Dentures are custom-made replacements for missing teeth and can be taken out and put back into your mouth. While dentures take some getting used to, and will never feel exactly the same as natural teeth, today’s dentures are natural looking and more comfortable than ever.
If you’ve lost some or all of your natural teeth, whether from periodontal disease, tooth decay or injury, complete dentures can replace your missing teeth and your smile.
Replacing missing teeth will benefit your appearance and your health. Without support from the denture, facial muscles sag, making a person look older. You’ll be able to eat and speak — things that people often take for granted until their natural teeth are lost.
There are various types of dentures. A conventional full denture is made and placed in the patient’s mouth after the remaining teeth are removed and tissues have healed, which may take several months.
An immediate complete denture is inserted as soon as the remaining teeth are removed. The dentist takes measurements and makes models of the patient’s jaws during a preliminary visit. With immediate dentures, the denture wearer does not have to be without teeth during the healing period.
Partial dentures to replace a few missing teeth
Like natural teeth, dentures must be brushed daily to remove food deposits and plaque. Brushing helps prevent dentures from becoming permanently stained and helps your mouth stay healthy. It’s best to use a brush designed for cleaning dentures. A toothbrush with soft bristles can also be used. Avoid using hard-bristled brushes that can damage dentures.
Even if you wear full dentures, you still must take good care of your mouth. Brush your gums, tongue and palate every morning with a soft-bristled brush before you insert your dentures to stimulate circulation in your tissues and help remove plaque.
Benefits of Dentures
Replacing missing teeth will help to improve your appearance and smile. Without support from the denture, facial muscles sag, making a person look older. Dentures can help you eat and speak more comfortably.
What Are Dentures Made Of?
Combinations of porcelain, acrylic resin, nylon and chrome cobalt metal are used to make dentures. Porcelain used to be the preferred material for making denture teeth, but resin has taken over in popularity because it’s lighter and cheaper, and the material sticks better to the denture base.
Most denture bases are made of acrylic resin or chrome cobalt metal. An advantage of using acrylic resin is that it can be dyed to match the patient’s gums, but metal is less likely to break if the dentures are dropped. A third option is a flexible denture base made of nylon.
Regular Dentures
Dentures that have a rigid resin or metal base can take some getting used to. As well as growing accustomed to the feel of the dentures, the patient has to learn how to hold them in place with the cheeks and tongue. New dentures often cause soreness and irritation in the early days, this is easily rectified with minor adjustments. Patients must learn how to clean them carefully to avoid breakages.
Flexible Dentures
Flexible dentures provide a solution for patients who can’t or don’t want to use regular dentures. The most obvious advantage is that they aren’t brittle, so they’re less likely to shatter if they’re dropped.
They cling to the gums and don’t require denture adhesive or metal clasps to hold them in place.
The material is clear and allows the natural gum color to show through. They don’t take as long to manufacture as regular dentures.
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