dentures or implant?

[KIMMYNESS]

HELP!! I have acute necrotizing gingivitis..I was diagnosed at 19, I had a skin graft on a lower front bottom tooth during that time. Throughout the years, I have had a deepcleaning, full mouth debridement, regular cleanings and a few cavities filled. Unfortuntaley over the past 5 years, I have had no dental care which needless to say has caused more recession and tooth decay. I saw a dentist again last month who sent me to the hygenist for the mouth debridement, I was also given an antibiotic , ibuprofen 800 and peridex mouthwash. I am feeling much better now. I saw the periodontist after this and he has suggested a full upper denture and a partial lower denture. I was not happy with this idea and went to another peridontist . He performed a full oral exam, checked me for oral cancer of which im clear, probed me, took more xrays as well as a panaromic xray and his suggestion is to extract teeth 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19, He wants to place an implant where tooth 19 is now. my question is, should I do this or are the full upper dentures and lower partial the better route to take? thank you for your time

[mammo]

I certainly understand...our children come first...good for you!  There are many factors involved in making your decision and I agree that you've chosen the right one!  Take care!!

[KIMMYNESS]

Thanks for your advice, I guess what Im worried about is if losing those 5 teeth will cause starvation of some kind? I know it seems dramatic, I am terrified. I know realistically I might need full dentures in 5 years or so, Im really not worried about the gaps because the are teeth in the back of my mouth, I can hide it and chew on the other side of my mouth, I already chew on only one side now anyway. I am also choosing to only have the five pulled now because I have a 13 year old daughter who I dont have any help with. I dont have any family and she no longer speaks to her father. I live with my boyfriend of 3 years , we just moved in together in June and he is being supportive of us but I dont want to be an extra burden to him. Maybe in the long run Ill need to have the dentures most likely I will but hopefully by that time my daughter will be over 18 and not need me as much anymore

[mammo]

That's all good news!  I think if it were me, I'd go for the dentures and be done with it all since dry mouth can cause so many dental issues.  Don't get me wrong, I am all for keeping your own teeth, but if you feel it's going to be an on-going problem....I would opt for the denture. I hope this helps.

[KIMMYNESS]

Thank you for responding. I have been tested throughout the years for everything you can possible think of lupus twice, Hiv twice, Hep A, B, C, cancer etc. I had RAI therapy on my thyroid when I was about 23 and I see a doctor every two months or so , she does labs, checks my TSH, etc and adjusts my medication as needed. I am really unsure of what to do. He said my right side is questionable at this point. He said he can save me from the gum disease but the extractions are due to decay and dry mouth so I am unsuare of which way to go. I finished an antibiotic about two weeks ago and I havent had any pain since then or at least very little. As far as loose teeth goes, He says some are a little loose but I dont feel any at all. the only palce ive had pain is on the left bottom side of my mouth.

[mammo]

Have you had any blood work done to make sure there isn't an underlying condition causing this?  Sometimes it can stem from more than just poor oral hygiene.  Your question is difficult to answer.....if it appears you are going to continue to lose teeth then I would go ahead and get the full denture, at least that way you have no "gaps" in your teeth and your smile will look nicer.  Implants are nice but very expensive...and you may not have enough bone left to have an implant.  My point is, so much of this depends on how the future looks for your existing teeth, are they loose, can you keep them plaque free?  Gingivitis causes bone loss and if you think this will continue then you would even have problems with dentures in the future.  Right now you have more bone than you ever will so it may be another reason to go with the dentures.  I hope this helps, I try to look at every aspect before making a decision and not just something very expensive that will end up being temporary.  Take care.