When you lose several natural teeth, it causes many issues besides ruining your smile. Since the teeth support your facial muscles, missing teeth can cause facial sagging and wrinkles, giving you an older appearance. Similarly, you’ll likely experience difficulties chewing food and pronouncing certain words.
As far as your oral health is concerned, missing teeth encourages plaque and bacteria buildup in the mouth, exposing you to tooth decay, gum disease, and other oral complications. Additionally, the remaining healthy teeth are likely to move towards the gaps, leading to misalignments. Your jawbone will likely deteriorate or weaken over time due to a lack of chewing activities.
Lost teeth can negatively impact your oral appearance, function, health, self-confidence, and overall quality of life. Fortunately, there’s something you can do about it. If you’ve lost a few or all of your natural teeth, your dentist will likely recommend getting dentures.
A denture is a removable tooth-colored dental device that replaces missing teeth and the surrounding tissues. Dentures can replace a few or all missing teeth. Dentures consist of artificial teeth and a gum-colored base over the bone ridge that supports the natural teeth. Dentures are customized to function, feel, and look like your natural teeth.
Getting a quality customized denture will ensure that it comfortably fits your mouth without causing discomfort, falling off, or slipping off when chewing or speaking. Ill-fitting dentures can hurt your gums, bone, and remaining teeth leading to oral infections and other complications. They are also likely to cause breathing, chewing, and speaking problems.
For this reason, it’s always advisable to make sure that you are getting your dentures from qualified and professional dentists. Contact our team for high-quality partials & full dentures in Stony Brook, NY.
There are two major types of dentures, namely:
Full dentures are ideal if the patient is missing all their natural teeth on either jaw. These dentures are removable, and you should never sleep with them. Ensure you clean them thoroughly and soak them overnight in a denture liquid to get rid of food debris, plaque, and bacteria buildup accumulated throughout the day.
Complete dentures can be placed immediately or a few weeks after teeth extraction. Conventional dentures are placed about 8-2 months after teeth extraction. This waiting period allows the gums to heal properly. Immediate dentures are placed immediately after extraction, meaning that you won’t have to stay without teeth during the healing phase.
However, it’s worth noting that your bones and gums shrink during the healing phase. It means that immediate dentures will require more adjustments to fit properly. In most cases, immediate dentures are used as a temporary solution as you wait for the conventional dentures.
A partial denture consists of several artificial teeth attached to a gum-colored or pink plastic base. Partial dentures are for when a patient misses one or a few of their natural teeth in either jaw. Depending on your condition and needs, you can get a removable or fixed denture.
A partial removable denture should be removed and soaked when sleeping. Alternatively, you can get a fixed partial denture, also known as a dental bridge. A dental bridge is a fixed dental device that replaces one to a few teeth next to each other. Dental crowns support the artificial teeth by attaching to healthy teeth adjacent to the gap. A dental implant can also support the bridge, giving it more strength, stability, and durability.
The choice between a partial denture and a full denture depends on the number of missing teeth. A partial denture is better if you’re only missing a few of your natural teeth. On the other hand, if you’ve lost all of your teeth on either jaw, then a full denture is probably your best option.
Once you visit your dentist near you for an exam, they will inspect your mouth and determine the most suitable treatment option. Contact Stony Brook Dental Group to get started with your treatment today.
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