Dear August,

I have read all of your posts and I am so disappointed that a colleague missed your diagnosis for so long. Although I don't wear an obturator, I can speak to you from my experience with my patients that do. I personally have not had one fabricated for a patient, but hopefully can answer some of your questions.

It always amazes me when some patients adapt to appliances that are made to be used for the short term. Although you are funtioning OK with the one you have, temporary obturators like the one you have, do run the risk of breaking more easily than one made of metal. So you should definately move on to a more durable one. Being thinner is also a good thing and I agree that your speech will probably be better.

Using a clip like you are with the movement that occurs is not a good thing. You have noticed one of the problems with the tissue irritation and that is a major concern. If money were no object, having implants is far better than crowns. Years ago crowns were the only option, but now implants offer advantages. The most important one is that you don't have to cut down teeth to place the crowns. You don't run the risk of getting decay under a crown, with the possibility of the crown needing to be replaced and then the obturator won't fit. However, if the cost puts implants out of the picture, crowns can work very well for long periods of time.

Sorry I can't give you any input on your follow-up care, but someone else is bound to reply.

Jerry