Quality of life=health, wealth and...teeth!

While having life’s cake and being able to eat it comfortably is a goal we all share, how much does losing teeth change the quality of life? Can we manage with fewer teeth? Unstable prostheses? Loose dentures? For that matter, how do dentures impact on lives? The hypothesis that adults with teeth had a better oral health-related quality of life than did adults without teeth. All denture wearers expressed similar dissatisfaction with their dentures when they first sought treatment. Their complaints included looseness, pain beneath the dentures, and difficulty eating with unstable dentures. Most complained about mandibular dentures but not about their maxillary dentures. While complaints by denture wearers may be similar relative to their dental problems, their psychological makeup and needs are quite different. Regardless of treatment, patients with their own teeth reported the best quality of life-outcomes. Patients who choose to replace dentures with implants have a poor oral health-related quality of life and that some of these issues remain post-treatment. These issues may continue post-treatment, but to a lesser extent.