DENTURES
What are Dentures?
Dentures are a solution of last resort. Many people assume that they will need dentures as they age, but losing teeth is not a normal part of the aging process. If you care for your teeth well and guard against periodontal (gum) disease, you should be able to keep your teeth for a lifetime.
Saving even a few natural teeth is often better than losing them all. Natural teeth or even parts of natural teeth can help you retain bone in your jaw and can act as stable supports for bridges, overdentures or removable partial dentures. Your dentist will try to save as many of your natural teeth as possible.
Dentures are made for people who have lost all of their teeth. They are called complete dentures. Complete dentures can be given additional support by placement of implants in the bone under the denture.
The good news is that dentures aren't what they used to be. With newer materials and improved technology, dentists can fashion dentures that fit comfortably, appear natural and help you stay healthier. Denture problems, such as clicking, slipping, frequent gum irritation and odor, are signs your dentures may not be fitting properly and may need to be adjusted, relined or remade.
Although dentures may look like your natural teeth, they cannot work like them. Simple actions like speaking and eating may feel different. You will have to learn how to use and adjust to your dentures, which for some people can take several months.
Types of Dentures: Complete or Partial
Complete dentures cover your entire jaw, either upper or lower. Some people call them "plates." Complete dentures rest directly on the gum that covers the bone. On occasion, one or more natural teeth are kept when a denture is made. These teeth usually have root canal treatment and are shortened to fit under the denture. This type of denture is known as an overdenture.
Maintaining a few natural teeth and replacing the missing teeth with an overdenture has several advantages:
Lower dentures tend to be more difficult to keep in your mouth than upper dentures. Therefore, an overdenture can be particularly helpful for the lower jaw, but it is an option for almost anyone who has a few teeth remaining. However, the teeth that will be preserved must meet certain standards of health. Canines and premolars are the most common teeth selected because of their root length and position in the jaw.
The teeth will have to be shaped to fit the denture. Since the shaping may expose the tooth's living pulp, the teeth usually need root canal treatment, which removes the pulp and replaces it with filling material.
The teeth are covered with thin metal castings called copings, which fit into openings in the denture. Attachments also can be put on the copings so the denture is better retained in the mouth. On occasion, a natural tooth can be kept in the mouth without a metal coping. If this is done, it is important that the dentist prescribes fluoride drops that can be placed in the overdenture to prevent decay of the underlying tooth structure.
Overdentures also can fit over implants instead of natural teeth. In fact, implants originally were developed to give people "artificial roots" on which to place bridges or dentures in the lower jaw. The denture can fit directly onto the implants, or a metal bar can link implants together, providing support for the denture.
Removable partial dentures are composed of a metal framework with plastic teeth and gum areas. The framework includes metal clasps or other attachments, which hold the denture in place. However, partial dentures are removed easily for cleaning. Fixed partial dentures, which most people call bridges, are cemented in place and better simulate natural teeth. Bridges are more expensive than removable partial dentures, however, and require healthy adjacent teeth to support them.
Two types of attachments are used in partial dentures ― metal clasps and precision attachments. Metal clasps are C-shaped, I-shaped and Y-shaped parts of the denture framework that fit around neighboring natural teeth. These teeth may require shaping to help hold the clasps and keep the denture securely in place. A precision attachment is like a key fitting into a keyhole. A crown that is placed over your tooth contains the "keyhole." The denture contains the "key." When you put in your denture, the "key" fits into the "keyhole" in the crown. This type of denture looks better because no clasps are visible and it also fits tighter. However, it does take more skill to place in the mouth because the "key" must fit exactly into the "keyhole."
Special Types of Partial Dentures
Getting Your Dentures
Conventional dentures are made and inserted after your teeth have been taken out and the gums have healed.
A conventional denture can be made and is fitted typically within four or more appointments over one to two months. The process starts with an appointment with your dentist for an exam and a discussion of what will work best for you. In later visits, your dentist will take impressions of your mouth and establish the bite (the way your teeth come together). You and your dentist will select the teeth for your denture. The size, shape and color of the teeth will depend on many factors, including reference points in your mouth, your skin tone and the shape of your skull, photographs, etc.
At your trial fitting, your teeth will be set up and tried in your mouth. You can see how the denture looks and feels in your mouth, and your dentist can make sure it fits and functions correctly and harmonizes with the rest of your face. This is your denture preview, or "try-in." If this goes well, you will receive the completed denture at the next visit, along with instructions from your dentist on eating, speaking, denture care and oral hygiene. Finally, you will need to see your dentist for a series of follow-up visits during the next few weeks and months to check the fit and comfort of your denture.
Immediate Dentures
If you are having a complete denture made and teeth need to be extracted, it is necessary to have a healing period of at least four weeks before a complete denture can be made. Your dentist may suggest that an interim or temporary denture called an immediate denture be made and inserted at the time of extraction. This will allow you to eat and speak without problems while the complete denture is made. As your mouth heals, the gums and bones will shrink and the immediate denture will be relined. This process adjusts the fit of the denture.
Dentures are a solution of last resort. Many people assume that they will need dentures as they age, but losing teeth is not a normal part of the aging process. If you care for your teeth well and guard against periodontal (gum) disease, you should be able to keep your teeth for a lifetime.
Saving even a few natural teeth is often better than losing them all. Natural teeth or even parts of natural teeth can help you retain bone in your jaw and can act as stable supports for bridges, overdentures or removable partial dentures. Your dentist will try to save as many of your natural teeth as possible.
Dentures are made for people who have lost all of their teeth. They are called complete dentures. Complete dentures can be given additional support by placement of implants in the bone under the denture.
The good news is that dentures aren't what they used to be. With newer materials and improved technology, dentists can fashion dentures that fit comfortably, appear natural and help you stay healthier. Denture problems, such as clicking, slipping, frequent gum irritation and odor, are signs your dentures may not be fitting properly and may need to be adjusted, relined or remade.
Although dentures may look like your natural teeth, they cannot work like them. Simple actions like speaking and eating may feel different. You will have to learn how to use and adjust to your dentures, which for some people can take several months.
Types of Dentures: Complete or Partial
Complete dentures cover your entire jaw, either upper or lower. Some people call them "plates." Complete dentures rest directly on the gum that covers the bone. On occasion, one or more natural teeth are kept when a denture is made. These teeth usually have root canal treatment and are shortened to fit under the denture. This type of denture is known as an overdenture.
Maintaining a few natural teeth and replacing the missing teeth with an overdenture has several advantages:
- Your natural teeth help preserve bone.
- Your remaining natural teeth bear some of the chewing pressure, which reduces pressure on other areas of the jaw.
- Your remaining teeth improve the stability of the denture and make it less likely to shift in your mouth.
- Your sense of where your jaw is in space and the pressure you are placing on the denture is better than the sense you have after losing all of your teeth.
- Keeping some teeth can help you psychologically accept your denture.
Lower dentures tend to be more difficult to keep in your mouth than upper dentures. Therefore, an overdenture can be particularly helpful for the lower jaw, but it is an option for almost anyone who has a few teeth remaining. However, the teeth that will be preserved must meet certain standards of health. Canines and premolars are the most common teeth selected because of their root length and position in the jaw.
The teeth will have to be shaped to fit the denture. Since the shaping may expose the tooth's living pulp, the teeth usually need root canal treatment, which removes the pulp and replaces it with filling material.
The teeth are covered with thin metal castings called copings, which fit into openings in the denture. Attachments also can be put on the copings so the denture is better retained in the mouth. On occasion, a natural tooth can be kept in the mouth without a metal coping. If this is done, it is important that the dentist prescribes fluoride drops that can be placed in the overdenture to prevent decay of the underlying tooth structure.
Overdentures also can fit over implants instead of natural teeth. In fact, implants originally were developed to give people "artificial roots" on which to place bridges or dentures in the lower jaw. The denture can fit directly onto the implants, or a metal bar can link implants together, providing support for the denture.
Removable partial dentures are composed of a metal framework with plastic teeth and gum areas. The framework includes metal clasps or other attachments, which hold the denture in place. However, partial dentures are removed easily for cleaning. Fixed partial dentures, which most people call bridges, are cemented in place and better simulate natural teeth. Bridges are more expensive than removable partial dentures, however, and require healthy adjacent teeth to support them.
Two types of attachments are used in partial dentures ― metal clasps and precision attachments. Metal clasps are C-shaped, I-shaped and Y-shaped parts of the denture framework that fit around neighboring natural teeth. These teeth may require shaping to help hold the clasps and keep the denture securely in place. A precision attachment is like a key fitting into a keyhole. A crown that is placed over your tooth contains the "keyhole." The denture contains the "key." When you put in your denture, the "key" fits into the "keyhole" in the crown. This type of denture looks better because no clasps are visible and it also fits tighter. However, it does take more skill to place in the mouth because the "key" must fit exactly into the "keyhole."
Special Types of Partial Dentures
- Nesbit Denture ― A Nesbit denture can replace one or more lost back teeth. Metal clasps fit around the teeth on either side of the space. However, because a Nesbit denture is not also supported by teeth on the other side of the mouth, it can place extreme pressure on the clasped teeth. Also, there is a danger of dislodging or swallowing a Nesbit denture in an accident. This is why most dentists do not recommend Nesbit dentures. Instead, consider a bilateral partial denture, which is supported by teeth on both sides of the mouth, even if the missing teeth are on one side of the jaw.
- Flipper Denture ― A flipper denture is made of acrylic and replaces one or more teeth temporarily until another form of treatment (bridge, implants) can be made or decided upon. Such a denture can be placed immediately or soon after a tooth is extracted, but it is not meant to be a permanent solution.
Getting Your Dentures
Conventional dentures are made and inserted after your teeth have been taken out and the gums have healed.
A conventional denture can be made and is fitted typically within four or more appointments over one to two months. The process starts with an appointment with your dentist for an exam and a discussion of what will work best for you. In later visits, your dentist will take impressions of your mouth and establish the bite (the way your teeth come together). You and your dentist will select the teeth for your denture. The size, shape and color of the teeth will depend on many factors, including reference points in your mouth, your skin tone and the shape of your skull, photographs, etc.
At your trial fitting, your teeth will be set up and tried in your mouth. You can see how the denture looks and feels in your mouth, and your dentist can make sure it fits and functions correctly and harmonizes with the rest of your face. This is your denture preview, or "try-in." If this goes well, you will receive the completed denture at the next visit, along with instructions from your dentist on eating, speaking, denture care and oral hygiene. Finally, you will need to see your dentist for a series of follow-up visits during the next few weeks and months to check the fit and comfort of your denture.
Immediate Dentures
If you are having a complete denture made and teeth need to be extracted, it is necessary to have a healing period of at least four weeks before a complete denture can be made. Your dentist may suggest that an interim or temporary denture called an immediate denture be made and inserted at the time of extraction. This will allow you to eat and speak without problems while the complete denture is made. As your mouth heals, the gums and bones will shrink and the immediate denture will be relined. This process adjusts the fit of the denture.
