Tooth removal should always be a treatment of last resort. It is much better to keep your natural teeth. Sometimes, however, that is not possible. In those cases you’ll need dentures. If you only have a few teeth missing, partial dentures are a viable option. If all your teeth are missing, you’ll need complete dentures.
Partial Dentures
A partial denture is used when you’re missing several teeth but still have healthy ones. Your prosthetic teeth are attached to a removable appliance. It is important to fill in your missing teeth in order to maintain proper tooth alignment. Otherwise your teeth will shift and could create further dental problems, including TMJ disorder or periodontal disease.
There are some cases where instead of getting a partial denture you may be a candidate for implants or a dental bridge. We can evaluate your case and help you determine the best solution for your situation.
Complete Dentures
When all your teeth are missing,
you’ll need complete dentures. Generally, the least expensive option is removable dentures. Here at Burba Dental, we have made many sets of removable dentures. We use high-quality materials and excellent dental laboratories so that you will get an excellent fit, they will be comfortable, and no one will know they aren’t your own natural teeth.
If you are having removable dentures made for the first time, we can make a set of what are called “immediate dentures.” This allows the false teeth to be placed in the same appointment that your remaining natural teeth are removed, so that you don’t ever have to go home with no teeth.
Implant-Supported Dentures
When you first have dentures, they will generally fit pretty well. However, when your teeth are all removed, your body begins a slow process of reabsorbing the bone that used to support your teeth. It senses that the teeth aren’t present, so it feels that the minerals in that bone can be better used in other parts of the body. So over the years, the fit will change and they will become looser. While you can have the dentures relined to fit better, once the bone support is gone, there are serious limitations to removable dentures, and people end up trying to use denture adhesives to try to hold their dentures in.
There is a better solution. If the dentures are stabilized by dental implants, it improves their function and stability dramatically. If that idea appeals to you, we can help you. We can place dental implants and then either reline your existing denture to fit them or make a new denture for maximum performance.
Even when they are new, removable dentures are never completely secure. Upper dentures are held in by suction, making them slightly securer. Lower dentures just rest in your mouth and are held in place by your tongue and cheeks. They will move around, food will get under them, and there is always a risk they will come loose at an embarrassing moment.
There are also long-term consequences to wearing removable dentures. Your body immediately begins absorbing your jawbone when all your teeth are removed. In ten to twenty years, you will be faced with a condition known as facial collapse. In many cases the patient becomes a dental cripple and his or her mouth is no longer able to support dentures. Click here to read more about facial collapse. And to read more about dental implants, visit our dental implants page.
To discuss your situation and find out what solution best fits your needs, give us a call, or visit our request an appointment page.