dentures Archives - Kokopelli Family & Cosmetic Dentistry

Is There Help for Affording Dental Implants

Posted on April 15, 2026 by writeradmin.

I’ve been told I should extract all my teeth and get dental implants. When I told the dentist I couldn’t afford dental implants, he just said, “Well, you’ll be stuck with dentures, then.” I started to cry when I got home because I know about facial collapse from dentures. If I were super old, this wouldn’t matter to me. But, I’m only 32. I’m so depressed right now. Is there any way to get free dental implants?

Lana

Dear Lana,

If any people reading this don’t know what in the world facial collapse is, I’ve put an image above. This is the slow shrinking of your jawbone when wearing removable dentures. This is because you don’t have any tooth roots there and your body (rightly) interprets that as you not having teeth so it figures you don’t need most of that jawbone and uses the minerals elsewhere. Getting dental implants prevents facial collapse because your body interprets those implants as teeth roots.

The first thing I want you to do is get a second opinion on the state of your teeth. You’re awfully young to need them all out. Some dentists love putting in the work to save teeth. Others just prefer to extract them and move on. Make sure yours are truly not savable. If you do need to remove your teeth, there isn’t really a way to get dental implants for free. While there are charity clinics, they will only do the least expensive procedure, which would be dentures.

Ways to Make Your Dental Implants Affordable

Volunteer to be a patient for a dental implants course. Any institution that teaches implant dentistry will need patients to help with that instruction. Usually the treatment is discounted because the procedures and appointments take longer because they’re teaching through your procedure.
You can get mini implants, which will at least allow you to get a snap on denture and preserve some of your bone while you save up for the full procedure.
If you have to get the removable dentures for now, don’t panic. You could save up and get the best procedure later. Be aware that, depending on how long it takes you to save up, you may need an additional bone grafting procedure.
There are medical credit cards that will have low or no interest payment plans, such as Care Credit.

This blog is brought to you by a Gentle Ahwatukee Dentist, Dr. Harveer Kaur.

Can I Get My Teeth Replacements at a Dental School?

Posted on February 21, 2026 by writeradmin.

I have never been happy with my dentures. It’s very hard to eat with them. Sometimes it is just easier if I take them out to eat. I don’t have a ton of money to keep redoing these until I find something that works for me. Are there dental schools that can either make new dentures or, even better, dental implants? I’m assuming it would be less expensive through a school.

Madeline

Dear Madeline,

You are not alone in your problems with removable dentures. Dental schools do offer services at a discount. It helps their students. The appointments take a bit longer and there will be interruptions because the students are learning. The good news is because of the observation from instructors the results are above average.

That being said, you need to be aware that even the best fitting dentures are still going to reduce your chewing capacity by 50% The only way to get full chewing capacity back is to get implant supported dentures. These use dental implants and anchor your dentures to them.

They have the added benefit of preventing facial collapse. This is a condition where your jawbone shrinks as a result of wearing removable dentures for ten or more years. The implants preserve the bone structure by signaling to your body that you still have teeth and the jawbone intact to support them.

Not many dental schools teach the full dental implant procedure. That’s generally done by special post-doctoral institutions. You can call around. I’d also call any reputable institution that teaches dental implants They’ll need patients for their instruction just as dental schools do.

This blog is brought to you by an Indian-American dentist in Ahwatukee, Dr. Harveer Kaur.
We serve the Chandler area as well.

My Husband’s Dental Implants are Making Me Sick

Posted on September 1, 2025 by writeradmin.

My husband is getting the all-on-4 dental implants. He’s had the implants placed and is currently wearing acrylic dentures while his porcelain ones are being made. The problem we are facing is that his mouth smells awful. I am worried that the metal implants are reacting inside his body somehow and causing that smell. It’s making me gag when I’m near him. I want him to trade out the metal implants for the zirconia ones but his dentist has told him not to do that. Am I just supposed to spend the rest of my life feeling sick around his mouth?

Karen

Dear Karen,

I honestly don’t think that it is the dental implants are what you are smelling. Traditional dental implants are made from titanium. These are very biocompatible. They have decades of data behind them in use as prosthetics throughout the human body and they really don’t react. In fact, they are so inert, that even out of the mouth, there would not be a smell. You could ask your husband’s dentist if you can smell one.

What you may be smelling is food getting trapped in his temporary dentures. That would lead to bacteria and a horrible smell. Trying a WaterPik could help him get all the debris out when he brushes at night.

Switching dental implants is not as simple as taking some out and putting in new ones. Bone structure will be lost when they’re removed, so he will need a bone grafting procedure done in order to have new implants. Then once that is healed he can have new implants placed. That is three additional surgeries, all of which can have complications or fail. When he has successful implants, there is no reason to cause him all those additional surgeries and risk failure.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.
Click here to learn how we strive to keep our prices affordable.

Does My Mother Have Options Other than Dental Implants?

Posted on August 15, 2025 by writeradmin.

My mother is 83 years old and medically compromised with several conditions including diabetes that we are having trouble controlling. We just took over her care. I discovered that she had not been to a dentist in a while so that is one of the first things we did. He is suggesting that we have all of her teeth extracted and get dental implants for her. It’s not the expense I worry about as much her compromised health. My understanding is that this requires some serious surgery. Are there any other options for her?

Benita

Dear Benita,

Please bear in mind that I have not examined your mother so any advice I give about her situation is general and not definitive for her situation. That being said, based on what you’ve described, I do not feel like your dentist is being compassionate or making recommendations that is in your mother’s best interest. As to whether there are options, there are almost always options and your dentist is ethically obligated to give you all of those options, though it didn’t sound like he did that.

At her age, especially given her compromised health, dental implants would be an overtreatment that would be too hard on her body. I would do two things. First, go to a different dentist and just get a second opinion on whether or not she needs all of her teeth removed. If not, I would save as many as possible. Then, if she does need her teeth removed, I would recommend that she just get removeable dentures.

In most circumstances, I would say it was important that she have implant supported dentures on the bottom teeth in order to prevent facial collapse, but really, at her age, it won’t matter. Removable dentures are fine.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee and Sun Valley Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.