Q.
don’t know how much you know about medicare & medicaid in the u.s. but medicare does not pay for dental unless it’s medically related (cancer, etc) and medicaid will pay for extraction & least costly full dentures only. in my case, i was told by my dentist i needed all my teeth out because they were too loose due to bone loss (i’m 54yrs old). i was referred to an oral surgeon who looked at the xrays from the dentist, agreed with the diagnosis & also said i needed alveoplasty in all four quadrants. the surgeon did not discuss why it was needed, did not discuss exactly what was involved…i only saw & spoke to him once for about 5 minutes before i was put under for the procedure. the surgeon placed my dentures directly after the surgery. the dentures were made by my denturist. the same day as the surgery, i had to see the denturist because the lower dentures were flopping around in my mouth. the denturist was shocked/surprised at how much bone the surgeon had removed. he did some adjusting and replaced the lower denture in my mouth. i saw him again the next day, he made another adjustment and advised me the alveoplasty done made me a perfect candidate for implants. continued trying to wear my dentures but the lowers just won’t fit correctly. a soft liner was added about a week after the surgery to help with the fit…it didn’t help. i’ve had several adjustments, approx 2 a week since the surgery, my gums are healing well, it’s been three weeks since the surgery, most of the swelling is gone. my denturist has me using denture adhesive to keep the dentures in place. he suggested using “secure” which works very well on the uppers but not at all on the lowers. he keeps telling me i’m perfect for implants. the problem is, i can’t afford implants and medicare/medicaid won’t cover implants. here’s my question…what on earth can i do to hold my lower dentures in place? the lower gum is so flat it simply won’t hold the denture in place, even with the denture adhesive. is it possible the surgeon took too much bone off? i realize part of the responsibility was mine to be sure i understood all aspects of the procedure. however, i was given the impression the surgeon wouldn’t do the extractions if i didn’t also have the alveoplasty. everything i’ve read on the procedure states the alveoplasty is supposed to make dentures fit better. my experience has been the exact opposite. is there anything else i can do to make my lower dentures fit better. my denturist states he will make more adjustments after the six week healing period. in the meantime, i’m eating only the softest of foods & most of that i’m swallowing whole, which can’t be good for the digestive process. i can’t eat with the dentures in because the lowers simply won’t stay in place.,