Houston dental implants specialist, Dr. Wayne Brueggen, speaks to us about the reality of removable denture costs as opposed to dental implants as a tooth replacement solution.
(prHWY.com) March 8, 2013 - Houston, TX -- Growing up, many people remember their grandparent's removable dentures to be the source of much mirth and merriment. I remember finding what must have been my grandmother's old set of teeth in her bathroom cabinet. I wasted no time shoving them in my own mouth and parading around the house much to my mother's horror.
We seem to share a common morbid fascination with this technology, much like we do those complete human skeletons you sometimes find in the school biology class. This fascination is evident in the popular depiction of dentures as the source of much hilarity in comedy films. But, there is a far more sobering side to removable dentures. What might make us laugh in our youth may end up causing us terrible agony in our golden years.
We spoke to
Houston dental implants specialist, Dr. Wayne Brueggen, to find out the truth about removable dentures.
Daily Challenges, Repeat Expenses
"Many people who have lost or are on the verge of losing all of their original adult teeth opt for removable dentures in the interest of saving money," says Dr. Brueggen. "While it's true that dentures initially cost less than dental implants, the amount of money patients spend on denture products and refitting add up in the long term. Couple that with the fact that these patients typically end up needing implants anyway and you can appreciate just what a massive expense removable dentures is!"
"Quite simply," states Dr. Brueggen, "dentures end up being the more costly option, not only in dollar bills, but in terms of a patient's quality of life."
It's enough to make one feel guilty for ever laughing at a denture joke, but it's true. Dentures go hand-in-hand with a whole host of daily challenges that can make life quite a misery for the wearer. We asked Dr. Brueggen about the complaints patients frequently make.
"Patients are initially happy with their dentures, which probably look far better than their old, failing dentition, so at first, it's all smiles and laughter," explains Dr. Brueggen. "But after a few years, dentures stop fitting so well and this is when the problems start happening. Over time the jawbone changes shape, which is caused by a loss of volume due to atrophy of the hard tissue. This is a progressive problem and explains why dentures need to be refitted every few years or so."
This also explained to me why my grandmother had so many spare sets of dentures in her bathroom cupboard! Obviously, these were the old pairs that she'd had to replace as a result of her jawbone wasting away.
"In essence, a patient will never buy just one set of teeth. With dentures, having your teeth refitted is a periodic expense you'll just have to cover," says Dr. Brueggen. "As I explained, in the long run, this cost can work out to be in excess of the cost of dental implants!"
It's pretty surprising to learn just how much removable dentures cost to maintain. Most of us would think that once you had them placed, you'd be set for life, but clearly nothing could be further from the truth! So, what other costs come hand-in-hand with this conventional teeth replacement technology? Apparently a whole lot!
* Anesthetic gels to soothe painful gums that are inflamed and tender from being pressed down on and rubbed against,
* Soaking solutions to store removable dentures in overnight, keeping them sterile while you allow your gums to breathe,
* Adhesives to prevent removable dentures from sliding around and falling out of your mouth,
* Cleaning products and implements.
Over the years, all of these costs add up. Combine that with the cost of getting new dentures fitted every few years and you might as well go the "Full Monty" on a brand new set of teeth with dental implants from the word go!
About Dr. Wayne Brueggen
Dr. Wayne Brueggen, Houston dental implants specialist, provides edentulous (toothless) and near-edentulous patients with brand new teeth on a daily basis. Only, these teeth are fixed (non-removable) and are far more functional, aesthetic and comfortable than removable dentures. Dental implants are widely understood to be the best possible solution to missing teeth, whether a patients has lost one or all of them. Dentures, we can all agree, are a technology of the past!
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