One problem too many…

Everyone knows someone who has a ‘negative’ outlook on life. That person who is always a bit ‘grumpy’ or ‘miserable’ when there doesn’t appear to be any obvious reason for it. We all make the mistake that the person is ‘just like that’ and has ‘always been like that’. In fact, they may have even developed a reputation of being like that and everyone may just think it’s normal.

Have we ever asked what is making these individuals feel this way?

I recently dealt with a similar  patient who appeared to have a very negative outlook on many things in her life. I found out that she was struggling to eat her meals because of her loose denture. She had been putting up with her loose denture for many years and this had a progressive effect on her quality of life and her welbeing.

A loose denture is a denture that moves when a patient eats or when they speak. Almost all dentures exhibit this flawed property and for this reason, almost all denture wearers are limited with what they can comfortably eat and the way they speak.

An implant retained denture provides the simplest solution to the most common problem that denture wearers suffer from – loose dentures. Our patients can be provided with a small number of dental implants so that they can have a secure denture fitted to these stable implant fixtures. This enables our patients to eat the foods they have always wanted and also speak with ease.

We provided our patient with this solution to solve the problem of her loose dentures. The real effect of this treatment is best seen at the review appointment which is usually 2-3 weeks after the teeth have been fitted. When she attended my clinic I did not recognise her at first. She was dressed differently, her facial expressions were much more positive as she was no longer portraying negative emotions. We were told how happy she was and she described how eating and talking was no longer an issue, or even a consideration in her life.

By solving our patient’s dental problems, her general quality of life and welbeing is significantly improved. People should not have to ‘just deal’ with problems like this. Finding a solution can help our patients enjoy their life to the fullest once again!

Thank you for reading,

Mohsin Patel BDS MJDF RCS (Eng)