Missing teeth can create a variety of problems. First, they ruin your smile and personality. Second, they significantly decrease your ability to eat and speak. Therefore, it’s essential that you get your missing teeth replaced immediately. Now, if you are looking for a reliable and cost-effective option for repairing your missing teeth, then dentures can help you get back your smile and the ability to speak and eat. Here’s everything you need to know about getting your teeth replaced with dentures.
What are Dentures?
A Denture is a removable appliance that is used for replacing one or more missing teeth. It rests on the oral soft tissues and gains its support from the underlying jaw bone and existing teeth. They are made from metal alloys or gum-colored acrylic resins.
What are Different Types of Removable Dentures?
- Partial Dentures – these dentures are used for replacing one or more missing teeth. Partial dentures contain metallic extensions, the clasps, which encircle the natural teeth which are present around the missing tooth gap.
- Complete Dentures – these dentures are used when there is no natural tooth remaining in the oral cavity. These dentures only rely on the jaw bone and the overlying soft tissues for their retention and support. Therefore, they are carefully designed so that their inner surface exactly matches the contour of the jaw bone for maximum fit and retention.
- Implant-supported Dentures – unlike the conventional dentures which rely on teeth or the jaw bone for attachment, these dentures are supported by dental implants. Generally, a single implant can be used for replacing up to three or four teeth.
How are Dentures Prepared?
Preparation of removable dentures requires excellent skills and great attention to detail. The preparation process usually requires 2-3 sittings. Here are the steps involved in fabricating dentures:
- Consultation and Treatment Planning – In the first appointment, doctors perform a detailed examination of your teeth and the jaw bones. Then will also examine tooth models and x-ray images of your teeth to prepare a treatment plan customized according to your dental needs.
- Pre-prosthetic
Treatment – Before proceeding with the denture fabrication, we first
restore your existing teeth with dental fillings or remove any teeth which
cannot be saved, if required. Also, in the
case of senior citizens, sometimes
special procedures need to be performed before the dentures can be made.
- Bone Augmentation – For seniors, there is a significant loss of the density and volume of the jaw bone, and it is not enough to support a denture. Therefore, before giving you a denture, we will place a bone graft to restore the optimal jaw bone density.
- Alveoloplasty – This is a procedure in which a knife-edge jaw bone ridge is re-shaped to have a rounded contour. This helps in enhancing the retention and stability of the denture.
- Impression Making – Doctors will make impressions of your teeth. Depending on the type of denture they are preparing, they will use different kinds of techniques for making the impressions. Then send these impressions, along with information about the required shade and color of teeth will be sent to the laboratory.
- Laboratory Preparation – Back in the laboratory, your teeth impressions will be utilized to prepare study models. On the study models, artificial teeth will be inserted in wax around the missing tooth gap.
- Try-in – Back in the office, we will insert a wax model of the denture in your mouth to assess the fit and accuracy. If everything goes well, the wax pattern will be converted into a definitive prosthesis at the laboratory.
That’s it, your dentures are ready! However, this process is a bit more complicated for complete dentures. This is because all the natural teeth would be missing, and special measures must be employed to prepare the full dentures.
So, are you ready to get a charming smile and a youthful appearance with dentures? Book an appointment with us today and let us take care of your problems.
