When all or most of the teeth are lost, a dental restoration becomes necessary in order to stay healthy. Dentures are restorations that are developed to re-establish the basic functionality of natural teeth. A denture has an acrylic base that replicates gums over which porcelain crowns are attached. The restoration can be supported by gums of the patient or by dental implants. Dr. Kaplan performs a thorough oral check up and recommends the best treatment option for you based on the status of your oral health. We offer a range of dental restorations at our Hamden office to help bring back healthy smiles in our patients. Our restorations have helped us build long-lasting relationships with patients who visit us from Hamden, North Haven, Cheshire, Wallingford CT and surrounding communities.
Teeth loss and oral health
Teeth are an essential part of a healthy oral cavity. When teeth are not in good shape, the oral health gets affected. Teeth loss can occur due to various causes that include gum diseases, decay, trauma and genetic factors. The condition is medically termed as edentulism. Complete edentulism can have the following ill-effects on oral and overall health.
- Speech may become unclear
- Facial skin starts to sag because of lack of support
- Chewing efficiency reduces tremendously
- Changes in intake of nutritious food
- Increased risk of heart problems, kidney problems and diabetes
Dentures – Types and restoration process in Hamden CT
There are different types of dentures available based on the necessities of the patient. The restoration can be supported by gums of the patient or by dental implants which are placed in the jawbone. Implant-supported dentures are highly stable and comfortable to wear when compared to the ones that are supported by gums. The restoration requires healthy jawbone to support the implant.
Dr. Kaplan performs a thorough oral evaluation and recommends the right type of denture for the patient. If the supporting bone has enough volume to hold the implants, an implant retained denture may be a better option. The restoration process, in this case, involves placement of the implant, healing period, fabrication of denture and finally fixing the denture in place. About 2-4 dental implants are placed in position strategically such that they can bear the biting load. The implants are left to heal for few months after the surgery. A temporary denture is fabricated at our office and placed over gums such that there is no load transferred to the implant. Once the implant heals, we take impressions of gums and get the permanent denture fabricated in the lab. We check for fit of the denture and fix it in place through bar or ball mechanism. The denture is removable and should be cleaned by the patient thoroughly in order to avoid gum infection.
Why are dentures important? And explain the benefits of it?
As people grow older and older, teeth loss are the most common problem for older people and they fail to eat and speak properly. In order to prevent this problem, the dentist recommends to wear dentures (partial or complete) for the people who lost all their teeth and experience a high-quality life.
Without dentures life is difficult to eat and speak, so dentures are considered as most important teeth replacement in case of severe teeth loss. It looks similar to natural teeth and needs proper maintenance to stay orally healthy.
Benefits of wearing dentures:
- Improves chewing and bite functionality
- Increase voice capability and pronunciation
- Improves facial structure
- Easy to remove and clean
- Improves appearance of smile
Who requires the dentures most?
The major candidates of dentures are older people and the people who lost more than 2 teeth’s. It depends on the candidate what types of dentures are required (partial or complete dentures). The purpose of the dentures is used to replace all missing teeth and restore candidate smile.
Dentures are implemented for severe tooth loss patients because of periodontal gum disease, dental decay, injury and much more who are suffering from other dental related diseases. So, the dentist recommends the use of dentures for the patient without affecting their facial structure.
What are the 2 types of dentures available?
Partial Dentures – Partial dentures are used when the patient lost more than 2 teeth’s at the same place of the jawbone. They match with same teeth and gum color to perfectly fit into the teeth structure either upper or lower jaw. The partial dentures are convenient to remove and clean properly as recommended by the dentist.
Complete Dentures – Complete dentures are used when the patient loses all their tooth either upper or low jawbone. The dentist follows special treatment procedure to know require the size of dentures that fit into patient mouth comfortably. The complete dentures can be easily removed as similar to partial dentures and clean it thoroughly without damaging the dentures.
Always take necessary steps and follow the dentist suggestions on how to take care partial or complete dentures.
When to replace new dentures?
To replace with new dentures, here are the few suggestions:
- Dentures are loose and uncomfortable to wear
- When dentures are damaged
- Replace every 10 years
- Worn and unsightly dentures
- Problems when chewing food
- Causing wear and tear in your mouth
Wearing dentures every day you can see a slightly different for the first few days and later becomes easy to wear over a time.
Is it possible to have dentures on the same day of tooth extraction?
The answer is YES, it is called immediate dentures. After a tooth is removed, the dentist can put immediate denture on the same day without causing negative effects on oral health issues. In order to get this treatment, talk to our dentist Dr. Kaplan at Cheshire/Wallingford CT, by scheduling an appointment.
How to take care of my dentures?
To take care of your dentures, we recommend to follow these simple steps:
- Do not use any whitening toothpaste to brush the dentures, just follow as prescribed by the dentist
- Gently brush the dentures with a wet soft-bristled toothbrush.
- Rinse your dentures after eating food
- Before sleeping, soak the dentures with the solution recommended by the dentist.
- Schedule regular dental checkups in case of loose fit, replacement, discomfort, broken dentures etc.
If you have any questions about our services, please contact us today at (203) 281-3700.