Hey Everyone

I haven't been here in a long time. I did a search but could not find the answer/s I was looking for.

I am 5 years post surgery this Oct 8th. I had been getting my teeth cleaned by my old dentist for the first 3 years after surgery. Long story short, he retired and I did not get along with the new dentist. In that time, my teeth have gotten VERY sensitive. I can't even let the dentist touch my teeth with the pic to clean them. My teeth continue to get in worse shape and I have an appointment with a oral surgeon(who did a small surgery after my original surgery to free up my frenulum that was pulling on my lip) to clean them. This is a very costly procedure, lots of freezing and cleaning.
Here is my question, is dentures the end result regardless of how well I take care of my teeth. I had perfect teeth, no fillings or cavities before my Cancer, now they seem to be detiorating very fast. I don't want to spend all this money(only patially covered) on specialized cleaning to have the end result the same as if I had just left them and looked into dentures. I am only 30 and I hope to have many years left so this is something I need to take care of now.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Craig

Did you use the Fluoride trays?

Congrats on being 5 years out BTW.

I did for awhile, but I found the flouride burnt my mouth. I have tried the Biotene mouthwash and was using that for awhile.

My teeth are just soooo sensitive. I would use sensodyne but that burns my mouth too, seems the biotene is the only toothpaste that I can handle.

Thanks on the congrats....a long road as you know, but it will be nice to be on the other side of 5 years in a month or so!

Biotene now makes a sensitive version of their enzyme based toothpaste. It has the same active ingredient in it as Sensodyne, while still having low levels of flavorings that burn, and the benefits of the enzymes they add to all their products.

CKE,
I would have to say No...dentures are not always the end and should not be percieved to be.
If cleaning your teeth makes you too uncomfortable ask about getting freezing for the appointment...this is not uncommon and I actually suggest it to many patients who are uncomfortable during hygiene appointments. My rationale is this; an uncomfortable patient is an unhappy patient and it is harder for me or my hygienist to properly remove the calculus and stain from their teeth especially around the gumline and on the root. If they are frozen and do not move and are not uncomfortable then a better job can be done and maybe the gums and bone will respond accordingly and the next time the freezing won't be a necessity.
It is ultimately your choice but please remember one thing, dentures are a replacement for NO TEETH not a replacement for teeth.
It is better to invest in your own rather than let the technology of the "Old wives club" dictate your future oral health.
It is expensive to remove teeth and fabricate upper and lower dentures to immediatly replace them not to mention uncomfortable and life altering.
Let me know if I can be of further assiatance,
Cheers,
Mike

I wonder what you mean that your teeth are deteriorating? You only mentioned sensitivity and as my colleague Mike has explained, that can be handled easily during a cleaning. You also don't have a signature that tells us whether you had radiation or not and if so, what type, as that would have a bearing on your decision about extractions.

A word to the wise, dentures are never as good as your own teeth.

Jerry

I am not a dentist, but several dentists have told me that it is common when we age for our gums to shrink down and expose sensitive parts of teeth.

Pete,

In addition to Periodontal (gum) disease (which is the most common cause of gum recession) age is also a factor as well as improper toothbrushing.

Jerry