A Quick and Simple Method For Restoring Your Smile
Tooth loss is a common problem, affecting over 178 million Americans, that can be a hindrance to your self-esteem and everyday life. You need a complete set of teeth to eat comfortably, speak clearly, and smile with confidence. If you need a quick, simple way to restore your smile, dentures may be an excellent temporary solution.
What Are Dentures?
Dentures are dental restorations that are usually made of acrylic resin or plastic modeled to look like and replace your natural teeth. They’re easily removable and rely on natural suction, clips, or adhesives to remain in your mouth, where they rest comfortably on your gums. Dentures come in two forms: complete dentures which are used to replace entire arches of teeth, and partial dentures, sometimes called bridges, which are designed to replace some of the teeth in an arch.
Benefits of Dentures
Dentures can offer several important benefits to patients with missing teeth, including:
- Easy to use
- Available with optional implants for a more secure fit
- Can completely restore your smile
- Easy to clean
- Allows you to eat with fewer restrictions
- Boosts your self-confidence
- Easy to qualify for
The Denture Process
Consultation
Before receiving dentures, you’ll attend an initial consultation with one of our dentists. During the consultation, your dentist will examine your mouth and review your medical history to assess your level of oral health. They’ll also discuss available sedation dentistry options with you and ask you about your oral health goals. The information they gather will allow them to determine if you’re a candidate for dentures.
Designing Your Dentures
To design your dentures, we’ll take images and impressions of your mouth and any remaining teeth you have. These images and impressions will be sent to an offsite laboratory where technicians will use them as blueprints for creating your new dentures.
The timeline for when you’ll receive either kind of denture restoration depends on a number of factors including whether you opt for immediate dentures that are ordered in advance, or conventional dentures that are made after any necessary extractions take place.
Preparation
To prepare your mouth for your dentures, your dentist may need to extract certain teeth that would interfere with the denture’s placement. In the case of partial dentures, your restoration can be crafted to fit around these teeth, so no extractions should be necessary.
Placing Your Dentures
You’ll return to our Belvidere, IL office to have your dentures placed once the lab has finished crafting them. Your dentures should adhere to your gums fairly easily and without any pain. Your dentists will make sure your dentures fit comfortably and you’ll be able to leave Chapko & Shah Modern Dentistry with your new smile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The cost of your dentures will depend on the materials used, whether you need complete or partial dentures, and whether you opt for immediate or conventional dentures. Your dentist will discuss the costs with you during your initial consultation. We understand that paying for dental care can be an issue for some of our patients. To help make treatment more affordable, we accept most major forms of payment and offer third-party financing through CareCredit and Wells Fargo.
Immediate dentures are available for placement as soon as any necessary extractions are complete, so you don’t have to go without teeth. However, your gums and jawbone are likely to shrink over time without stimulation from your natural teeth’s root system. Your immediate dentures may need multiple adjustments over the healing period, since there’s no way to know for certain what the exact shape of the inside of your mouth will be once healing is complete.
Conventional dentures are made once your gums and jawbone have stopped receding due to tooth loss. While this means that you’ll have to go toothless for a longer period of time, it also means that your conventional dentures are more likely to fit perfectly as soon as you receive them and require much fewer adjustments.
Complete dentures tend to last seven to ten years while partial dentures can last as long as 15 years. While both types of dentures may last longer with proper care, it’s important to attend bi-annual dental exams at Chapko & Shah Modern Dentistry to have them evaluated.
