Dentures Mesquite

Effects of Missing Teeth

Losing teeth can be difficult, not just because of the physical challenges it presents, but also because it can affect your state of mind. When teeth are lost, it can become difficult to chew food properly, leading to dietary restrictions and potential nutritional deficiencies.

Gaps left by missing teeth can also cause the remaining ones to shift, leading to misalignment and bite issues. This can result in jaw pain, headaches, and difficulty cleaning your teeth, increasing the risk of decay and gum disease.

In addition, tooth loss can affect your speech and cause your confidence to crash, making you feel anxious or sad about your appearance. Dentures can address all these issues, giving your smile back so you can live a happier life overall.

What Are the Qualities of a Good Denture Candidate?

At TrueCare Dentistry, our denture process begins with a consultation where Dr. Rana will assess your oral health and look at several factors. These qualities help us decide if you’re a good candidate for dentures, but what are they? Here’s a quick overview of what Dr. Rana is looking for:

• Patients who have lost multiple teeth but still have healthy gums and sufficient jawbone structure to support the appliance.
• Determined patients who keep up with their oral hygiene and are committed to taking care of their dentures.
• Patients who need a tooth-loss solution that is both convenient and budget-friendly.

Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options

While dentures are an excellent option for many, there are other tooth-replacement alternatives you might want to consider:

• Dental implants are a popular choice for those seeking a permanent solution. They involve surgically placing a titanium post into the jawbone, which acts as a root for a replacement tooth. Implants offer superior stability and can last a lifetime with proper care!
• Dental bridges are another alternative, great for patients missing one or a few teeth in a row. These prosthetics are anchored to adjacent healthy teeth and provide a natural-looking result.

Each option has its benefits, and Dr. Rana can help you choose the best one based on your specific needs and preferences. So, if you have tooth loss, don’t hesitate. Reach out to us today to schedule your consultation and take your first step to a brand-new smile!

Partial Dentures

Partial dentures work to replace multiple teeth at a time, typically when a dental bridge is not enough. For example, they can replace several consecutive teeth on opposite sides of the mouth. Instead of being held in place through natural suction, this denture is built with metal hooks that wrap around other teeth.

Full Dentures

Complete dentures work to replace an entire arch simultaneously. They typically use a gum-colored base, while partial dentures use one made from metal.

Implant Dentures

Implant dentures take tooth replacement another step further. These dentures are customized to fit on top of implants placed inside the jawbone. They are ideal for creating a more stable foundation, making basic tasks even easier than before.

What Are Dentures Made Of?

Dentures have two main parts: the base and the teeth.

• The base of dentures is usually made out of a pink-colored acrylic. Acrylic is durable and can be custom-crafted to fit a patient’s unique gum shape. For some partial dentures, small metal clips are attached to the acrylic base to help the prosthetic stay in place. In rare cases, nylon or other materials are used instead of acrylic.
• The teeth of dentures are usually constructed of acrylic or porcelain. Porcelain is more common for patients who need a full set of top and bottom dentures. However, if you still have some of your natural teeth left, you may get acrylic teeth because they tend to cause less damage when they come into contact with natural tooth enamel.

The Denture Creation Process

The denture creation process can vary slightly from case to case, but it usually goes something like this:

• Our team will take a detailed impression of your remaining teeth and gums. We may also take some measurements of your jaw.
• We will send the impression to a dental laboratory. The laboratory will use the impression of your teeth to create a wax version of your gumline. A mechanical device called an articular will then attach artificial teeth to the wax model.
• We will make sure your dentures fit. The lab may send us the wax model so we can verify that it fits you. We will send notes about any necessary adjustments so the lab can finish making your prosthetic.
• You will enjoy your new teeth. Once your dentures are ready, we will check their fit one last time before we send you off so you can start adjusting to your restored smile.

Adjusting to Your New Dentures

It can take a few weeks to adjust to a new denture. In the meantime, your gums might feel a bit sore, and you may notice a slight lisp when you speak. Such issues should go away as you get used to using your prosthetic. Eating soft foods, practicing your speech, and other simple measures may speed up the adjustment process.

If you experience any prolonged discomfort or other causes for concern, give us a call. We will do all we can to assist you.

Psychological Benefits

Tooth loss can be pretty hard to accept. When you’ve lived much of your life with a full smile, lacking one is unnerving. The scenario thus tends to diminish your self-esteem and body image. From there, you can quickly feel anxious or sullen in social settings. You might even feel profoundly sad or depressed.

Thankfully, dentures let you avoid these emotions. Their ability to restore your smile inspires self-confidence and a lighter mood. You’ll then be more at ease among friends and family, calm about your looks, speech, eating ability, and more.

Clearer Enunciation

If you’re missing teeth, speaking isn’t easy. Each tooth in your mouth positions your lips and tongue for speech. As such, even lacking a few will make words hard to pronounce. There’s also a good chance you’ll develop a speech impediment.

Luckily, you can trust dentures to act as substitute teeth. They’ll support your tongue and lips for speech. That said, do note that you must adjust to them first. It takes practice to speak with dentures naturally.

Improves Nutrition

As you might know, it’s tricky to eat meals without all your teeth. A full set of pearly whites lets you chew even the toughest products. Consequently, missing any can lead to restrictions in your diet. You might feel the need to exclude foods with tough textures. Should that happen, though, you’ll likely suffer malnutrition or indigestion.

All that said, dentures can (and do) prevent these outcomes. Their artificial teeth chew food about as well as natural ones. Given that fact, prosthetics will widen your dietary choices to ensure your nutritional health.

Preserves Oral Health

Aside from worsening your looks, tooth loss also harms your oral health. It causes smile gaps that let harmful bacteria breed. Worse yet, these spaces tug on your surrounding teeth. This pulling process can then tilt your pearly whites until they fall out.

Of course, dentures will protect oral health by “filling in” the gaps. This action keeps nasty germs from growing freely. Simultaneously, closing the spaces stops your teeth from tilting.

Expands Opportunities

To make a good first impression, you need a pretty smile. It’s a simple fact of life – people notice your grin before your other features. Therefore, gleaming teeth will strengthen your bonds and opportunities with friends, family, and acquaintances.

As it happens, you can count on dentures for a gorgeous grin. The prosthetics use acrylic to look lifelike and blend seamlessly. In doing so, they’ll expand your opportunities with various peers. They might even help you land a promotion or raise at work!

 

Remove After Eating

Always remove and rinse your dentures after finishing a meal to prevent the accumulation of plaque and bacteria-breeding food debris. Take care to never use hot water, as the heat can warp your dentures, potentially diminishing their appearance and ruining the way they fit.

 

Clean Your Restoration

When you clean your dentures, remove them and gently brush them with a soft-bristled brush and a little bit of mild dish soap, unscented hand soap, or an approved denture cleanser. Traditional toothpaste is too abrasive for dentures, so take care to use gel toothpaste that can polish your artificial teeth without leaving unsightly scratches. If you’re not putting your dentures back in immediately, place them in a vessel of water or a suitable denture-cleansing solution to prevent them from drying out and warping. After soaking your dentures, always rinse them off before wearing them to prevent any cleaning materials from entering your mouth.

 

Keep Your Dentures Safe

When you take your dentures out for cleaning, fill your sink with lukewarm water and cover your countertop with folded towels to create a cushion in case you drop your appliance. It’s also important to keep your dentures out of the reach of pets and small children at all times.

 

Remove Dentures When You Sleep

Since wearing dentures restricts blood flow to your gums, you must remove them for at least eight hours every day so your mouth can rest and cleanse itself. Most people do this before going to bed and put their dentures back in the morning. Wearing dentures continuously can lead to soft tissue irritation, gum disease, and accelerate bone loss in the jaw, and this habit is also associated with higher amounts of gum and tongue plaque and a higher risk of pneumonia. Always soak your dentures in water or an approved soaking solution when you remove them for the night to prevent them from drying out and warping.

 

Notice Changes

Pay attention to how your dentures look and feel so you can notice changes and report them to Dr. Rana. It’s also important to be on the lookout for signs of oral infection like sores and gum inflammation. Never try to repair damaged dentures on your own, as you may only damage them further. Instead, give our office a call to schedule an appointment. If your dentures are showing signs of fitting poorly such as shifting or clicking, let us know, as it may need adjustment or replacement.

Factors that Affect the Cost of Dentures

Three main factors contribute to the overall cost of your treatment.

• The preparation before the denture can be worn will add to the cost. For example, if you need gum disease therapy or a tooth extraction ahead of time, these will contribute to the overall price.
• The materials used for the base and replacement teeth influence the price. The base is generally made from acrylic, while replacement teeth can be made from acrylic or porcelain.
• The number of teeth that you need to have replaced.

Cheaper doesn’t necessarily mean better when it comes to tooth replacement. Budget dentures are much more likely to become damaged and require frequent repairs and replacements. If you’re looking for optimal function and appearance, investing in quality dentures is a must.

Are Implant Dentures More Expensive?

Yes, implant dentures do tend to cost more than traditional dentures. Instead of being supported by the function and shape of gum tissue, implant dentures are held in place by a series of dental implants that are put directly into the jawbone. This allows for many additional benefits, including a more lifelike appearance and additional stability. You don’t need to worry about having your dentures replaced every 5 to 7 years either, as they are made to be long-lasting.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dentures?

Most dental insurance plans will provide some level of coverage when it comes to dentures – usually up to 50%. However, this will vary depending on the plan that you have. At TrueCare Dentistry, we are in-network with a long list of plans from many of the most popular providers. Our friendly team knows how to get the most out of your benefits!

Other Options for Making Dentures Affordable

If you don’t have dental insurance, this doesn’t mean that you are completely out of luck. Talk to our skilled team so we can look at all of your options for making the cost of dentures fit into your budget. We’re here to help make getting dental care as easy and stress-free as possible.

To learn more about how much you can expect dentures to cost, schedule an initial consultation with us. We’re eager to help you get your smile back!