Arbor West Dental Center
Dentures
What is a Denture?
A denture is a removable replacement for missing teeth and adjacent tissues. It is made of acrylic resin, sometimes in combination with various metals. There are different types of dentures. Complete dentures replace all the teeth, while a partial denture fills in the spaces created by missing teeth and prevents other teeth from changing position.
Complete dentures are either "conventional" or "immediate." A conventional denture is placed in the mouth about a month after all the teeth are removed to allow for proper healing, whereas an immediate denture is placed as soon as the teeth are removed.
Patients who need complete dentures have lost most or all of their teeth. A partial denture is suitable for those patients who have some natural teeth remaining. The benefits of a denture are dramatic. A denture improves chewing ability and speech, and provides support for facial muscles. It will greatly enhance the facial appearance and smile.
The denture process takes about one month and a few appointments. Once an initial diagnosis is made, an impression and a wax bite are created to determine appropriate dimensions and proper jaw position; a "try-in" is placed to assure proper color, shape and fit. Once your final denture is placed, minor adjustments can be made.
What happens once you receive a denture?
Patients need time to get accustomed to dentures because even the best fitting dentures will feel awkward at first. While most patients can begin to speak normally within a few hours, some patients report discomfort with eating for several days to a few weeks. To get accustomed to chewing with a new denture, start with soft, easy-to-chew foods. In addition, denture wearers often notice a slight change in facial appearance, increased salivary flow, or minor speech difficulty.
How do you care for a denture?
A denture is fragile, so it is important to handle it with care. Remove and brush the denture daily, preferably with a brush designed specifically for cleaning dentures, using either a denture cleanser or toothpastes. Never use harsh, abrasive cleansers, including abrasives toothpastes, because they may scratch the surface of the denture. Don't sterilize your denture with boiling water because it will cause it to become warped. If you wear a partial denture be sure to remove it before brushing your natural teeth. When not in use, soak it in a cleanser solution or in water. Get in the habit of keeping the denture in the same safe and handy place to reduce the likelihood of misplacement.
Are there any alternatives to dentures?
The best fitting dentures are still not as comfortable as your natural teeth. In addition to teeth, dentures have bulky acrylic that can interfere with your ability to taste the food, especially its texture. Also, dentures are notorious for being unstable in your mouth, i.e. they move around when you are trying to chew food, or even when you talk. This is especially true for lower dentures.
Dental implants provide a stable foundation for individual replacement of your teeth or serve to anchor specially constructed attachable upper and lower dentures. As few as two lower implants can support your entire lower denture and can feel “rock-solid” compared to conventional dentures. The cost of implant supported dentures is reducing all the time; so please stop in to see your dentist for what treatment and costs are applicable to you. Implant-supported dentures can be made for easy intentional removal for cleaning or can be more permanently attached in a way that permits your dentist to remove them for leaning. With implant supported replacement teeth you can chew better and eat a wider variety of food than with traditional dentures. People can chew steak better and bite into an apple or ear of corn with confidence and without the worry of their teeth coming out.
Another valuable benefit of implant supported replacement teeth is that the implants stimulate your jawbone in area they are placed. This helps prevent progressive bone loss and subsequent facial aging so often seen in patients who are missing most or all of their teeth and have complete upper or lower dentures.
