The United States is a large, diverse country. We have many different terrains, from the Redwood Forest to the Gulf stream waters, purple mountains majesties above the fruited plains, and more besides. And as diverse as the land is, the people are even more diverse: a microcosm of the world’s population all come here to become something new and unique to the US.

And like so many other aspects of this great big, beautiful country of ours, we are very different in terms of our demand for dentures. There is great diversity in the demand for dentures in the US. This diversity was captured by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in their Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System report.

Hands holding dentures

Why Your Local Denture Demand Matters

If you need dentures, you might think: it doesn’t matter how many other people need dentures. What matters is that I need them! There is some truth to that, but there are some ways that the local denture demand could impact your search for dentures.

Denture supply is likely to be best where there is more demand for dentures. However, it also means that you are more likely to find denture providers that focus on high volume practice. They can sustain an operation that supplies lower-quality dentures and can afford to worry less about quality because there is a constant demand for new dentures.

The local denture demand also shapes denture expectations. If dentures are very common in an area, people are less likely to care as much that a person has dentures. Highly visible dentures are not a problem. If, on the other hand, you live in a place where most people tend to retain their teeth, there’s more of a desire to hide the fact that you have dentures. You don’t want people to see that you have dentures. This means that even though there may be fewer denture providers in the area, the ones that are there are more likely to offer dentures that don’t look fake, like FOY® Dentures.

Denture Variation Among the States

Although some states are large and can be diverse in themselves, states make a good way to break down the country. It’s only 50 units, but this division can still identify regional trends. The five states with the lowest denture demand are:

On the other hand, the states with the highest rate of tooth loss are:

We haven’t done the statistical analysis to determine if there’s a precise correlation between the rate of visiting the dentist and the edentulous rate, but it sure seems like there might be. For example, 70.4% of people in Hawaii reported visiting their dentist, compared to only 56.4% in West Virginia In California, 67.0% of people reported seeing a dentist in the last year, compared to 56.1% in Louisiana.

Cities with the Highest and Lowest Denture Demand

As we mentioned before, states are still pretty big units that can themselves be very diverse. That’s why it makes sense to delve into a little more detail and find the cities with the lowest and highest rate of tooth loss.

The cities (metropolitan areas) with the lowest rates of complete tooth loss (edentulism) among people age 65 and up are:

  • San Diego (5.8%)
  • Urban Honolulu (6.0%)
  • Fargo (7.0%)
  • Bellingham, Washington (7.6%)
  • Hilton Head, South Carolina (7.7%)

On the other hand, the cities with the highest rates of edentulism in the US are:

  • Lafayette, Louisiana (39.6%)
  • Charleston, West Virginia (34%)
  • Chattanooga, Tennessee (31.4%)
  • Kingsport-Bristol, Tennessee (29.9%)
  • Spartanburg, South Carolina (29.5%)

As you can see, some of the cities are logical based on the states, such as San Diego and Honolulu, which are in two of the states with the lowest edentulism rates. Less obvious is the fact that Hilton Head is among the communities with the lowest rates of edentulism, even though South Carolina isn’t one of the states with the lowest edentulism rates. But you can see why when you look in the other list. The very high rate of tooth loss in Spartanburg signals that South Carolina is a state of contrasts, with some communities that have very high rates of tooth loss and some that have very low rates.

Are You Looking for Dentures?

No matter where you are in this great country of ours, the odds are good that you’ll have access to quality dentures right in your area. To learn more about what makes these dentures different, please contact a local denture dentist and see for yourself.