Dentures consist of optimal artificial teeth attached to a plastic gum base to replace damaged or missing teeth. You may need just a partial denture to attend to a few scattered missing teeth, however, if you are missing a substantial number of teeth, a full denture may be necessary to keep your oral health intact.
How Do You Know When?
If you have multiple missing teeth, you may be in the market for dentures. One missing tooth is easy to replace but with several missing teeth, you will likely need to discuss the possibility of a partial or full denture to support your remaining teeth as well as the integrity of your mouth structure. Other reasons to ask your dentist include the following:
• Painful chewing
• Chronic gum disease
• Multiple loose teeth
• Damaged or unsightly teeth that deter you from smiling
Are Dentures Hard to Get Used to?
Once you have determined the best type of denture for you and have received your custom dentures, it can take weeks to adjust to wearing them. The lower mouth takes longer because of its active muscles that are not only working to eat but working to hold the denture in a natural position. But you will adapt with time. There are things you can do and avoid to make this process more manageable including:
• Remove dentures at night to avoid irritation to gums from overuse
• For easy chewing, cut your food into smaller pieces
• Chew on both sides of your mouth, equally
• Avoid gum, sticky, and hard-to-chew foods or candy
Advantages of Dentures?
The advantage of dentures is support for your smile! Stable structures help maintain cheek and lip muscles which avoid sagging that can be caused by lacking teeth and thereby structure supports. There are other methods for restoring your teeth such as dental implants or bridges, but dentures are the most cost-effective and typically an insurance-covered option.
Evaluation with your dentist is the next step if you think you’re a candidate for a denture procedure. If you do not have insurance or your insurance does not cover dentures, you may want to consider looking into a low-cost or payment-planned denture center.