[QUOTE=Jeanie.F;1035454]Hi Bryanna,

It's been a while now since I last posted, I saw my dentist in May, he filed down the tooth which was hurting me and I haven't had much problems with it since then.

I got a temp partial denture fitted for the extraction sites to wear to a friends wedding in September. The problem is it's very bulky and feels like I'm eating plastic so I don't wear it often, I tried it last week after not wearing for a month but it didn't fit! I went to the dentist and he said the tooth at the back which holds the metal clasp had moved forward and that I really need to wear it more often or get implants sorted otherwise my teeth will keep moving and my bone will become less and less in the area. He filed the back tooth and filed a bit of the denture and now it's too loose. I'm going back to the denture place tomorrow for him to fix it properly.

The dentist advised me to wear it at least 2 to 3 nights per week (but the person who made the denture said not to wear it at night) and to wear it as much as possible during the day, but he also said that he didn't like these kind of dentures because they damage the gum underneath them. I'm confused as to whether it's a good idea to have this denture at all.

I can't afford a new denture or implants at the moment, my plan is to hopefully get implants eventually but not for a few years, I get the impression from my dentist that if I leave it too long I won't be a good candidate for implants? I'm a bit weary of putting anything in the area that was infected previously too, and also have heard some scary stories about the material used in implants being as bad as RCT and mercury etc. Do I really want to put more damaging substances in the area that I had such problems with. But then again I don't want my teeth moving and causing me more problems in the near future and maybe even more extractions.

I grind my teeth pretty bad, have ate through previous night guards (guards tailor made for me by the dentist costing hundreds of euros). A few years ago I got an NTI Device from a clinic, it seemed to do a great job stopping me from grinding, a few months ago the device broke, I showed my dentist and the person who did my denture to see if they could fix it, and they both said that this device was very bad for my teeth and jaw and would cause more damage than good, I stopped using it but have been grinding a lot since stopping. What is your opinion on these NTI devices and what alternatives are there for someone who eats through regular night guards!?

Would love to hear your opinion on implants and any of the above!

Thanks so much
Jeanie

Hi Jean,

Nice to hear from you!

Regarding the NTI appliance. This appliance is prescribed based on the individual case. Some people do really well with it while others do better with the full mouth guard. It is not something that is automatically bad and will make things worse..... it is a suitable appliance for certain people.

If you are biting through your night guards, then you may need to have one made with a stronger more rigid material. That is something your dentist would have to discuss with the dental lab that fabricates the appliance.

Regarding the wearing of the partial denture. It is true if you do not wear it often enough, the adjacent teeth will shift towards that open space. This movement causes the affected teeth to become misaligned and possibly loose. It could also result in bone loss as the teeth move, the bone breaks down to allow the movement and it does not grow back. It is important that the partial fit properly and comfortably to avoid damage to the other teeth. Other than immediately after the removal of teeth, partial dentures as well as full dentures should not be worn while you sleep. A thrush like infection can develop underneath the appliance due to the areas always being covered and it can be difficult to get rid of. It is best to wear the appliances during the waking hours.

Regarding the placement of dental implants. There is no evidence that titanium or zirconium dental implants are in any way similar to root canaled teeth or the metal mercury. Implants are a foreign material and do not require the nourishment of blood like teeth do. Therefore they can be placed in viable healthy bone in someone who is moderately healthy for a lifetime without any systemic consequences. The metal used for dental implants is not toxic and is considered a bio-compatible material....unlike mercury which is highly toxic. People who have a known sensitivity or allergy to the metals used in implant dentistry obviously should not have them done.

Regarding the time frame to place dental implants. So long as the bone is healthy it is ideal to have the implants placed within one year of the extractions. After that time bone loss will occur and it will progress as time goes on. Everyone is different... some lose bone sooner than others.

Hope this answers those questions.

Bryanna

Rotting pulp caused pain. A dentist removed most of the pulp and left the tooth open. Food got in and the next appointment was not so good. It felt like there was more bad pulp in there. And I felt some nerve tissue. (No injections given).

The doc put in antibiotics and closed the tooth. This triggered severe swelling. Now it spread from the side of my face to under my chin, making opening the mouth and eating difficult and swallowing is not fun either.

Will ask to pull that tooth.

Thanks again for the professional's advice to pull your tooth!

Chris