Category “Expert Answers”

Hi Ian, I am 72 and only have about half my teeth left, most of them have fallen out painlessly but relentlessly for the last five years. I recently visited two dentists, who gave conflicting advice. Both said the problem was caused by gum disease. One reccommended extracting the remaining teeth, which he said would cure the gum disease problem. He then proposed an ‘All-on-4′ dental implant procedure to replace all teeth. The second dentist suggested leaving most of the teeth untouched, and making plates in my mouth to replace the missing teeth, the idea being to slowly transition to a full set of false teeth, getting used to eating with dentures gradually.
I have some questions – with Dentist 1’s method of full extraction, is it ok to do the implant surgery on the same day as extraction, or would it be advisable to wait for the gum disease to heal first? Will removing the teeth cure the gum disease (they are badly stained and cannot be cleaned properly as they are too unstable). Finally, with Dentist 2’s method to leave the teeth in,surely the gum disease will continue, so I will still have bad breath and receding gums. Any advice would be appreciated.