I’m 24 and have a horrible time with my teeth. I was never taken to the dentist as a child. Now my mouth is a mess and I need a ton of work. I’m always in pain. I’m considering just getting rid of the teeth and doing this procedure I just read about called all-on-4 dental implants. Is this something which will work for someone my age? It sounds better than dentures.
Banner
Dear Banner,
I’m very sorry you are in so much pain. I have loved ones who live with chronic pain for other conditions, so I know how distracting and discouraging that feels. All-on-four dental implants are better than dentures, of course, but won’t be the best solution for someone at your age.
If you need a lot of dental work, you may also have some gum disease present. If that’s the case, you wouldn’t be a candidate for this procedure anyway. As gum disease progresses, it will cause you to lose teeth. If your body can’t sustain your teeth, it can’t sustain your implants either.
In that situation, what do you do? Ideally, you’ll want to save as many teeth as possible. You’d start by getting your gum disease treated. That will likely take care of a lot of the problems on its own.
When You Need a Lot of Work and Dread the Dentist
You are in a position not of your own making. One thing which helps when you need so much work is to try sedation dentistry. You just take a simple pill and you are completely relaxed. Most patients are so relaxed they sleep through the entire procedure.
The additional benefit is your dentist will be able to get a LOT more work done in one sitting. This means you could be back to a completely healthy mouth in less time than you’d expect.
This blog is brought to you by Atlanta Periodontist Dr. David PUmphrey.
