Dentures
If you’ve lost all of your natural teeth, whether from periodontal disease, tooth decay or injury, complete dentures can replace your missing teeth and your smile. Replacing missing teeth will benefit your appearance and your health. Without support from the denture, facial muscles sag, making a person look older. You’ll be unable to eat and speak correctly without teeth things that people often take for granted until their natural teeth are lost.
A denture or a complete denture as it is often called, is an appliance that is inserted in the mouth, that replaces natural teeth and provides support for the cheeks and lips.
Dentures are made of acrylic and can be custom-crafted in different ways:
- A conventional denture is made after all teeth have been extracted and the tissues (gums) have healed.
- An immediate denture is fabricated and inserted immediately after the teeth are extracted and the tissues are allowed to heal under the denture.
- An upper denture has a full palate that completely covers the roof of the mouth, and is made of gum colored acrylic.
- A lower denture, made of gum colored acrylic,is shaped like a horseshoe to leave room for the tongue.
Dentures can be fabricated to fit over dental implant anchors, called locators,which allow for a more secure fit of the appliance.
Dentures over a normal course of time will wear and need to be replaced or relined in order to keep the jaw alignment normal. The alignment will slowly change as the bone and gum ridges recede or shrink due to the extraction of the teeth. Regular dental examinations are still important for the denture wearer so that the oral tissues can be checked for disease or changes.
How Do I Get Started?
Dr. Majcher starts the denture process with complete workup and consultation appointments, because each patient has different needs. Your individual treatment and financial plans will then be discussed and reviewed together with you.