Avoiding Facial Collapse
Posted by writeradmin
I’ve been crying for two weeks. My doctor recently diagnosed me with a severe calcium deficiency. My dentist suggested that I should extract my teeth now to save myself from the constant dental appointments. I’m only 37. I can’t stand the idea of not having teeth. Plus, a friend of mine said that I will have something called facial collapse by the time I’m 50. Is there any way to prevent this from happening? Or even save my teeth?
Evelyn
Dear Evelyn,
First, I want you to take a deep breath. I don’t think you are going to need to remove your teeth. If you have a calcium deficiency with an onset in adulthood it will not impact your teeth. The only way that would happen is if you developed the deficiency while your teeth were still developing.
There are many different types of dentists. Some will do anything to save tooth structure. Others would rather just get rid of the tooth. It sounds like your dentist is one who prefers pulling teeth to saving them. I don’t think this is the best dentist for you, especially at your age. I definitely wouldn’t pull all your teeth and get dentures.
Your friend was correct about facial collapse. This is a condition that happens after long term use of removable dentures. Your body senses when your teeth are removed and begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone where they will be more useful. As a result, your jawbone slowly shrinks. Eventually, there is not enough jawbone left for you to even keep your dentures in, which rest upon your lower jaw.
If you ever got to the point where you did have to have your teeth removed, the way to prevent facial collapse is to have dental implants placed and then anchor the dentures to them. I don’t think you’re in this position and highly suggest you get a second opinion.
This blog is brought to you by Douglas, AZ Dentist Dr. Gilberto Tostado.