Dentures – Melbourne, FL

Effects of Missing Teeth

Before anything else, reviewing the causes and effects of tooth loss is helpful. This approach lets you see how dentures could protect your health.

In terms of causes, people lose teeth for various reasons. Someone might contract gum disease, which wears down the bone and tissue securing their chompers. Similarly, a tooth can decay so much that it falls out or needs extraction. You might even get your teeth knocked out due to an accident.

Meanwhile, the effects of tooth loss are severe but consistent. For starters, going without teeth almost always makes eating, speaking, and smiling harder. Untreated smile gaps will also degrade your jaw, causing it to sag. That latter process could then trigger a facial collapse. Even worse, the same gaps might result in yet more tooth loss.

What Qualifies You for Dentures?

Patients can typically qualify for dentures if they lack teeth. There are other factors, though, you ought to consider.

Just look at oral health, for example. Dentures aren’t just effective at replacing missing teeth; they can also replace sensitive or decaying ones. Furthermore, patients with gum disease won’t benefit from dentures. After all, inflamed or eroded gum tissue can’t support these restorations. Consequently, the ideal candidate must commit to dental care.

The number of teeth lost is also a relevant matter. You’ll need one of two possible denture types based on how many are gone. The first, a partial denture, is best for replacing a few teeth. On the other hand, a full kind is best when all chompers along an arch are gone.

Finally, finances also play a role in denture candidacy. You naturally can’t get treatment if you can’t afford it. Thankfully, however, dentures are cheaper than other restorations. The result is that they’re ideal for patients on a budget.

Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options

It’s not the end of the world if you aren’t a good denture candidate. Our office has other restoration services available. In fact, Dr. Chenet and his team have two other tooth-replacement options to try. They are:

• Dental Implants – Unique among restorations, dental implants are prosthetics placed in your jawbone. They gradually fuse with your jaw due to their titanium composition. Said fusion makes them secure, permanent, and pricey compared to alternative options.
• Implant Dentures – Unlike common ones, implant dentures rely on dental implants for stability. As such, they don’t slip or fall over time. (These dentures can also be permanent or removable.)

Learn More About Dental Implants

What are Dentures Made Of?

Full or partial, every denture has two core parts: the base and the artificial teeth. These components ensure the prosthetic works well. As for the proof, consider the features below:

 

• Denture Base – A denture’s base is its foundation, holding the artificial teeth. It’s colored pink to blend in with the gums it sits on. In terms of material, the base can use acrylic, nylon, porcelain, or even actual metal. (Which one a denture uses is determined by its type.)
• Artificial Teeth – Put simply, the artificial teeth are a dentures' toothy portions. Dental labs make them from tooth-colored resin or porcelain. (Today, porcelain is the more popular substance; it seems more toothlike than resin.)

 

The Denture Creation Process

Dentures aren’t genetic or one-size-fits-all. Instead, a dentist customizes each one for a patient’s mouth. The creation process thus involves a unique, multi-step process. Such steps are the following:

 

• Step 1 : Our dentists will take a dental impression. From there, they’ll make a plaster model that matches the final denture’s size and shape.
• Step 2 : The plaster model is sent to a lab that makes dentures. Lab technicians will then create a wax gum line by using it.
• Step 3 : The lab will set artificial teeth in the wax base. The resulting prototype will be used for your finished dentures.
• Step 4 : The wax dentures will go to our dentists for a fitting. Once tested, they’ll be returned to the dental lab to complete the final restorations.
• Step 5 : A worker will boil the dentures to remove their wax. They’ll then place the prosthetics in a flask. Said flask will receive plaster and sit in hot water.
• Step 6 : A separator will go into the plaster layer, preventing the acrylic from sticking. This acrylic will be injected into the flask to replace the wax.
• Step 7 : The plaster will be removed to reveal the dentures. The restorations will then be placed in a bath to remove their residue.
• Step 8 : Excess acrylic will be cut from the denture. Said denture will then be polished.
• Step 9 : The patient will have the dentures fitted. At that time, the dentist will adjust your denture to work smoothly.

 

Learn About All-on-4

Adjusting to Your New Dentures

Naturally, you may feel aches when first wearing dentures. Some patients even suffer soreness and struggle to eat or speak. Still, never fear; these effects are typical. They’ll slowly fade as you adjust to the dentures. Once you have, the new teeth should feel quite natural.

 

Of course, you can speed up the adjustment. One way is to eat soft foods for a week, which won’t irritate your gums. Similar approaches include working your facial muscles or applying adhesives. With these actions, your pain will ease, and the denture will seem more familiar.

 

If your pain lasts a while or worsens, call us at once. Your dentures may need to be repaired or replaced.

Psychological Benefits

Edentulous people, or people without teeth, often have difficulty accepting their tooth loss. This can have a huge impact on self-esteem and social life and even increase the risk of experiencing depression. By restoring the appearance and function of your smile, you are more likely to experience improved confidence and self-esteem. Dentures can also reduce anxieties related to appearance, speech articulation, chewing ability, and more!

Clearer Enunciation

When your smile isn’t complete, it can be much more difficult to speak. To pronounce and perform words, it’s important that your lips and tongue are positioned properly. When you are unable to touch your tongue to your teeth, some words are very difficult to say. Dentures help by acting as your missing teeth, therefore allowing you to enunciate more clearly while you speak. After a short adjustment period and some practice, speaking will come naturally.

Improves Nutrition

Many foods that are good for you are tough in texture, like certain vegetables, fruits, and healthy proteins. When you can’t chew your food thoroughly due to missing teeth, you can experience issues like indigestion and malnutrition. With dentures, you can enjoy a more expansive diet full of nutritious foods to stay healthy. Ultimately, dentures can help you receive the essential vitamin and minerals you need to thrive.

Preserves Oral Health

If you still have some remaining teeth in your mouth, dentures can keep them from shifting around to fill in the gaps left behind by your missing teeth. Dentures can also help to keep some of the weight of chewing, therefore reducing the wear and tear of your existing teeth.

Expands Opportunity

Your smile is one of the very first things that people notice about you. When it comes to job interviews, sales, and promotions, it is crucial that you make a great first impression, and a complete smile is an advantage. When you feel more confident about the appearance of your smile, it will show in the way you present yourself. This means that you could experience additional opportunities in your personal and professional life!