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| Conventional dentures example |
Dottox.com offers you a wide range of descriptions of
these methods (dentures included).
There are
different reason why a person may have lost all his / her teeth. The most usual
is due to severe gum disease called periodontitis that is the next step after
gingivitis.
Without
teeth it is impossible to eat and speck well that’s why it is important to find
the way to solve the situation as soon as possible.
According
to the American Dental Association, 12% of Americans have lost all their teeth and have replaced them
with different prosthetic solutions.
Most expensive solution
The most
modern, comfortable and aesthetic solution is represented by dental implants.
In short, the dentist will insert titanium screws in your jawbone and when they
are ready, a complete arch of prosthetic teeth with or without false gingiva
will be anchored to them.
This
solution give you the most aesthetic result. With dental implants you feel like
you got back your own natural teeth. Nobody will recognize your dentures
anchored to dental implants. In addition, you can choose the color, the shape
and the size of your new teeth. Yes, you can have a Hollywood smile like the
actors you see in the movie.
The only
one downside of dental implants is their high price. Not all people can pay
about 1500 dollars for each tooth to be replaced; especially retired and low
income people.
Affordable solution
So what is
a valid alternative to expensive dental implants ?
Removable complete dental prosthesis is the
solution I want to
talk about in this article !
When I say
complete dental prosthesis I mean the dentures we all know, the dentures our
grandmother or grandfather put in a glass of water when they go to sleep.
Conventional dentures are removable and have a hard base made of plastic (acrylic) that goes into
your gums. On top of that there are the prosthetic teeth made of resin or
ceramic (it is very rare to see dentures teeth made of zirconia).
The
dentures wearers can easily remove the prosthesis from his / her mouth before to go to sleep or for cleaning
purposes.
How does it work ?
Before to get
your definitive dentures, the dentist needs to take your dental and gingival
impression. The technician will use the impressions to build up your first full
dental prosthesis that has to be adjusted several times before to find the
right shape that fit your gums perfectly.
In this
period you also have to do your homework. It is not complicated to get used to
the denture, you just need time and exercises in order to find the right ways
to pronounce some letters such as “s”, “f” and “t”. Your mouth muscles have to
adapt them self to the new appliance.
The most
hard adjustment is with your palate. In fact, the upper denture arch will entirely cover your palate, in this way
only it will stay in place; so it is something you cannot avoid.
Usually,
new dentures wearers need a couple of months or three to get used to the
dentures but once done they immediately forget the training time and start to
enjoy their new life.
After a while my dentures doesn’t fit my gums anymore, what can I do ?
The point
is that, after losing all your teeth, your gums start to recede because they
don’t have to support the roots of teeth. This is totally normal and you don’t
have to worry.
The problem
is that, after some time (different from person to person), dentures are not so
stable like the first days after delivery. In order to close the gap that forms
between your gums and the base of the dentures, you can use a small quantity of
dentures adhesive. The adhesive can
help to keep the false teeth in place
but it is a temporary solution .
If you
notice that you have always to increase the denture adhesive quantity, it means
that the gap to be close is too big and a denture reline is required.
The denture
reline is nothing more than adding a small quantity of plastic material to the
base of your denture. In this way the internal part of the dentures will fit
again your reshaped gums and you don’t need extra adhesive.
The denture
relining can be done by your dentist in his or her dental office or you can do
that by yourself at home. In order to go with the DIY method, you can buy
denture relining kit that are sold even online by Amazon or other online
specialized store. It is not a difficult procedure and there are a lot of
YouTube videos that explain exactly how to precede.
What if I need to replace a few teeth only ?
In case of
you want to replace a few adjacent teeth, the most cheap solution is the dental
bridge.
If the
teeth you lost are not adjacent then you needa partial denture with a metal framework inside.
This
particular dental prosthesis anchors to your natural teeth and replace those
you lost.
Keep in
mind that partial dentures are not so comfortable and the metal hooks can be
seen.
In
addition, in both case, upper or lower partial denture you will have a piece of
metal (cobalt) that goes under your tongue (lingual) or across the palate (palatal).
Just adding
a few money you can get a more comfortable dental prosthesis called flexible partial denture that doesn’t have any visible part.
The flexible dentures advantages are a lot: first of all they are not so hard
therefore you don’t have to worry because of gum sores; second your aesthetics
will improve a lot. Flexible denture or nylon denture doesn’t have any metal
hooks that go around your natural teeth. Last but not least, the false gingiva
is more customizable in color and shape.
How should I take care of my dentures ?
The most
important thing is to put the denture in a safe place when it is not in your
mouth (for example when you go to sleep). It is not recommended to leave your
fake teeth onto the bedside table because it can lose its shape due to the lack
of humidity. The best place to store the denture is within a proper box wrapped
in a damp towel.
Conclusion
Dentures are
the most cheap solution to replace a few or all your missing teeth and you
should visit a dental office as soon as possible in order to start the
treatment immediately, keep in mind that without teeth it is impossible to eat
properly so your overall health will suffer because of the lack of vitamins and
mineral coming from food you cannot chew.
