Missing teeth can affect the overall quality of life (both functionally and appearance wise), but you don’t have to go through life with missing teeth. Dentures are one of the many different dental options for replacing missing tooth and teeth to restore self-confidence and improve facial appearance by harmonizing one’s unique smile and bite.
Dentures are appliances (which are either removable or fixed) to replace missing teeth to restore the lost functions, allowing you to smile confidently, speak clearly and eat comfortably again.
Different parts of dentures
- Artificial denture teeth — made of plastic or ceramic materials used as replacement teeth.
- The denture base — usually made of plastic materials used for the replacement of the gums.
- Other anchoring metal or plastic parts–incorporated into the denture when the denture is attached to the natural teeth or implants.
3 Kinds of Dentures
- Complete dentures– removable appliance that replaces a complete/full arch of teeth (upper or lower or both).
- Maxillary denture- upper replacement teeth
- Mandibular denture – lower replacement teeth
- Partial Dentures– replace some missing teeth. These can be either removable or fixed. Removable partial dentures are supported by remaining natural teeth or dental implants via clasps while fixed partial dentures (Bridges) are cemented to the crowns of the teeth to replace missing teeth.
- Implant supported dentures — this type of denture is fixed to dental implants permanently instead of resting on top of your gums. It’s more stable than other types of dentures, but the procedure is more complex and the total dental denture cost is more expensive.
Compare with the natural teeth and other dental options for replacing missing tooth and teeth like bridges and implants, full removable dentures are less stable during normal functions like speech, biting, chewing, and swallowing. Also, the supporting bone on which the denture rests shrinks over time, so it may need to be periodically adjusted, relined or even replaced. Despite these shortcomings, patients can adapt to the dentures. With proper dental care like your natural teeth, complete dentures can last from 5 to 10 years.
Your certified dentist will conduct a general screening to evaluate and examine the degree of your tooth loss, the health of your gums and jaw bones and the aggregate total of dental denture cost, to determine which type of denture is best for you.
Nevertheless, whichever denture option your certified cosmetic dentist recommends, you can surely wear a brilliant smile with your dentures— strong and exquisite alternatives.
