Dentures

People lose their teeth to innumerable factors like decay, damage, periodontal disease, dental trauma, advancing age, and more. Tooth loss is inevitable but replacing missing on time is crucial for one's oral and overall health. You need to replace missing teeth because of the following reasons:

• Tooth loss leaves gaps in the smile, which hampers the aesthetic appeal of the facial structure and negatively impacts one's self-esteem and confidence.
•  Teeth are in contact with the opposing teeth present either above or below them. When you lose a tooth, the contact for the opposing tooth is lost. Restoring the lost contact is important to prevent the opposing teeth from becoming loose and extruding out.
• Tooth loss leaves gaps and the adjacent teeth start shifting and tilting into the gap. Shifting of teeth causes malocclusion and other orthodontic issues.
• Tooth loss produces tender and sensitive areas in the mouth that are painful to brush and floss. Shifting and tilting teeth also tend to create hard-to-access vulnerable regions that are not easy to clean and maintain. Plaque and bacteria accumulate in these regions and lead to gum diseases.
• Missing teeth affect a person's chewing ability and lead to malnutrition.
• People suffering from tooth loss tend to suffer from constant lisp and mispronounce words.
• Once a person loses his natural teeth, the facial contour loses its support and starts to droop. As a result, a person suffering from tooth loss starts looking old and loses his youthful appearance.

A denture is a removable prosthetic device, professionally designed to replace one or more missing teeth on the upper or the lower dental arch. It consists of artificial teeth attached to a gum-colored base. The base fits snugly over the soft gum tissues, while the artificial teeth act as a replacement for the missing teeth.

Dentures are custom-designed for each patient using the impressions of their mouth and are fabricated in a dental lab using state of the art technology.

What are the different types of dentures?

There are four different kinds of dentures and your dentist will recommend the most suitable

option for you depending on your unique requirements.

1. Conventional full dentures

Conventional full dentures are used when all the teeth are missing on either one or both dental arches. They consist of a gum-colored base which acts as a foundation for artificial teeth. The upper denture is designed to fit in the roof of the mouth, while the lower denture is 'U' shaped and accommodates the tongue.

Conventional full dentures are placed in the mouth after 4-6 months of tooth extraction, once the gum tissues have healed.

2. Immediate full dentures

Like conventional full dentures, immediate full dentures are also used when all the teeth are missing on either one or both dental arches. The only difference being, immediate full dentures are placed in the mouth immediately after tooth extraction.

The patient does not have to live without teeth even for a single day.

3. Partial dentures

Partial dentures are used to replace one or more missing teeth on either one or both dental arches. They consist of artificial teeth attached to a gum-colored base and are held in place with a metal framework. Partial dentures are like dental bridges. They close the gaps left by missing teeth and prevent the adjacent teeth from shifting or drifting from their position.

4. Implant supported dentures

Implant supported dentures replace teeth on the entire dental arch using dental implants. Dental implants or titanium posts are surgically positioned in the jaw to act as artificial roots and an overdenture is connected to the implants via abutments. They are not removable in nature.

At Murray Dental Care of Cupertino, our entire team of dentists and hygienists is committed to providing supreme quality dental care to our patients and their families. If you are inclined towards taking the first steps to improve your dental health and hygiene, call us at (408) 253-5277 to book an appointment.