Can’t Afford to Fix My Teeth

I have a serious problem and no money to do anything about it. I’ve always had problem teeth. While I do take care of them, recent pregnancies and surgeries kept me away from the dentist because of complications with life. Now they’re literally starting to crumble. The cost to fix them is almost astronomical. I’m thinking my best bet may be dentures, but am seriously depressed about it. My upper teeth are worse than my bottom. If I don’t have much money, what do you recommend?

Brooke

Dear Brooke,

You’re in a tough spot. You’ll get no judgment here. We all have different challenges. I am going to start by telling you the biggest danger when it comes to completely removable dentures, so you are educated about what you’re facing.

When your teeth are removed, your body recognizes that. In order to be as efficient as possible with your body’s resources, it resorbs the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body. After about ten or so years, you’ll have lost enough minerals in your jawbone to be faced with facial collapse.

My suggestion, if you can only afford to save some teeth, is that you save the teeth on your bottom arch. Facial collapse is a bigger issue with the bottom arch than the top arch. Plus, the upper dentures are kept in place by suction, unlike lower dentures which are balanced on the jawbone. When that bone shrinks, there is nothing to keep the denture in place.

Let’s say several years down the road you also lose the lower arch or you end up with a worst-case scenario and you can’t save either arch of teeth, what do you do then?

Saving Your Jawbone if You Are Stuck with Dentures

Ideally, you’d get implant overdentures. These use four to six dental implants and then anchor your denture to them. Because there are implants placed in your jawbone, your body interprets these prosthetics as if they are teeth roots. This tricks your brain into thinking you still have teeth in place, which in turn prevents it from using the minerals. In short, it saves you from dealing with facial collapse.

Not everyone can afford that number of dental implants, however. I realize that could very likely be the scenario you face. In those cases, I will recommend snap-on dentures (pictured above). This is an affordable dental implant option which uses two dental implants and snaps your dentures to them.

It is a good beginning step that will preserve the bone where the implants are in place. It will also keep the dentures from slipping or falling. Then, if finances improve, you can add more implants in order to preserve more bone and make the dentures that much more secure.

I hope this helps.
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