Dentures and Implant
Dentures
Whether your remaining teeth are failing, or you have many missing teeth already, tooth loss has a major impact on every aspect of your life. Every function that your mouth performs becomes increasingly more difficult with the more teeth that you lose. Biting and chewing food become nearly impossible. Your speech suffers, and you become more difficult to understand.
Your once beautiful smile is diminished. Your confidence may decrease. Eventually, you may find yourself hiding your smile, or refusing to smile at all. At Crossroads Family Dental we can help to restore the function of your mouth by replacing an arch of missing teeth with dentures, with or without implant support. There are several different types of dentures to consider:
What are Partial Dentures?
Partial dentures are a removable prosthetic device designed to replace sections of missing teeth between your healthy teeth. The partial denture consists of acrylic resin teeth set into an acrylic gum-colored base or more traditionally, a metal base. The base, which is made from a 3D scan of your mouth, rests on your neighboring teeth and gums, which provide the support your prosthetic teeth need to perform their numerous functions. Partial dentures are also equipped with metal or acrylic clasps, which hook on to your healthy teeth, providing additional support. Often a partial denture is intended to be a provisional (temporary) restoration- holding the space until a dental implant or more definitive restoration can be placed. They can also be used to maintain the look of your smile while a dental implant is healing so you don’t have a gap in your smile before a new implant is healed and ready to support the final porcelain replacement tooth.
What are Full Dentures?
Full dentures are a removable prosthetic device designed to replace an entire arch of missing teeth. They can be made for upper teeth, lower teeth, or even both arches if you are missing all the teeth in your mouth. They consist of acrylic resin teeth that are set into an acrylic gum-colored base. The base sits directly on your gums and are held in place only by suction. Your gums and facial muscles provide the support your dentures need to function properly. While they can help restore your look and function, they have more movement and provide significantly diminished biting forces as compared to your natural teeth.
What are Implant Supported Dentures?
Most patients can substantially improve the function and stability of their dentures by investing in implant support. Placement of 2-4 dental implants into the jawbone underneath of a denture can help anchor the denture in place. This increased stability provides for better function as patients are able to enjoy more types of food with implant support. They provide increased confidence because when your denture securely anchors into place, patients no longer have to worry about their dentures falling out during speech or during dinner with friends or family.
Do Dentures Require Special Care?
Dentures do require daily care. They will need to be removed every night for cleaning and left out while you sleep. When you are ready to clean them, it is important to lay a towel on the counter or fill the sink with water. This will provide a cushion in case you accidentally drop your new teeth. After you take your dentures out, brush them with a soft bristled brush and either denture paste or soap and water. Do not use toothpaste, as they contain abrasives that can leave microscopic scratches in your dentures. After brushing, set your dentures into a glass of denture cleaning solution. Brush any remaining teeth, your gums, and your tongue. When you wake up in the morning, brush your teeth and gums again, rinse your dentures, and place them in your mouth. Your team at Crossroads Family Dental will provide you with more personalized care instructions based on the specific type of denture you choose.
If you are missing teeth, dentures can restore the functions of your mouth, your smile, and your quality of life. Call Crossroads Family Dental today at 219-865-4095 to schedule your consultation and find out if dentures or implant-supported dentures may be the right choice for you.