Quality, well-fitting custom dentures can restore the ability to smile and eat as one did before tooth loss. During the customization process, the dentist works with the patient to choose the best tooth size, color, and shape for the dentures. Additionally, they will help the patient to find the right type of dentures for their needs. This process is part of getting a new smile that both restores the ability to eat foods and looks natural.
In the Charlotte area, come see us at Cedar Walk Family and Cosmetic Dentistry for custom dentures South Charlotte, NC.
Dentures Restore Smiles
Missing several teeth causes serious complications, including pain when eating, a limited diet, inability to speak clearly, and embarrassment in public. Dentures restore smiles and the ability to eat healthy foods. The better fitting the dentures, the more like natural teeth they feel.
Dentures replace missing teeth. Plus, when a patient gets custom dentures, they immediately notice an improvement in appearance. Another unrecognized benefit of dentures is how they restore the shape of the mouth by supporting the lips and cheeks. This change can make someone with sagging cheeks and lips caused by missing teeth look younger by filling out the face with the support of dentures.
Custom-created dentures have the best fit because the dentist creates them based on the patient's oral anatomy. With dentures, a patient can have a removable set or a permanent set of dentures affixed to dental implants.
Types of Dentures
Dentures come in varying types depending on how they fit into the patient's mouth and when the individual can start to wear them. To minimize the time spent after extractions without teeth, dentists may offer their patients one of the following types of dentures.
Immediate Dentures
Immediate dentures provide patients with a temporary solution as they await the creation of their custom dentures. This type of denture covers the gums, facilitating healing after extraction and allowing the patient to continue to eat as they away conventional dentures to arrive from a lab.
Conventional Dentures
Conventional dentures may require sending customization parameters to a lab for creation. This requires a little time, usually eight to 12 weeks, during which the patient's gums need to heal, and they may need to wear immediate dentures.
Properly fitting custom dentures should not require anything else to hold them in place. Over time, though, as the body changes and bone erodes around the mouth, even the best-fitting custom dentures will become loose and require replacement. Therefore, patients with dentures still need to keep regularly scheduled dental visits.
All-on-4 Dentures – An Innovation in Denture Technology
At Cedar Walk Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, we excel at helping patients get All-on-4 (AO4) dentures for a fixed alternative to conventional dentures. This type of denture uses four dental implants to secure the upper or lower denture to the gums.
Implants are titanium screws that the dentist places into the jaw to act as roots that hold the AO4 dentures. The bone will naturally grow to hold the screw tightly, ensuring a lifetime of support for the attached dentures.
Since the dentures have an anchor to the gums, patients have a slower loss of bone in the jaw. By reducing bone loss, AO4 dentures preserve the shape of the face and ensure that the dentures continue to fit properly for years without becoming loose.
The AO4 dentures offer patients a cost-effective solution to lost teeth that lasts for years and feels as natural as their teeth.
Upper vs. Lower Dentures
Depending on the condition of the teeth, patients may get upper or lower complete dentures to replace their teeth. Each of these dentures has distinctive features to allow it to fit and perform well when in the mouth.
Both upper and lower dentures typically use acrylic to hold the porcelain or plastic artificial teeth in place. The shape of the upper or lower denture distinguishes it from the other.
Upper dentures have full coverage over the roof of the patient's mouth. The shape and size of the area over the roof of the mouth help to hold the denture in place without needing adhesives.
The lower dentures do not have full coverage. They must have a cut-out area in the center to accommodate the tongue. This gives the lower dentures a horseshoe shape that covers the gums on the lower part of the mouth. Both the precise shape and gravity help to keep lower dentures in place.
Denture Fit
Ideally, conventional dentures don't require adhesives to hold them because they have a customized design to fit and stay in place in the patient's mouth. Implant dentures stay in place by affixing to the implants on the top and bottom.
Both upper and lower dentures have shapes and sizes designed to perfectly fit in the mouth. However, even perfectly made dentures often have a breaking-in period.
As with all types of dental pieces, patients typically need some time to become accustomed to the feeling of wearing dentures. However, they will feel more natural over time as the individual adjusts to eating and speaking with them.
Following up with the dentist after getting dentures ensures that the patient's new set of artificial teeth fits well and will perform as expected for years.
Cedar Walk Family and Cosmetic Dentistry for Finding the Best Dentures and Continuing Care
Patients should always talk to a dentist before deciding on the best type of dentures. The dentist will look at the patient's bone structure, lifestyle, cosmetic needs, and other factors to help the patient to find the right dentures.
At Cedar Walk Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, we tailor each of our services to exactly what our patients need. We also offer support and continuing care for our patients with dentures to ensure that their dentures continue to fit well.
Whether a patient needs extractions and dentures or requires help with improperly fitting dentures, we're here to provide professional, quality, and caring service for them as we do for all our patients. Contact us to schedule a visit for dentures near Charlotte, NC.