Anonymous asked 8 years ago My 76 year old mother within the last few of months lost several more teeth. At the time she was wearing a partial denture and since she went back to the dentist and had her remaining teeth pulled and requested implants or dentures the dentist told her she shouldn\’t do anything until she saw an oral surgeon and had her jaw ground. My mother did not tell me the exact reason why a dentist would want this done first. Could you provide some plausible reasons and let me know if this is required if the jaw bone is healthy?
askdenturist answered 8 years ago Hello, This is a very good question for several reasons, but at the same time difficult to answer because of not knowing exactly your mother’s condition and not having seeing her jaw bone structure or if it’s the upper or lower jaw. One of the most common reasons to see an Oral Surgeon and have jaw reduction work done is that at the posterior or back of the upper ridge protruding outwards towards the cheeks, and at the posterior or back of the lower jaw protruding inwards towards the tongue, there are bony protrusions that can cause discomfort when the complete dentures slide over them to sit properly in place. After extractions, these boney protrusions can be extreme and can take months or a few years to reduce enough in size and sensitivity to be able to wear dentures comfortably. I do not know why your mother’s dentist didn’t explain this to her prior to her extractions. If this is the condition that your mother has, I suggest her consulting with an Oral Surgeon to help remedy the matter as soon as possible, and then to have proper dentures made for her. I hope this helps, Best regards,