Dentures and Partials
You have options when it comes to replacing missing teeth, and dentures continue to be an excellent choice that works well for many people. Designed using updated materials and techniques, modern dentures are as close as dentists can get to real teeth using dental prosthetics.
Full and partial dentures are removable dental prosthetics that are appropriate for patients of all ages who need to replace some or all of their natural teeth.
Types of Dentures
Dentures are available in two standard types:
- We fit conventional dentures after your gums and jaw have fully healed from the extraction of your teeth.
- We fit immediate dentures before we extract your teeth so that you can wear them almost immediately. Immediate dentures will require several more fittings than traditional dentures, as the shape of your jaw and gums will change during the healing process. But they have the advantage of immediately restoring your teeth after the extraction.
We use partial dentures when we only need to remove some of your teeth. Partials function similarly to a bridge in that they fit in with remaining teeth, but unlike a fixed bridge, they are removable.
Adjusting to Dentures
When we first fit you for dentures, you may have to wear them all the time, including while sleeping. This will allow us to quickly find spots that we need to reshape because of discomfort or irritation. After the dentures are properly fitted to your jaw, you can remove them at night.
While dentures are not real teeth, you will want to care for them as if they were. Brush your dentures to remove food particles before removing them. You will need to place your dentures in a container of warm water or a denture cleaning solution as soon as you remove them from your mouth. Hot water can warp dentures, so be careful!
It can take some time for your mouth to adjust to the shape of dentures. At first, it may feel awkward and bulky to have the appliances in your mouth, but over time, you will become accustomed to the dentures.
Contact our office today for more information on whether dentures are right for you.
