Dentist or Oral Surgeon for Dentures?

Question submitted by Kevin:

I’ve always been terrified of the dentist. It started when I was a kid. The result of that is my teeth are a complete disaster. I need to get dentures. If I still have quite a few teeth to remove, do I go to an oral surgeon to get the extractions or a general dentist? I need to just bite the bullet and get this done, because my teeth have been so embarrassing that it is has kept me from being in public. I’m missing out on my children’s lives.

Kevin

Dear Kevin,

I would see a dentist who can do the surgery and the dentures. This gives the least amount of risk for miscommunication between the doctors. While most dentists can do this, you want to make certain that it is a dentist who does it regularly and not just trying to acommodate your wishes. The way to do that is to call around and ask what their normal procedure is for this type of situation. Don’t tell them what you’re looking for.

Because you are also dealing with a significant amount of dental anxiety, I think you’d have a better experience if the dentist also did sleep  dentistry. This is a pill you can take that will allow you to sleep through the entire procedure. Had someone told you about this earlier, it could have given you a much better experience with dentists and allowed you to save your teeth. Either way, there is no reason for you to suffer now.

Before you make your final decision, though, I’d like you to look into getting implant supported dentures, though, and not just removable dentures. This will greatly impact your quality of life. When your teeth are removed, your body begins resorbing the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body. Over a number of years, this will result in a condition known as facial collapse, where you lose so much of your jawbone that you can’t even keep your dentures in.

Having dental implants placed to secure your dentures will prevent this.

This blog is brought to you by a gentle prosthodontist in Tucson, Dr. Howard Steinberg.