My Mom’s Teeth Are Falling Out

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My 87-year-old mother just had some fillings done last week. Today, one of her teeth just fell out. I don’t know what to do. Shouldn’t the dentist have noticed this? Are her other teeth at risk too?  What would be the best solution for her if they are?

Mary Ellen

Dear Mary Ellen,

Implant Overdentures

 

Yes, your dentist should definitely have noticed there was a problem. To get to the point where her teeth are just falling out means your mother has extensive gum disease. It sounds like your dentist has just been cleaning and repairing and not being proactive about her gum health, This tells me he’s not checking other things either, such as looking for oral cancer.

At this point, yes, you should be concerned about the remainder of your mother’s teeth. They are all going to start all falling out. For your mother, I would just treat her gum disease as best you can and have the rest of her teeth extracted, getting her full dentures. You don’t want to wait until they all come out because she will be self-conscious about her appearance. Even the elderly want to look as attractive as they can. By the way, this advice is ONLY because of your mother’s advanced age. I would not suggest just getting dentures to someone younger for reasons I will explain in a moment.

The Danger of Dentures

When your teeth are first removed, your body recognizes that you no longer have any teeth roots, so it begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body where it perceives they will be more useful. Unfortunately, after ten or so years, you will no longer have enough jawbone in your body to even retain your dentures. This is especially true with your lower dentures which just rest on the ridge of your lower jawbone. This is known as facial collapse, it can be devastating not just to a person’s appearance, but their health as well.

The only way to prevent this from happening is to have dental implants placed and anchor dentures to them. This is known as implant overdentures. It will signal to your body that you still have teeth and it will leave your jawbone intact. Because of your mother’s advanced age, I would not invest in these.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Her Dentist Said Everything Is Fine, But it’s NOT!

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I’m hoping you can give me some guidance. I’ve never had a cavity before so I don’t know what a cavity feels like but am wondering if I’ve developed my first one. I had a check-up just a month ago and my dentist said everything looked fine, so it would have to be pretty new. It is a bit hard to describe but feels a bit like someone is pulling my back teeth and then letting go. It only lasts a short time, but it is distracting and I don’t want to ignore if anything is wrong. My husband says I grind my teeth when I’m sleeping. Could that be it? Or is this what a cavity feels like?

Miranda

Dear Miranda,

a woman holding her jaw from TMJ pain

I know you said everything was fine at your last check-up, but if you are a tooth grinder, everything is not fine. I’m worried you are not getting adequate care. Some discount clinics only focus on cavities and don’t pay attention to important issues such as gum disease, bruxism (teeth grinding and clenching) or other occlusion issues such as TMJ Disorder. Overlooking these things can cause serious long-term problems.

I haven’t examined you and wish I had an x-ray to look at, but what you are describing does not sound like decay to me. The two possibilities that come to mind immediately are gum disease or damage from the grinding. Either one of these would need to be dealt with and the sooner the better.

If You Are Grinding Your TEeth

Grinding your teeth is an urgent matter, especially if you’ve been doing it for a while. You can end up cracking your teeth or grinding them down to nubs. This will cause you to need a full mouth reconstruction which requires placing a porcelain crown on every tooth.

There is a simple fix for this which can save your teeth. Your dentist can make a custom-fitted night guard. This will protect your teeth from the grinding as well as pressure if you clench. It’s much better to get a night guard than to leave your teeth unprotected and end up having to spend tens of thousands of dollars crowning every tooth.

If You Have Gum Disease

Gum disease is also serious. If left untreated, your teeth will eventually fall out. Then you’ll need expensive tooth replacement options, such as dental implants.

As I said earlier, I’m not sure you’re getting adequate care from your current dentist. I’d like you to see another one, sooner rather than later.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Dental Implant When Teeth are Falling Out

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I have a problem with my teeth falling out. I want to replace them and am determined to do better with my teeth. I hear dental implants are the best. Can I get those or do I need something else in my situation?

Dan

Dear Dan,

dentures side by side with a dental implant

A lot of what you do next depends on why you are losing your teeth. If it is gum disease, then you won’t be a good candidate for dental implants. Thinking about it logically, if your gums are unable to retain your teeth, they are not going to be able to retain your dental implants.

This means your first goal is getting your gum disease treated. It will require some extra appointments for a while. The good thing this is, once your gums are healthy you’ll then be a candidate for the implants.

Until then, you can get removable partial dentures to help fill in the gaps in your smile. You can do you periodontal treatments at the same time.

Advantages of Dental Implants

  • You will have completely secure teeth again. They’ll never slip or slide around.
  • You’ll be able to eat, drink, brush, and floss anything you want, just as you would with healthy natural teeth.
  • It protects your jaw from facial collapse.

The Danger of Facial Collapse

Before and after facial collapse

When your teeth came out your body recognized that. Usually, the roots of your teeth signal to your body the jawbone is important. When those are no longer there, your body reabsorbs the minerals in your jawbone thinking they would be more useful elsewhere.

As those minerals are put to use in other parts of your body, your jaw begins to shrink. Eventually, you don’t have enough jawbone left to support your dentures.

Fortunately, once you are able to get dental implants, your body recognizes the implants as teeth roots and keeps your jawbone firmly intact.

First priority is to get those gums healthy. It’s great that you are willing to work so diligently on your oral health.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.