Page 8 - Southdown Dental Implant Book

Dedication: Meet a Patient | vii HENRY’S FAMILY DENTIST BEGAN EXTRACTING HIS MOLARS AT A VERY YOUNG AGE Like many people at that time, his parents didn’t have the money to save his teeth. As a result, when- ever one of Henry’s teeth developed a cavity, it was simply pulled out. By the time he was 23, Henry didn’t have any teeth left on either side at the back of his mouth. No one told him that without any tooth roots there to stimulate his jawbone, it would get thinner and thinner – so he decided that a partial denture would solve his problems. As his jawbone continued to deteriorate into a razor-thin blade, chewing with the partial denture became agonizing. By the time he was in his early 50s, Henry had been fitted with several new partials – and none of them were bringing him any relief from the chronic pain in his mouth. It felt like his gums were being lacerated from the inside