Dental Prosthetists are Dental Technicians who have studied further to be able to complete more tasks, such as having direct contact with patients and taking impressions from patients’ mouths. Both professionals are involved in the construction and maintenance of prosthetic appliances, but only prosthetists work directly with patients.
Dental Prosthetists have a Bachelor’s Degree of Oral Health in Dental Prosthetics or an Advanced Diploma in Dental Prosthetics. They don’t need referral from a dentist to provide dentures and sports mouthguard to the public. They carry out multiple tasks, such as evaluating patient condition, designing dentures, constructing and fitting them, as well as repairing this type of appliances.
In order to ensure a removable prosthetic service to replace and protect natural teeth, Dental Prosthetists complete diagnosis, prevention, and fabrication tasks.
Dentures have both functional and cosmetic uses. If you can’t chew properly, you can develop digestion problems later and feel debilitated.
Your smile is just as important for your well-being. When you display a beautiful smile, you have better self-confidence and make a good impression on everyone. A set of quality dentures will improve your physical appearance and self-esteem.
No denture can be used forever. This is because mouth and gums change their shape, while dentures do not. In time, they don’t fit well anymore and incorrect maintenance can also affect functionality. This is why you’ll need to regularly have your dentures inspected.
This depends on each person and their particular condition. On the one hand, having continuous pressure on the denture can cause wear and tear, especially when you grind your teeth at night. On the other hand, it’s better to keep them on if you experience discomfort in your facial muscles – over-closing your jaws can cause this problem.
Natural teeth and dentures need to be cleaned after every meal, but in a different manner. While natural teeth do very well with toothpaste, a different treatment is recommended for dentures – using a soft toothbrush and bath or liquid soap. Don’t forget to rinse carefully after cleaning. Avoid vigorous brushing as this will wear the base. The different care regimen is needed because artificial teeth are made from polished plastics, which give dentures different properties from natural teeth.
Cleaning is simple, but you need to pay attention to your dentures if you want to avoid breaking them. Even though they can support chewing forces, you should never bend them as they can snap. Dentures are more fragile than you expect and many of them get broken during cleaning. Don’t clean your dentures in the shower and place some water or a cloth in the sink while cleaning them to form a cushion in case of a fall.
It takes some time to get used to anything, including your first denture. In the beginning, it can feel bulky in your mouth and you’ll have to learn new chewing techniques. You’ll need patience to get over difficulties and get used to your new denture.