Hello Colleen,

First let me say "Thank you" from the bottom of my heart to your husband for serving my country so many years ago. I work at the VA and it is such an honor to serve those who give us now the freedom we are enjoying. Regarding the obturator, one of the challenges of the obturator is getting adequate retention of the prosthesis. Lack of retention will cause air leakage that affects speech as well as causing problems with function such as fluids coming out of nose while drinking water. Therefore the remaining teeth must be ultilized to the maximum to provide needed stability. What you described sounded to me like attachments that are incorporate in to the crowns where the obturator is attached through male and female attachments. These kinds of retention devices are for cases where the tooth contour is inadequate for conventional clasp (round wire)design or a stronger form of retention is needed. It is also for cases where clasps would present an esthetic concern especially in the front area. I see no problems with having the teeth crowned for this purpose. Another way to help the obturator to stay in place better is by using hollow bulb rather than using a solid one. Ask your prosthodontist to consider a hollow bulb if yours is a solid one. If I recall right, a study done indicated that 33% of weight can be reduced with the hollow bulb approach. Regarding the implants, I would consider this as a second option since why go through surgery again if a simpler approach can be ultilized such as the first option?

If you feel that your speech is not clear or you having problems with the appliance during function, perhaps the bulb portion (the obturator part) needs to be adjusted or relined to account for tissue changes. It is not common to have the prosthesis adjusted even years after insertion. DP