When you think of dentures, if you’re picturing the sometimes frightening contraptions that you recall floating in your grandmother’s water glass, you are in for a nice surprise. Dentures no longer are the painful, bulky, ill-fitting appliances that you might envision. They offer many benefits that will help you regain your smile.
Dentures are removable appliances that are professionally fitted to your mouth to restore your smile when some or all of your teeth are absent. Available in a variety of advanced materials like porcelain, plastic or acrylic, dentures look so much like real teeth that your friends may not even realize they aren’t your natural pearly whites.
You may be a candidate for partial or full dentures depending on how many teeth are missing in your mouth. When some of your real teeth remain in good health, partial dentures stand in for the missing ones and prevent the shifting of your natural teeth. Full dentures are suitable for those who have already lost all of their teeth or need to have them all removed.
To fit your dentures, your dentist will create a wax bite after taking an impression of your upper and lower jaw. This allows an exact model to be made for your mouth that you can try on for fit, shape, and color. Adjustments are done at this stage before the final dentures are completed.
Any side effects like awkward chewing and talking will disappear as you wear the appliance. Eating soft food at first helps. You may produce more saliva than usual and experience minor gum irritation, but those will dissipate. Any pain from your dentures is cause to visit your dentist.
Your appliance requires care and attention so that you don’t break or lose the dentures. Always clean them over a soft cloth so that they aren’t chipped or cracked if you drop them, and use warm water. Use a soft toothbrush or denture brush to remove food debris, and always clean them before replacing them in your mouth. If you remove your dentures overnight, store them in water or a denture solution to maintain their condition.
Dentures are a great solution for restoring smiles. Ask your dentist about how they can benefit you today.
