Have you lost your teeth due to periodontal disease, tooth decay or injury? Well, then dentures or partials just may be what you're looking for to give you a winning smile again. Not only do dentures improve your appearance, they also improve your health. Without the support of dentures, facial muscles will sag and make you look older. When you are wearing dentures, you can speak clearly again and enjoy your favorite foods. It's not until you lose your teeth that you realize how much we take clear speech and food for granted.
The many advances in cosmetic dentistry have allowed improvements in dentures and partials. The newer dentures are more natural looking and much more comfortable than the dentures our grandparents had. A highly trained cosmetic dentist can explain the advances in dentures and tell you whether or not you'd be a good candidate for a new set of choppers.
New dentures can be complete or partial; complete dentures will cover your upper and lower jaw while partials only replace one or just a few teeth.
Complete Dentures
One of the types of complete dentures is the conventional denture, which is placed in the patient's mouth after all the teeth are removed and the tissues have healed completely. This could actually take several months. But an immediate denture is put in your mouth as soon as the remaining teeth are removed. Measurements of your mouth are taken, and your dentist will make models of your jaw during your early visit. With immediate dentures, you do not have to go one day without teeth in your mouth.
Dentures, whether complete or partial, require excellent oral hygiene. You must brush your gums, tongue and palate every day with a soft-bristled toothbrush before putting your dentures in each day.
Partial Dentures
For those of you missing only a few teeth, then you may be a candidate for what is called a removable partial denture (RPD). These are commonly called "flippers" in the cosmetic dentistry world.
A partial is removable and can replace multiple missing teeth. It can be attached to teeth with clasps or it can be attached with crowns and hidden clasps.
Losing your teeth can substantially accelerate your face's aging as the distance between your nose and chin will decrease as natural teeth come out or are extracted. The bone that used to hold your top natural teeth begins to retreat toward your nose, and the bone that held the lower teeth goes down, which allows the top and bottom false teeth to follow in the same direction.
Because dentures don't last forever, you must return every two years for a "reline." As you wear your dentures they become looser. Dentures typically need to be replaced every five to seven years.
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