I remember in the days when antibiotics were not as common, I knew several older people with chronic ill health that were cured by having their teeth removed. My dad had had gum problems fairly young and had dentures as long as I can remember; never seemed to have a problem with them.

Partsmom: Teeth with mercury fillings are not extracted. The mercury fillings are taken out by a process that a specialized dentist does by capturing the mercury vapors. Then the specialized dentist replaces the fillings with the right material. The worse to do is to get dentures!

My sister-in-law was being made ill by the mercury fillings in her teeth.

False teeth are no good. Keep your own teeth. You will really regret it if you have your perfectly good teeth removed.

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.

This post tops all. I know a woman (age 55 and more than a little nuts) had let her teeth go to the point where they were poisoning her body! After 2-3 years of this, she had the remaining 15 of them extracted. So she had no teeth at all. But she continued to eat ALL solid food on her gums!! I tried to tell her "Terri, if you continue to chew on just gums, they will be so inflamed that you won't be able to have dentures." She never listened to a word of any of this!

Get them cleaned every 3 months. Isn't it sad that people can't afford to go to dentist. The 60 something did not even floss. No one did. I don't think they even had floss in the 60's.
Save your teeth. I have bone loss from TMJ. I can't imagine trying to fit dentures. Some dentist invest in milling machines, They take out the bad part and then use porcelain overlays to cover the tooth. All my molars except the front have them. The front have bonding in front. I have bone loss. From bad bite from dental work. Find a good dentist. Ask your doctor or someone with nice teeth, who they use. I asked my neurologist. I had mine done in 2006. Best investment I've ever made. I would rather have my teeth and health than material possessions. I hate pain.