Özet:

Residual ridge resorption (RRR), which follows a chronic, progressive, and irreversible course, is due to alveolar remodeling under the influence of cumulative effect of many local and systemic factors after tooth extraction. Decreased height of the mandible leads to change in the location of the mental foramina at the crest of the residual ridge and also subjective pain and paresthesia under mandibular dentures due to the pressure caused by the denture, a phenomenon known as “numb chin syndrome”. In this article, a case with excessive mandibular RRR is presented along with clinical and radiological findings. Clinical and radiological examinations of a 61-year-old female patient who admitted to our clinic with tenderness and soreness complaints in the right mandibular edentulous alveolar ridge were performed. Intraoral examination revealed severe resorption of the edentulous mandibular alveolar ridge. The right mental foramen was observed to be close to the alveolar crest in panoramic radiograph. Cone beam computed tomography scan confirmed the severe mandibular atrophy and mental foramen exposure at the top of the alveolar crest, clearly revealing the cause of the patient’s tenderness and soreness complaints. In the edentulous mandible, RRR predisposes the mental nerve to injury because of the proximity of the mental foramina to the alveolar crest. Chronic pressure on the mental nerve may cause pain in the mental nerve distribution region and numbness in the lower lip. Radiographic examinations should definitely be considered as an indispensable component of diagnosis and prosthetic treatment planning, especially in edentulous patients with RRR.

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