Dentures Make Me Gag

I have not been able to stop gagging since getting dentures. I have pretty much hate everything about them. In fact, I’ve noticed I can’t eat all the foods I used to; not if it’s anything tough.

Leslie

Dear Leslie

You are not alone in your disdain for dentures. They come with a lot of problems. You’ve mentioned a couple of them. We’ll go over another one that I am hoping your dentist warned you about. The gagging is a result of the denture plate. Your upper dentures are held in by suction and that plate needs to be there for that suction to work. The good news is that there is a solution.

The best solution would be to get implant supported dentures. This places dental implants into the bone where your teeth roots were. Then, your dentures can be anchored to them. It’s like having natural teeth again. Because of that, you will no longer need that denture plate at all. No more gagging.

You will also find that your problem with eating will be solved. Even the best fitting removable dentures will reduce your chewing capacity by 50%. That is because there is really nothing holding those “teeth” into place so they don’t have anything to anchor onto to help you chew more forcefully. With implant supported dentures, you can eat anything you normally would.

When your teeth are removed, your body recognizes that. The stimulation of your teeth roots signals to your body that you have teeth which need to be reserved. However, when your teeth are removed that signal is no longer there. As a result your body begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body where they may be more needed.

It is a remarkable way to use your body’s resources efficiently. The only downside is that your jawbone slowly shrinks as it loses those minerals. Eventually, you will not have enough minerals in your jawbone to support your dentures and keep them in your mouth. This is known as facial collapse in dental circles.

The solution to this is to have dental implants placed and anchor your dentures the them. This is especially important on your lower dentures. While your upper dentures are held in by suction, the lower dentures rest on the ridge of your lower jawbone. Having implants placed in your jawbone creates that signal again telling your body that you have teeth there and need to keep your jawbone in order to retain your teeth.

I hope this helps.

This blog is brought to you by the compassionate dentists in Lafayette, LA, Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.
Click here to learn about Juvederm.