Losing multiple teeth to decay or injury can be a traumatic experience. However, there are options available to restore multiple missing teeth. One of the oldest and most reliable options is the placement of dentures.
Dentures are artificial teeth that are attached to a flesh-colored, acrylic base that fits over your gums. They come in two main types – full and partial. Your situation varies according to various factors, including the number of teeth that need to be replaced and the cost involved. Your Auburn Dentist will assist you in selecting the best option.
Full Denture Options
There are three different types of full dentures. They are:
Immediate Dentures:
Usually worn temporarily, immediate dentures are a way to transition to wearing more permanent dentures. When you suffer major tooth loss, it is natural for your gums to shrink over time and for your facial muscles to readjust. Thus, it is better to wait some time before designing and producing permanent dentures.
In the meantime, immediate dentures provide you with the teeth you need.
Conventional Full Dentures:
After your mouth has fully healed, your dentist will take impressions of your mouth. Next, a dental technician will design and manufacture a set of dentures that is custom-fit for you.
Conventional full dentures are carefully crafted to look just like your natural teeth. They are superior in function to immediate dentures and will last much longer.
Implant Supported Overdentures:
These dentures are actually secured to two or more dental implants. The implants serve as anchors to the dentures, assisting them to stay in place.
Patients and doctors alike prefer the stability of implant supported overdentures. However, the process is more complex and will take longer to implement.
Partial Dentures
A removable partial denture is made up of replacement teeth attached to a flesh-colored base, all of which rest on a metal framework that connects to your remaining natural teeth. Often, your dentist will place crowns on some of the natural teeth to serve as anchors for the denture.
Removable partial dentures are a less expensive alternative to implants or fixed bridgework.
What to Expect
In the initial healing period following tooth loss, a degree of tissue shrinkage and bone loss is expected. Thus, it’s quite possible that any immediate dentures will lose their fit in a matter of months. At this point, you may decide to have the dentures re-lined. This is when your dentist adds material under the denture’s base to better fit the alveolar ridge, the section of the jaw that contains your tooth sockets.
If your mouth is close to being fully healed, you and your dentist may decide to move to a set of conventional full dentures, which will provide a better fit and last much longer. Your dentist will provide you with instructions on how to properly care for your prosthesis.
Modern technology offers multiple options for treating the loss of multiple teeth; however, each has their pros and cons. For many, dentures provide a functional, aesthetic, and cost-effective solution.