My husband has only had dentures for a couple of months, but he’s already given up on wearing them. I know this sounds shallow, but I’m too young to have a toothless husband. We’re only 50. I love him, but he’s being a baby. He says he hates how they move around. Is there some way to convince him to wear them?

Carla T.

Dear Carla,

I’m quite surprised and disturbed that at your young age your dentist didn’t warn you of the danger of dentures. Before we get into that, let’s address what your husband is complaining about. He’s not actually being a baby. Even the best fitting dentures reduce your chewing capacity by 50%. And if they’re moving around on him food is almost positively getting under the dentures and irritating him. These issues can cause him to develop sores.

Why Dentures are Dangerous When You’re Young

Our bodies are remarkably efficient. When your husband lost his teeth, his body began to reabsorb the minerals in his jawbone to use where his body perceived was more necessary. This causes his jawbone to slowly shrink. The clinical term for this is facial collapse. In about 10 or so years, he’ll no longer have enough jawbone to retain his dentures. He’d be a denture cripple. Unable to eat solid food. That will take a horrible toll on his health.

Implant Supported Dentures Protect From Facial Collapse

Did your dentist happen to mention implant supported dentures? These combine two procedures— dental implants and dentures. Dental implants require a surgical procedure where a prosthetic implant replaces the roots of his teeth. Then, when a healing period is over, porcelain crowns will be placed on the implants. This signals to his body that he still has teeth. Because of the prosthetic roots, the minerals of his jawbone are left in place.

Few people can afford to get straight dental implants on every tooth. However, getting implant supported dentures makes this much more affordable.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. David Pumphrey.