Polident, a US-based dental adhesive maker company, completed a survey on 1,000 denture wearers in Singapore in 2011. The survey revealed that one third of them experienced loose-fitting dentures. Surprisingly, out of the 1,000 respondents, 39% were aged from 15 – 34 years old.
The high number of young people who have lost their teeth in their early years could be due to eating habits and changing lifestyles. More people snack between meals and consume drinks with higher sugar levels. This increases the incidence of tooth decay leading to tooth loss.
Dentures are a common method to replace missing teeth. However, a vast majority of denture wearers complain of discomfort and insecurity, fearing that the dentures may fall out, especially for those with a full set of dentures.
Some denture wearers may find that dental adhesives are helpful in securing the dentures, improving the chewing efficiency and speech. This may not be a perfect solution, as dental adhesives may loosen when it comes into contact with water. Thus wearers who love to do water sports may find that it affects their hobby. Some of our denture patients have told us that they stopped swimming for fear that the dentures would fall out and be lost during the activity.
Nowadays, with more information readily available for the public, people are aware of other treatment options in replacing missing teeth, such as bridges and dental implants. While dentures are more affordable, bridges and dental implants may be a more comfortable and long term solution.
Just like dentures, bridges and dental implants have their own advantages and disadvantages. Bridges are a good option for those with one or two missing teeth. It is also an option for people who may not have enough bone to do dental implants (although in most occasions, bone grafting could help in adding the bone level to support the dental implants). However, the nature of bridges is that two adjacent teeth need to be shaped down to act as supporting teeth for the bridges.
Thus, if the clinical condition allows, people with multiple missing teeth would benefit greatly with dental implants. There is no need to file down the healthy adjacent teeth. As each tooth is treated individually, if there is a problem with a particular tooth, the dentist will need to treat that one tooth only.
Your dentist will be able to advise on the best treatment option after a thorough examination and consultation. It is important to note that maintenance after the treatments is also crucial to ensure that the new teeth/dentures are in tip top condition.
If you have any questions about tooth replacement, or would like to make an appointment, feel free to enquire with us.
