Dentures................
What are Dentures?
Dentures are replacements for missing teeth that can be
taken out and put back into your mouth. While dentures take
some getting used to, and will never feel exactly the same
as one's natural teeth, today's dentures are natural looking
and more comfortable than ever.
There are two main types of dentures:
full and partial. Your dentist will help you choose the
type of denture that's best for you based on whether some
or all of your teeth are going to be replaced and the cost
involved.
How do Dentures Work?
With full dentures, a flesh-colored acrylic base fits over
your gums. The base of the upper denture covers the palate
(the roof of your mouth), while that of the lower denture
is shaped like a horseshoe to accommodate your tongue.
Dentures are custom-made in a dental
laboratory from impressions taken of your mouth. Your dentist
will determine which of the three types of dentures described
below is best for you.
Conventional Full Denture
A conventional full denture is placed in your mouth after
any remaining teeth are removed and tissues have healed.
Healing may take several months, during which time you are
without teeth.
Immediate Full Denture
An immediate full denture is inserted
immediately after the remaining teeth are removed. (Your
dentist takes measurements and makes models of your jaw
during a prior visit.) While immediate dentures offer the
benefit of never having to be without your teeth, they must
be relined several months after being inserted. The reason
is that the bone supporting the teeth reshapes as it heals,
causing the denture to become loose.
Partial Denture
A partial denture rests on a metal
framework that attaches to your natural teeth. Sometimes
crowns are placed on some of your natural teeth and serve
as anchors for the denture. Partial dentures offer a removable
alternative to bridges.
How Long Before I Get Used
to My Dentures?
New dentures may feel awkward or
uncomfortable for the first few weeks or even months. Eating
and speaking with dentures might take a little practice.
A bulky or loose feeling is not uncommon, while the muscles
of your cheeks and tongue learn to hold your dentures in
place. Excessive saliva flow, a feeling that the tongue
does not have adequate room, and minor irritation or soreness
are also not unusual. If you experience irritation, see
your dentist.
How Long do Dentures Last?
Over a period of time, your denture
will need to be relined, remade, or rebased due to normal
wear. Rebasing means making a new base while keeping the
existing denture teeth. Also, as you age, your mouth naturally
changes. These changes cause your dentures to loosen, making
chewing difficult and irritating your gums. At a minimum,
you should see your dentist annually for a checkup.
Here are tips for caring
for your dentures:
- When handling your dentures, stand
over a folded towel or basin of water. Dentures are delicate
and may break if dropped.
- Don't let your dentures dry out.
Place them in a denture cleanser soaking solution or in
plain water when you're not wearing them. Never use hot
water, which can cause them to warp.
- Brushing your dentures daily will
remove food deposits and plaque, and help prevent them from
becoming stained. An ultrasonic cleaner may be used to care
for your dentures, but it does not replace a thorough daily
brushing.
- Brush your gums, tongue and palate
every morning with a soft-bristled brush before you insert
your dentures. This stimulates circulation in your tissues
and helps remove plaque.
- See your dentist if your dentures
break, chip, crack or become loose. Don't be tempted to
adjust them yourself — this can damage them beyond repair.
Full Dentures.............
An important step
in maintaining a healthy smile is to replace missing teeth.
When teeth are missing the remaining ones can change position,
by drifting into the surrounding space. Teeth that are out
of position can damage tissues in the mouth. In addition,
it may be difficult to clean thoroughly between crooked
teeth.
Complete or full dentures replace
all the teeth in the upper or lower jaw. Complete dentures
are either "conventional" or "immediate."
A conventional denture is placed in the mouth about 4 to
8 weeks after all of the teeth are removed to allow for
proper healing. A conventional denture is also made to replace
an existing denture. An immediate denture is placed as soon
as the teeth are removed. The drawback with an immediate
denture is that it may require more adjustments after the
healing has taken place. A denture helps you to properly
chew food, a difficult task when you are missing teeth.
In addition, a denture may improve speech and prevent a
sagging face by providing support for lips and cheeks.
In order to fit a denture a dentist
will take an impression of your jaw, along with measurements
of how your jaws relate to one another and how much space
is between them (bite relationship). The color, or shade,
of your teeth will also be determined either from your natural
teeth or a denture you may already be wearing. The impression,
bite and shade are given to a dental laboratory so a denture
can be made just for you. The dental laboratory makes a
mold of your jaw, places the teeth in a wax base, and carves
the wax to the exact form wanted in the finished denture.
Usually a "wax try-in" of the denture will be
done at the dentist's office so any adjustments can be done
before the denture is completed.
The denture is completed at the dental
laboratory using the "lost wax" technique. A mold
of the wax-up denture is made, the wax is removed and the
remaining space is filled with pink plastic in dough form.
The mold is then heated to harden the plastic. The denture
is then polished and ready for the patient to wear. It usually
takes a little while to get used to wearing a full denture.
There may also be minor adjustments that your dentist will
make to fine-tune the fit of your denture. It is very important
to wear a new denture every day. If you don't wear your
denture for an extended period of time, the denture may
no longer fit as well as it should.
Over time, your mouth will change.
The bone and gum areas may shrink or recede, causing the
space between the jaws to change. Because your denture keeps
its shape, adjustments will be needed to keep your denture
fitting properly.
Caring for your dentures after they
have been fitted is very important, not only for oral hygiene
but also to make sure that the dentures last for a long
time. In order to take good care of dentures a person should:
Rinse their denture thoroughly after
every meal. Clean their denture thoroughly at least once
a day, using a toothbrush and a non-abrasive denture cleanser.
Don't use alcohol, abrasive cleaners, bleaches, whiteners
or boiling water to clean or soak your dentures.
A complete denture should not be worn at night and should
be removed and stored in normal tap water or in denture
cleaning solution. Dentures can dry out and distort if they
are left outside a moist environment.
COSMETIC DENTISTRY - DENTURES
