“Just pull them all???” Are you sure? Do you have ANY IDEA what you are giving up? All too often, we as dental professionals have heard someone say “Just yank em”. WHAT?? Are you bloody kidding me? To us, it is like hearing the proverbial “nails on a chalkboard”, especially given that the value of your natural teeth is that of a $168,000 Maserati.
A seemingly simple solution, to all your dental maladies, is anything but. Before taking the plunge, have you thought of anything past the fact that you will no longer have to brush and floss? While dentures provide one solution to the problem of not having teeth, they are nowhere near the quick and easy fix that people expect. To many, who have neglected the regular care of their teeth, this seems like the easiest fix. They are often driven to address this when pain causes them to seek care. What starts out as one extraction, and what could be a wakeup call, sometimes leads to the downhill roll of the extraction stone. What happens as teeth start to disappear from your mouth? Well, everyone is quick to attend to the front teeth, the smile makers; but, what about when the molars and bicuspids disappear? Well, naturally you start chewing on your front teeth. Pretty soon those get damaged extensively.
If you choose not to restore your “Maserati”, do you really know what it will be like for you? Aside from the healing and soreness from your surgery, the adjustment to full upper and lower dentures is anything but easy. Imagine wearing shoes that are not your size. Think of chewing, like running. If the shoes are too loose, you cannot attain a full run and have to carefully compensate at a slow pace to keep the shoes on. On the other hand, if the shoes are too tight, you cannot run for long as painful blisters develop and you have to take the shoes off. This is common among denture wearers. BUYER’S REMORSE is huge! The song “If I Could Turn Back Time” ought to be the theme song for the denture crowd.
Besides being uncomfortable to wear, 100% of denture wearers are able to effectively chew 10% of their food. The diminished taste and enjoyment of their food, coupled with the inability to function, spells “these things stink!”
I read an article this morning on “10 Smart Ways Everyone Can Save Money”. I would add to that and make it 11. A little prevention goes a long way. YOU SAVE MONEY every time you take care of your teeth with hygiene visits. YOU SAVE MONEY by addressing problems when they are small. Keeping your natural teeth does not have to be a hardship. We have many ways to help you avoid the buyer’s remorse and years of frustration that pulling all your teeth can bring.