Better lower partial denture?

[jrsummersill1]

About 4 years ago I made the decision to have my 6 lower front teeth removed due to periodontal disease. Despite daily brushing and flossing this problem has plagued me for YEARS. And for some reason mainly affected my lower front teeth to the point that the gum line looked "ragged" due to the repeat pocket cleaning procedures that I was forced to endure. I was so fearful of what the dentist would say each year that I eventually began putting off going. Some dentists just speculated that I had an inherited dental problem as my grandmother had full dentures by the time she was in her 40s and did my great-grandparents. My mother also experiences these issues. In any event, I finally did get the partial lower denture, but it never did fit right and really loosened over time. Even with denture adhesive it would only hold fairly tight for maybe 3-4 hours at the most and then I would need to reapply the adhesive to finish out my day. By the time I would get home from work, they came out for the evening since they annoyed me so. I did not go back for a reline, even though I thought about it, as I was afraid the dentist would come up with more issues or say I had other problems. I assumed that they never felt quite right due to the fact that they were only replacing my front lower teeth, that perhaps if they were replacing back teeth or both some back teeth along with the front, maybe they would fit better or have an "anchor" in the back. My husband accidentally threw my lower partials away (long story, but it was actually my fault) and I am currently wearing my old flipper that I saved from when my teeth were first extracted (thank God that I saved it!). This happened about 3 months ago and I am trying to work up the courage to start this venture all over again (the dental visits, impressions, try ons, etc.). I am trying to have a positive outlook that maybe this time I will get a partial that will fit better and not be such a hassle! My question is if anyone else has a partial just for the lower front teeth that fits really well? If so, how is it made? My old partial was the metal kind with the six teeth in the front and it was supposed to anchor on to my back tooth on each side, but never really anchored on. Or am I just going to be stuck with an ill fitting lower partial forever (or to at least hopefully one day I can afford those super expensive implants the dentist was always trying to talk me into). To make matters worse, I no longer have dental insurance and will be paying for all of this out of my pocket. Any ideas on obtaining a better fitting partial? Maybe there is something out there that my dentist or the lab was not aware to make them stay better and longer? Thanks in advance!

 

[Dr. Daniel]

Hi,

if a metal frame does not sit well that means it is not a good one. Metal frame should be very stable and comfortable.
In many cases, just a slight adjustments of the metal anchors does the trick. In other cases the anchors are fine but the anchoring teeth are mobile due to the periodontal disease and then a dentist can bind these teeth together and have them stabilized.

What at I am trying to say is that an experienced dentist can on many occasions really easily improve the denture, without relining or any lab work. In contrary to the above response, I recommend going to an experienced dentist rather to an experienced dental technician.

 

[comfortdentist]

Hi,

if a metal frame does not sit well that means it is not a good one. Metal frame should be very stable and comfortable.
In many cases, just a slight adjustments of the metal anchors does the trick. In other cases the anchors are fine but the anchoring teeth are mobile due to the periodontal disease and then a dentist can bind these teeth together and have them stabilized.

What at I am trying to say is that an experienced dentist can on many occasions really easily improve the denture, without relining or any lab work. In contrary to the above response, I recommend going to an experienced dentist rather to an experienced dental technician.

Absolutely right!
The problem is that too many dentists just take an impression , write a prescription and send it to the lab. The proper way is to evaluate the health of the teeth and their stability then modify them to best support a partial. The problem is that many people won't pay for this service as it costs more.

 

[jrsummersill1]

Thank you for the replies. I always thought, or understood at least, that a lower partial denture that only replaced the front teeth was usually "unstable". Is that correct? Historically, the periodontal disease issue does not affect my back teeth and they are stable. For some reason it's always the front--particularly the front bottom teeth were always the worse.