The process
If you’ve reached a point where your dental professional has explained that dentures are your best option, it’s really good to know
what happens next.
Reading other peoples’ stories and personal experiences can help you really focus on the end results, eating the foods you love, smiling, laughing, speaking with confidence and enjoying
time with family and friends.
Here are the 3 main types of dentures:
1) Complete or full dentures are for those patients
who have lost all of their teeth on either or both of the arches. These take some time to get used to as their adjustment depends on a number of factors like the oral cavity muscles, saliva, bone & tongue.
2)
Removable or partial dentures are used to correct gaps when only few of the teeth are missing. These dentures are fastened to the natural teeth using metal attachments. Partial dentures help in maintaining tooth alignment by preventing the other natural teeth
from shifting out of position.. There are different kinds of removable dentures - Acrylic, cast metal and valplast to name a few.
3) Immediate dentures as the name suggests are placed at once, right after
the patient gets his tooth extraction done. Adjustments are done once the healing process has completed.
Different denture materials:
Valplast
Valplast® is a flexible denture base resin which is ideal for partial dentures
and unilateral restorations. The resin is a biocompatible nylon thermoplastic with unique physical and aesthetic properties. Valplast® allows your patient’s natural tissue tone to appear through the material. These dentures are very robust &
are not prone to breaking. Because this fantastic material is flexible the gum colored ”wings” hook around adjacent teeth holding the denture in the “gap” snuggly & more securely than alternative denture materials such as acrylic. Valplast®
dentures can be religned & also adjacent teeth can be added to an existing denture should this be required.
Acrylic -
This pink plastic denture base is brittle.It is used to make standard full dentures & partial dentures. The largest
single advantage to this type of denture (aside from its comparatively low cost) is that new teeth and new denture base can easily be added to an existing acrylic denture. These are frequently fabricated even if the remaining teeth have existing decay or periodontal
disease and their prognosis is doubtful. If later in the course of treatment existing natural teeth are extracted for any reason, new false teeth can be added quickly to the partial, maintaining the patient’s appearance. In spite of the fact that they
are considered a temporary solution, many people keep this type of appliance for many, many years, because as long as they are properly maintained, they look outwardly as good.
Chrome cobalt with either valplast
or acrylic –
The underlying,
mostly hidden, metal base increases the strength of the denture. These two types of metal can also be made very thin, making the joins from one side of the mouth to the other a lot less bulky.
Taking an impression
of your mouth
In order to start the denture process, your dental professional will take a preliminary impression of your mouth. On subsequent visits, more impressions with finer details will be made. This gives
your dental professional an exact copy of your mouth that he/she can build your new dentures from.
Existing dentures
Did you know dentures should be
replaced every three to five years? The gums and ridges of your mouth change over time. Dentures, on the other hand, stay the same. For that reason wearing the same dentures over the course of years—particularly ill-fitting ones—can cause ridges
to shrink. Unfortunately, some of these changes in the mouth and gums will be irreversible, making it that much more difficult to create dentures that fit well in the future. That’s why it’s important to have an ongoing relationship with a dentist
who can ensure your dentures are properly adjusted—and keeping you healthy.
Care and cleaning
The upkeep and maintenance of dentures is simple.
But it’s important to clean them every single day. Soft tooth brushes should be used, and warm water, not hot, to prevent warping. Specialty cleaning products are also helpful.
Dentures should be cared for
over a partially filled sink or soft towel; this minimizes damage in the event they are accidentally dropped.
Regular dental exams
Once you’ve got your dentures
and they start to become part of your everyday life it’s important to keep visiting your dental professional regularly so you can make sure your oral health is in the best possible shape.
Your dental professional
can also make sure that you’re getting the very best out of your dentures and that they continue to fit you perfectly.