How long do you plan to keep your teeth? How do you feel about dentures?

| December 18, 2008

New patients to our office fill out a health history questionaire before their first appointment.

The last two questions are:

How long do you plan to keep your teeth?  and

How do you feel about dentures?

The answer to the first question is typically “forever” and to the second question “yikes” or similar response.

We ask this question to get people to think about what it takes to keep your mouth healthy and free of gum disease.  The most successful method of keeping your teeth for a lifetime is to take care of them.  And the alternative to keeping your teeth for a lifetime is dentures or limited teeth in your mouth.

  • If you have gum disease, do something about it.
  • If it’s been a while since you’ve seen the dentist, ask friends and family for a recommendation, and go see one.
  • If you are missing one or more teeth, go see a dentist and see what your options are.  Dental technology is constantly improving and you more have options on how to take care of small problem instead of waiting until they become big dental problems.
  • If you’ve put off going to the dentist, don’t panic.  It may not be as bad as you think.  Every mouth is different.
  • If you think dentures are your only option, look into mini-dental implants.  A skilled dentist and dental lab can make very natural looking and comfortable set of dentures and mini-dental implants can insure the dentures stays in your mouth.

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