We’ve dedicated this week to adult tooth loss and the potential treatments for those suffering from this undesirable dental dilemma. The progress of modern dentistry has created several possible solutions for those with lost adult teeth — one of those is dentures. Now hear us out, we know most people wouldn’t use “modern” and “dentures” in the same sentence, but dental advances have come to the point where dentures are unidentifiable by those around you and are a common fix for those with adult tooth loss.
The Types
There are two types of dentures:
- Complete Dentures — If you are missing all of your teeth in a single arch (upper or bottom), then you are a candidate for complete dentures. While you may typically envision senior citizens wearing these, many non-retirees have them, too.
- Partial Dentures — Likely much more common than complete dentures, fixed partial dentures are the bridges outlined in our last blog post. However, there are also removable partial dentures which are more common in patients where several adjacent teeth are all missing, often on one side of the jaw.
The Facts
- Cost — Removable dentures range in price, but are cheaper than implants and are frequently cheaper than a bridge (i.e. fixed denture) procedure.
- Removing Them — It all depends on your dentists’ orders, but it is true that you will have to take out your dentures on a regular basis for cleaning and other purposes. If you find this an annoyance, you should consider a more permanent option.
- Adjusting — Simply put, dentures are not the same as teeth. It will take some time to adjust to them. For the first couple days and weeks with your dentures you will have to adjust to eating and speaking with them. Though both of these actions are fully capable of being performed normally, they will initially feel different at first.
- No Procedure — Outside of fitting, there is no surgical procedure necessary for getting dentures. Although bridges and implants have advanced to the point where they are relatively painless, the lack of a procedure may be seen as a bonus to some.
Specialty dentures is one of the many services Dr. D’Alfonso offers in the realm of cosmetic dentistry, and you can find out more about his procedures on our site here.
If you would like to ask questions about dentures, the process of obtaining dentures or would like to schedule an appointment. Contact the Lakeway Center for Cosmetic & Family Dentistry today.