Solutions We Offer - "I Hate My Dentures"

Michael Ling
Nov 28, 2021
3 min read

Updated: Dec 14, 2021

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:

Patient screening and frequently asked questions for patients who hate their dentures

BEST CASE SCENARIO IF WE ARE ALL 100% CONFIDENT:

We sound like confident experts when patients ask about how to fix their dentures. We also get to help more people who didn’t even know there were solutions to their poor fitting dentures.

WORST CASE SCENARIO IF SOME OF US ARE NOT 100% CONFIDENT:

We don’t know how to answer basic questions and patients lose trust in us. They go to another dentist who “fixes dentures” because they don’t know we offer that service. Or they continue to suffer with their poor fitting dentures, living in discomfort and not being able to enjoy the foods they want, because nobody ever offered them a solution. How would you feel if you had to wear complete dentures and had no other options?

WHAT DOES “100% CONFIDENT” MEAN?

You can identify patients who are good candidates, and you know how to find out if the patient is aware of their problem, and if they care about fixing it.
You can describe the solutions in plain English, including a comparison of cost.
You can describe what kind of patient would choose each solution.
You can answer the frequently asked questions.
You can teach someone else how to do it to the same standard, either from memory or using these notes as a cheat sheet.

WHO IS A GOOD CANDIDATE?

Step 1: Are they AWARE of their problem?

I’ve noticed that your dentures move around quite a bit. Have you noticed this too?
There are some red marks under your denture. Is that sore? Does your denture rub when you eat or talk?
You’ve got a lot of food stuck under your denture today. Do you find that happening a lot at home? Does it leave a bad taste or smell in your mouth? Is it hard to keep them clean?

Step 2: Do they CARE about fixing their problem?

How important is it for you to fix that?
Does that bother you?
Have you ever thought about trying something else?
Did you know there are ways to fix your denture so that it never moves or rubs? Are you interested in learning more?

Step 3: We only discuss solutions to patients who are AWARE of their problem and CARE about fixing it.

DESCRIBE THE SOLUTIONS IN PLAIN ENGLISH

Solution #1: Fixed Implant Dentures (aka All-On-X, All-On-4, All-On-6, or Teeth in a Day)

This is a fixed implant denture. It is not removable, and is therefore rock solid for chewing. It's called "Teeth In A Day" because it can be 90% finished in just one day - the patient walks in with bad teeth and leaves with teeth removed, implants placed, and a fixed healing denture secured to those implants.

Solution #2: Removable Snap-On Dentures (aka Overdentures)

Unlike Teeth In A Day, Snap-On Dentures are removable. Implants are placed and a denture snaps, or clips onto those implants. They can save cost compared to Teeth In A Day, but they are not quite as comfortable or stable for chewing.

BALLPARK COMPARISON OF COSTS

"If you are hoping to see and feel a major difference compared to what you have now, you should budget in the tens of thousands of dollars. How many tens of thousands really depends on how bad your situation is now, and exactly how you want your teeth to look and feel when you're done.

If you are hoping for small to medium changes, you can expect to spend less than $10,000. Probably in the 5-10 thousand range."

WHAT KIND OF PATIENT WOULD CHOOSE EACH SOLUTION?

If fixing their problem is really important, and if they can afford it, then patients usually choose Teeth In A Day.

Snap-On Dentures are a good compromise if they wants something way better than a regular denture, but can't afford Teeth In A Day.

If it’s not that important to them, or if they can’t afford it, then they usually choose new dentures with no implants, or sometimes we can adjust or reline their current denture.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

None really - if the patient has questions, give them an info package and book consult.

WHAT IF:

1. The patient asks questions that you don’t know the answer to.

“That’s a great question. That's not really my area of expertise, but why don’t we set up a consultation with the doctor. I’ll make sure they get you an answer to all your questions and then you can decide what to do. Is Tuesday or Thursday better for you?”

2. The patient is mildly interested, but doesn’t really want to talk about it. Or you don’t have time to talk about it.

Send the patient home with some printed info. We have 1-page cheat sheets, as well as mini-books. And then tell FD to add them to our Google Sheet follow up list.

Here are some of the resources we have printed that can be given to patients interested in fixing their dentures.