Ken,
Thanks for the info. That was very enlightening. I seldom wear my dentures as they are ridiculously large and miserable. The Dentist insisted that I needed a "Bold" smile even though I insisted on having my normal size. He also insisted that I wait a full year from the time the teeth were pulled until he made my dentures. Worst experience Ever! Stupidest thing I've ever done.
Doofy,
Of course, I can't comment on specifics about your case, but there are a few points that I can address is a generic way.
I understand the dentist wanting to give you a 'bold' smile. USA dentists and patients tend to want to go for teeth that are larger and a lot whiter than natural teeth. However, while no real harm is done by making the teeth too white, a lot of harm can be done by making the teeth on the dentures too large. The temperomandibular joint (jaw joint) is designed to function within a certain range of movement. The muscles that control the jaw are likewise designed to function within a certain range. While both the joint and the muscles are tolerant of slight deviations out of the range, any large deviations can be most uncomfortable and can actually lead to damage to the joint, and muscular symptoms that might range from simple muscle pain to debilitating migraine-type headaches, neck pain, etc.
His suggestion of waiting a year after the extractions before making the dentures is based on the fact that the bone remodels after the teeth are extracted. Basically, the bone shrinks in volume over time. If one waits for the bulk of the remodelling of the bone to occur, one requires fewer relines and adjustments of the dentures. That is all well and good in terms of making dentures that require less maintenance, but one should never lose sight of what the patient has to go through during that process.
In the rare cases where I have to remove all of a patient's teeth, I will almost always provide an 'immediate denture'. I won't go into the technicalities of how this is produced, but suffice it to say that the patient leaves my surgery with a denture in place at the end of the appointment when the teeth are extracted. Of course, there will be exceptions, but I can't recall when last a patient left my surgery without a denture in place.
Of course, the immediate dentures require a lot more management - usually a reline at 3-6 months, another reline at 12-18 months and new dentures after about 3 years. That adds to the hassle and expense for the patient, but those are small prices to pay for not having to go without teeth for any time at all.
In summary, from your description of your denture experience, it would seem prudent that you get new dentures made. Ideally, you would also get two implants inserted into the bone and precision attachments fitted that allow the lower denture to clip to the implants. They will change your life for the better to an extent that you can't imagine possible.
Ken
