Originally Posted by Bryanna

Hi Karoncurran,

As I began to read your post, I suspected that you have periodontal disease because your dentist was not being proactive in your dental care. Meaning, since your teeth are in a guarded to hopeless condition, there really isn't much he could do for you to help you retain your teeth. The fact that the broken, blackened tooth fell out on it's own also indicates advanced periodontal disease.

Also let me clarify a misconception about periodontal disease.... you never have it in just one or two or three areas of your mouth. You have it in various degrees throughout your mouth. The bacteria that causes periodontal disease comes from a chronic build up of removable plaque and it is highly infectious and contagious as it is referred to as a communicable disease. It is also not contained in your mouth.... it continually filters through your digestive, lymphatic, and immune systems as well as your heart, kidneys and liver. So if you have not been informed of all of these things, then your dentist(s) have been neglectful in informing you.

I can your resistance of removing your teeth and going into a denture. However, it is imperative to understand the systemic consequences and the health risks you are putting upon yourself by retaining these teeth for any length of time. You could be fitted for dentures, have your teeth removed and wear the dentures for awhile. You may find that they are not as awful as you imagine them to be. If you decided you wanted to pursue something more permanent, then you could look into some implants and having a fixed denture done.

Regarding dental implants.... not everyone is a good candidate for dental implants. People who have a long history of periodontal disease run a high risk of implant failure due to the deterioration of the jawbone from the disease. There is only so much that bone grafting can achieve..... and it is imperative that your jaw bone be healthy enough to receive the bone grafting without rejection.

So it may behoove you to consider taking the first approach which would be to remove the teeth, place the dentures and rid yourself of this ongoing bacterial infection. Then after several months see where you are at and if you are a candidate for future dental implants.

I recommend that approach simply from a health stand point.

I hope this information is helpful to you. I wish you all the best!

Bryanna