Dentures are appliances that replace the missing teeth and are removable. They help in the restoration of your smile. The latest dentures look like natural teeth and are comfortable to wear. If you have lost your teeth due to tooth decay, gum diseases, or injury, they can be replaced by dentures. It becomes effortless to eat your food and also speak better. The loss of teeth can make your facial muscles sag, and your face looks older in the process. There are two main denture types: full and partial dentures. The dentist will help decide the type of dentures that will suit you the best, and it is also based on the number of teeth that need to be replaced.
What are the different types of dentures?
- Complete Dentures:They are also called full dentures and are replacements for a person’s entire set of teeth. They are removable and are customized according to a patient’s needs. It helps to restore the shape and natural look of the teeth. These dentures will enable you to crush, grind and eat food normally, though the force will not be the same as natural teeth.
- Fixed Partial Dentures:They are also called implant-supported bridges, which make use of the existing teeth as abutments, which are the surrounding teeth, and give support for the denture. Fixed partial dentures help replace some missing teeth in a row with two dental implants. These dentures are not removable and are permanent fixtures in the mouth. This denture type is stronger than the removable false teeth and gives a consistent tooth positioning and better bite. It also protects the oral structure of the mouth.
- Removable Partial Dentures:They help replace only some missing teeth with a gum-colored plastic base. They are removable and can be replaced easily. These dentures are built onto a cast metal framework for strength. The look, feel, and function of the teeth are restored with these dentures. There are two kinds of removable partial dentures available.
- Cast Partial Dentures:They are made of tissue-colored acrylics, and the cast is held in a metal framework. This type of denture is possible when one or more natural teeth remain in the lower or upper jaw.
- Acrylic Partial Dentures:They are also known as flippers and are made of acrylic resin. They come with or without clasps of wrought wire and are temporary.
- Implant –Retained Dentures:They are also known as over-dentures and are not attached permanently to dental implants. They snap into place and clasp onto the abutments. They have to be removed before going to bed and cleaned.
- Immediate Dentures: This type of denture can be used directly after the natural teeth have been extracted. This gives the extracted site and jawbones enough time to heal.
What is the process of making the Dentures?
The process of making the dentures takes a few weeks and several appointments with the dentist. After deciding what type of dentures suits you the best, a series of impressions are taken of your jaw. Measurements of your jaw are taken to see how the jaws relate to one another and how much space is between them. Models are created in the exact shape and position of the denture to be made. This model is tried on the patient several times, and it is evaluated for the shape, color, and fit before the denture is cast. The final denture is cast after the necessary adjustments are made.
