Dentures causing aging?

I am considering a partial (and likely soon) a full denture, due to problems related to medication when I was a child. (I am still under 40.) However, I am concerned with the possibility of premature aging (caving in, wrinkling) of the face. Some wearers say they think this is exaggerated; many dentists insist such bone loss is inevitable; a few have said this is not necessarily the case. Any experience, ideas about this? Will the dentures cause premature aging? I would love implants, but they are unafforable at the moment.

FIRST...while your exactly right about Implants being expensive, there are certain risks you need to be aware of. (1)..There is no pre-implant test that can determine if your body will actually accept the implant. It may reject it, meaning that the bone the implant is placed in begins to deteriorate and that will require removing the implant and "then" going to a denture, depending on the number of teeth involved. Implants are now having an overall 78% success ratio, meaning both longevity and patient satisfaction.

Now...the reality is that dentures can provide a very positive experience. There are a number of issues that make that either possible or impossible. (1)...Overall you need to be in good health both physically and emotionally. Patients with certain health conditions will find dentures a difficult appliance to deal with, i.e. if the patient has an illness that causes excessive saliva flow, it can cause the dentures to float. If the patient has sever weight fluctuations gums shrink during weight loss and do not grow back thus making a denture become loose. This is true with a sudden illness that causes as little as 2% body weight loss in say two weeks time. Emotional stress issues can be a devastating problem for a denture wearer. Stressed patients have a very "high" incident of tooth grinding and tooth pressuring together. Both of those causes the fluids to be pushed out of the gums causing the gum tissue to shrink thus making the denture loose. A professional counselor can identify the source of the stress point and once dealt with dentures can become very easy to deal with. Don't solve the stress issue and a denture will continue to be a problem.

"Appearance" A properly created denture will in most cases actually improve a persons appearance. very often getting dentures is the first time a patient has an opportunity to improve some facial features that have been unpleasant in the past. Proper maintenance and periodic examinations by a dental professional will ensure that subtle changes a patient hasn't noticed can be recognized and corrected. GUM BONE does indeed begin a slow shrinking process once the natural teeth are extracted, "BUT", that shrinkage can be kept to a minimum if the body stays healthy, the emotions healthy and the dentures properly serviced when required. Expertly crafted dentures will be life like in appearance and should pose no problems in that regard. If you have further questions send me a response request and I'll return your request.

I think it will all be down to your bone structure and how proficient the dentist is at "designing" the dentures (if designing is the correct term)

There will be a certain amount of gum shrinkage over the years and you may have to have the dentures re-made if only for comforts sake.

If the bone of the gum is not being used to support a tooth (or implant) it will resorb (shrink). The rate and amount varies but it is pretty much inevitable. This can cause changes in the height of the face which can make you look older.

A good denture of the right proportions should compensate for these changes so you retain a normal appearance. So long as you get a good denture and it's replaced when needed your face won't cave in or become wrinkled.