Dentistry News and Blog
Dentures or false teeth are prosthetic devices constructed to replace missing teeth, and which are supported by surrounding soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. Conventional dentures are removable, however there are many different denture designs, some which rely on bonding or clasping onto teeth or dental implants. There are two main categories of dentures, depending on whether they are used to replace missing teeth on the mandibular arch or the maxillary arch.
Patients can become entirely helpless with teeth for many reasons, the main reason is removal because of dental disease typically relating to oral flora control, periodontal disease and tooth decay. Other reasons include tooth developmental defects caused by severe malnutirition, or genetic defects.
There are ways that dentures can help patients. Dentures can help patients through:
- Mastication as chewing ability is improved by replacing edentulous areas with denture teeth.
- the improvement of pronunciation
- improving self-esteem
Complete dentures can be either "conventional" or "immediate." Some can get a conventional denture in their mouth after the teeth have been removed and the gum tissue has begun to heal, a conventional denture is ready for placement in the mouth about eight to 12 weeks after the teeth have been removed.
With immediate dentures, they are made in advance and can be positioned as soon as the teeth are removed. As a result, the wearer does not have to be without teeth during the healing period. Bones and gums shrink within time, especially during the healing period following tooth removal. The difference of immediate dentures compared with conventional dentures is that they require more adjustments to fit properly during the healing process and generally should only be considered a temporary solution until conventional dentures can be made.
With a removable partial denture, it consists of replacement teeth attached to a pink or gum-colored plastic base, which is connected by metal framework that holds the denture in place in the mouth. Partial dentures are used when one or more natural teeth remain in the upper or lower jaw. A fixed (permanent) bridge replaces one or more teeth by placing crowns on the teeth on either side of the space and attaching artificial teeth to them. This "bridge" is then cemented into place. Not only does a partial denture fill in the spaces created by missing teeth, it prevents other teeth from changing position. A care partial denture is removable and has internal attachments rather than clasps that attach to the adjacent crowns. This is a more natural-looking appliance.
Development of Dentures
The development of dentures does take a number of steps. The denture development process takes about three to six weeks and several appointments. Once your dentist or prosthodontist determines what type of appliance is best for you, the general steps are to:
- Make a series of impressions of your jaw and take measurements of how your jaws relate to one another and how much space is between them.
- Create models, wax forms, or plastic patterns in the exact shape and position of the denture to be made. You will "try in" this model several times and the denture will be assessed for color, shape, and fit before the final denture is cast.
- Adjustments will be made as necessary
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