DENTURES

Dentures can Replace Missing Teeth

A Denture is a Prosthesis for Replacing Missing Teeth. It may also be termed a plate. It consists of a set of artificial (usually acrylic) teeth bonded to a plastic or metal base.  Dentures are designed to be a removable tooth replacement option. They can usually be removed from the mouth by the wearer when they wish to do so, for example, for hygiene reasons.

Millions of people worldwide wear dentures to replace teeth lost or extracted for various reasons. Teeth removed due to the damaging effects of severe dental wear, trauma, decay or gum disease are often replaced in this way. Technological advances have enabled modern dentures to look more natural and fit better than they ever have before.

Dentures are a good restorative option in circumstances when both missing teeth and significant deficiencies of tooth supporting tissues need to be replaced. The dimensions of a denture can successfully replace missing teeth, gum tissue and jaw bulk, while simultaneously filling out the shape, profile and volume of the face, lips and smile.

Types Of Dentures

Different types of dentures are available, depending on a patient's treatment needs.

Partial Dentures allow replacement of only a few teeth missing teeth. They are removable and need to be held in place by clasps attaching to adjacent natural teeth.

Full Dentures may be made when all teeth are missing in either the upper or lower jaw, or both. They may be designed, with patient input, to look very natural and inconspicuous, or to be vastly different from original teeth. Full dentures are removable when retained via a suction effect with saliva and the jawbone (ridge). If supported by dental implants, they can be made to be either removable or permanently fixed in place.

Immediate Dentures (either partial or full) are inserted at the same time teeth are extracted. They allow a patient to avoid a period without teeth, but require considerably more after care.

When the immediate plates are inserted, healing tissues need prompt review. Multiple adjustments are often required to accomodate the changing landscape of the healing mouth to support patient comfort. Denture modifications and alterations (relining and refitting) are needed in the months that follow, as gums and jawbones remodel and shrink with time in the absence of teeth.

Over-dentures (also, either partial or full) fit over remaining teeth, tooth roots (which have had root canal treatment) or dental implants.

Denture Fit

Even the best fitting dentures may feel awkward in the beginning. Some people require several months to pass before they become accustomed to wearing them, feel their speech has returned to normal or feel comfortable eating with them in place.

Where denture stability is a problem, as often occurs for patients who wear a full lower denture and have a very flat lower ridge (jaw), retention can be dramatically improved if the denture can be supported by at least two dental implants.

At Melbourne Dentistry, whether your needs relate to a denture being your permanent restorative solution, or simply a temporary space maintaining prosthesis, (prior to the completion of an implant driven crown or bridge treatment plan), we work with the very best dental prosthetic laboratories to promptly provide you with the most natural looking, and comfortable treatment outcomes.