Hi Too Tired,

There are a few things that could be contributing to your inability to wear a partial denture comfortably.

First, you may be sensitive or allergic to the material that the partials are made out of which could cause localized swelling and irritation of the gum tissue. There are other materials that can be used if this is the case.

Second, the knobby bony areas next to the cheek that you speak of are called Tori or buccal exostoses. The bony area on your palate is called tori palatini. These are harmless slow growing bony growths that some people have whereas others don't. They can interfere big time with the fit of a partial or denture.

Thirdly, it sounds like you are prone to bone spurs which can also interfere with the comfort of a partial or a denture.

I would guess that your dentist is suggesting to remove all of your remaining teeth and place a full denture for two reasons. One, the teeth that are remaining may not be healthy enough to serve as good anchor teeth for a partial. And two, with all of your extra bony growths, you may not be able to get a good fit with a partial.

If you were to have your upper teeth removed, the bony growths along the buccal would be surgically reduced during the surgery allowing the bony ridge along the gumline to be smoother. This would allow the denture to sit more evenly along the ridge allowing your cheek muscles to naturally hold the denture in and you would get less sore spots and less (if any) bone spurs. The tori on your palate is another story. If it is large, then it may or may not be able to be totally removed. A full upper denture needs to sit snug against the palate for suction or it won't stay in. The tori prevents that from happening.

One option for you may be to have an implant retained denture. This would mean removing all of the remaining upper teeth and usually the buccal tori and maybe some of the palatal tori as well. Dental implants can be placed in areas where the bone is healthy and a denture can be made that does not go across your palate. Perhaps that is something to discuss, if you haven't already, with your dentist.

You are in a tough situation and unfortunately, there is no easy solution. However, I think you do have some treatment options and perhaps you and your dentist can explore what they are before you invest in yet another partial denture.

All the best to you,
Bryanna