Do gums shrink faster wearing dentures or going toothless?

I know they shrink quite a bit right after the teeth are pulled, but I mean in the long run, do they shrink more from wearing dentures or from not wearing them? Or does it even make any difference?

Do gums shrink faster wearing dentures or going toothless?
When your teeth are pulled, the alveolar bone, (the supporting bone) really has no purpose left, and goes away. When the bone goes away, it looks like the gums are going away.





Wearing dentures or not wearing dentures has nothing to do with the bone level in your mouth.





Personally, if one of my patients talks about 'I might as well get dentures" I try to talk them into keeping as many natural teeth as possible. The dentures need that supporting bone to keep them in place, and over time, if no natural tooth or an implant is not in place, the bone is going to shrink, and one will end up having to pay money to buy denture adhesive and/or pay to get the dentures relined or get new ones all together for that proper fit. If there isn't any proper fit, that can cause a bunch of problems all together, with chronic irritation to the tissue in the mouth, etc.





I will make a suggestion: Please soak the dentures at night. Your mouth does need a break once a day from the dentures. Don't be afraid of brushing your dentures with a denture brush. I have had patients that had build up on their dentures and I had to use some of my instruments to pick at it.





In dentistry, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure (Or thousands of dollars!!)
Reply:Once ur teeth r gone, ur gums start to resorb and dentures can make it disappear faster.