Love Your New Dream Smile
Dentures
For generations, people have been losing teeth due to various reasons including bacterial issues, genetic causes and trauma. For a lot of people it has always been an aim to restore some of these missing teeth so that functionality can be maintained and life can continue without disturbance. Dentures are a removable prosthetic appliance created by a laboratory with the aim of replacing missing teeth.
Many Options
The rationale behind them is thousands of years old, and the first discovered dentures trace back to 7BC when the Italians used animal teeth held together by gold bands. Dentures have come a long way since then both with our understanding of the mouth and the choice of materials. Our aim at Affordable Dental Care is preventative dentistry so you minimise the need to ever look at missing or replacing teeth. However, we understand that’s not always possible and as such are well prepared and equipped to meet your needs and expectations to restore your smile.
There are numerous types of denture options, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Understanding how each works within the mouth is crucial in determining which will be most appropriate for you and thus meeting your requirements.
What is Best For You?
1. Immediate
An immediate denture does what its name suggests. It is temporary in nature and usually made of acrylic with the aim of replacing a tooth or set of teeth as soon as possible. Due to its temporary nature, these dentures are usually fabricated prior to extraction or removal of the teeth and inserted immediately afterwards to ensure that you remain gapless and able to function. Its advantages include:
- Not having a gap in your smile
- Better healing after your extraction
- Less resorption (your gum and bone are less likely to shrink if your brain and body think the area is still in use)
- Easily adjustable
Bearing that in mind, you have to appreciate that as the socket (extraction site) heals, the immediate denture will not sit as comfortably as it once did. This is normal and to be expected. Our experienced clinicians will ensure that you are given the correct knowledge of what to expect with an immediate denture, both in terms of longevity and functionality over time.
2. Partial Chrome
A partial chrome is a definitive prosthesis which means it should only be constructed once everything in the mouth has been stabilised and there is minimal doubt about the lifespan of the current teeth. It is usually made of a Cobalt-Chrome framework to which acrylic teeth are eventually added in specific places. It requires healthy teeth to still be present in the mouth so that it can utilise them for grips and clasps, helping increase retention and stability of the prosthesis.
- It is the most sturdy type of denture and so least likely to break
- Most comfortable to wear
- Smallest denutres in design, thereby covering less of your mouth
- Most hygenic due to their minimal nature
- Most retentive
- Best to chew with
As you can see by the advantages, these are the preferred choice of dentures. However, they are also the most expensive, require the most work and are not suitable for every patient (those with teeth remaining that are dubious and not guaranteed to last a while). It is also difficult to add teeth to this type of denture once its fabricated as the Cobalt Chrome framework is cast.
3. Partial Acrylic
This type of denture is predominately made of acrylic and used to replace some teeth in the mouth when there are still existing teeth. Although it is not as ideal as a partial chrome, it does have some advantages which make it more useful in specific situations.
- Cheapest
- Easiest to manufacture
- Least amount of clinical time
- Can be easily modified i.e. teeth can be added on with ease
Its acrylic nature makes it ideal for patients who have a few dubious teeth remaining that might not last a long time (thereby ruling them out of a chrome alternative). However, these dentures are typically bulkier, less stable and retentive, more likely to break and generally less tolerated by patients.
4. Complete Acrylic
When the time arrives that all remaining teeth in a jaw have been lost or removed, our options for replacing teeth start to narrow. Complete acrylic dentures use the gum and underlying bone for support and aim to effectively cover the mouth to provide a seal. This seal along with the way your muscles adapt to wearing the denture will ensure it maintains suction and stays in your mouth as best as possible.
These dentures require a few steps in fabricating successfully and have to account for various factors to ensure the aesthetics are correct, the speech isn’t impaired, chewing is still possible and the denture doesn’t pop out unnecessarily.
Years of wearing a complete denture will begin to have an eroding effect on your gums. This will affect the way the prosthesis stays in your mouth as it will not sit on your gums the same way it initially did. In order to counteract this problem, it is crucial to get regular check-ups and eventually a reline, which will refit the denture according to the changes that have occurred in your mouth.
5. Implant Retained
If you aren’t having success with the suction capability of your complete denture and want an upgrade, we have now reached that stage in dental technology where this is possible. Implant retained dentures are specifically designed to incorporate the retentive features of dental implants along with your full acrylic denture. This will allow it to clip in and out of place, thereby increasing the means by which it stays in your mouth.
However, this does involve the successful placement of a few dental implants into the jaw; something not everyone is capable of having due to various reasons; as well as the naturally increased time and cost of the overall procedure. Discuss implant retained dentures with one of our experienced clinicians today to get a full understanding of what possibilities exist for replacing teeth in your mouth.
