There are several early signs that you may need to consider dentures. Perhaps your gums are swollen and agitated, red in color and sensitive. Or maybe you have teeth that have fallen loose or are missing altogether.
If a missing tooth isn’t addressed immediately by dentures, you can end up losing even more of your teeth!
Even if just a single tooth is missing, it can have drastic effects on your remaining teeth. With one less tooth for support and to aid in things like chewing, the rest of the teeth are forced to pick up the slack. That extra pressure can cause your teeth to weaken and shift out of their natural place.
Dentures offer an instant cure, seamlessly filling out your smile!
Other signs you may need dentures may include severe headaches, difficulty chewing, and even chronic indigestion from not small enough bites.
Thankfully, it is a simple solution to fix!
Dentures are an efficient and affordable way to replace missing teeth without invasive or expensive procedures simply by using a removable piece that covers any missing teeth and the gums.
A complete denture, which replaces all teeth, is most commonly used, but there are also partial dentures available for cases of partial tooth loss. Partial dentures require a simpler process than complete dentures, because there are still teeth in place to serve as anchors.
A partial denture is essentially a bridge, a removable piece that fills in missing teeth with false teeth.
With at least one natural tooth left to serve as anchor, the partial denture will fill in the missing gaps left by missing teeth. It accomplishes this by using crowns to fill in the empty space, and then the entire piece is cemented into place so that it doesn’t move.
A denture will also serve to secure existing teeth, anchoring them into place too, so they don’t move and ruin the overall placement of your upper or lower jaw!
Complete dentures, on the other hand, require a much more intensive process. It is a process spread out over several weeks, even months in some cases, but it does not require the extensive surgery of other dental solutions such as implants.
Typically, your denture is created over the course of 3-4 appointments.
The first appointment is dedicated to preparation; in order to accurately create your denture, the mouth must be cleared of any remaining teeth. After their removal, the gums experience a typical healing time of 2-3 months.
In order to create your custom dentures, Dr. Hunyh and our team at Eastport Dental will need to take impressions of your mouth, but with the landscape of your gums changing several times throughout the healing period, there simply is no way to obtain accurate impressions until they are finished healing and set in their shape.
Temporary dentures may be given to the patient during this time so that the patient isn’t forced to endure weeks, or even months, without teeth.
Typically, Dr. Huynh will recommend immediate dentures, which can be placed in the mouth immediately after tooth removal. Once the tissue has had a chance to fully heal, Dr. Hunyh can effectively and accurately take the impressions necessary to create your custom dentures.
Immediate dentures are an option in some cases; this is when tooth extraction and dental impressions happen near simultaneously, allowing you to move to dentures immediately and without any prolonged waiting period. Some patients choose this option in order to prevent any time without teeth.
However, this option does not allow your gums the time to heal so the impressions – and the resulting dentures – are rarely a snug fit. Loose dentures can make eating and speaking near impossible, and most patients ultimately return to their dentist desperate for another solution.
Complete and partial dentures are a more affordable and comfortable alternative to implants, because they do not require the extensive surgery necessary for implants. There’s less down time out of the office, so you do not have to lose any time to recovery!
There are, of course, cosmetic benefits, as well. In addition to a full set of pearly whites, the restoration to a full, healthy smile often results in proved self-confidence that promotes excellence across patients’ personal and professional lives. It can restore youth in one’s face and appearance and promote an overall portrait of health.
As illustrated above, the process is typically done over a few appointments, but each patient is different, and we will carefully evaluate your needs in order to make the best recommendation for your treatment.
Schedule an appointment for a consultation in our Mesa, Arizona office today
