Hi Vichen,

Yes, you were the root canal queen How do you feel physically since removing those infected teeth? Do you notice a positive change or no change in your health?

It's important to keep in mind that the longevity of your infected teeth (20+ years) resulted in various degrees of bone loss. Having the teeth removed was key to eradicating the infection. However, the bone loss was not fully recoverable, even if bone grafting was done because of the long term infection.

With that said, partial or complete dentures being worn by people who have various degrees of bone loss due to infection may find the appliance difficult to wear because the supportive bone structure may be inadequate or non existent in some areas and the contour (shape) of the bony ridge will be very uneven across the arches. This can make the fit of a partial or full denture difficult.

Also with all that said, someone who is not edentulous (not completely without teeth) and is replacing the extracted teeth with a partial denture may have additional problems caused by their existing teeth which may have bone loss and/or have shifted out of their original space contributing to bone loss. Trying to get an appliance to fit comfortably while accommodating all of these issues can be very difficult in many cases.

Dental implants require healthy, adequate bone in order to integrate properly with the jaw bone. If the bone is compromised or inadequate in height, depth and width, the placement of dental implants will be considered in the high risk for failure category. In some people, smaller dental implants can be used and be very effective in holding a fixed partial denture. It really all depends on the individual case.

The two significant issues that compromise the jaw bone the most are:

1) The degree of infection and length of time the infected teeth were present in the bone.
2) The timing between the tooth extractions and placement of the implants. The older the extractions, the more bone loss occurs over time.

Dental implants do not harbor infectious bacteria the same as teeth because implants are a solid piece whereas teeth are permeable. Bacteria is produced around the circumference of the dental implant as a natural response to something foreign in the bone. If the jaw bone and the patient is healthy, and the surgery is done well, then the formation of this bacteria is not usually harmful or a problem. But if the jaw bone or the patient is not healthy or the bone is not adequate to hold the implant, and/or the surgery is not done well, then bacteria of an infectious nature can form.

I know, no easy answer.... I'm sorry :/
The valplast partial can have some limitations in the fabrication process. Whereas the metal partial during it's fabrication can be a bit easier to mold to accommodate various shapes of the bony ridge.

Bryanna





QUOTE=vichen;1200315]Hi Bryanna,

I was a root canal queen before! I had 12 root canalled and crowns in my mouth for the last 20 years. Last year, I finally got the courage to pull them out. I thought I don't mind wearing dentures. But things didn't work out quite well. Since extraction in last June, I have been wearing three sets of valplast partials, which are supposed to be biocompatible. Unfortunately none of them fitted well, they make my gum so irritated and hurts here and there. Now I'm in the process of making a traditional cast metal denture. I hate put a metal in mouth, but this is my last resort, otherwise I have no choice but impants.

My questions is, is doing implants the same way of harboring bacteria in jaw bone, hence also put great risk on health and immune system? Especially in my case, my dentist said I need at least four implants in upper jaw and two in lower. I'm so scared to put so many metal posts in my jaw bone. Is that another good way to kill myself?

Thanks![/QUOTE]