Dentures – Denver, CO

Effects of Missing Teeth

Before moving forward, it’s helpful to review tooth loss’ causes and effects. Keeping these factors in mind shows how dentures can protect oral health.

Overall, people can lose teeth for many reasons. A patient’s tooth may decay so much that it falls out or needs extraction. On the other hand, their gum disease could wear down the bone and tissue that secure their pearly whites. It’s also possible for teeth to be knocked out by an accident or injury.

In contrast, the effects of tooth loss are consistent yet severe. One of its major consequences is to make everyday tasks – eating, speaking, smiling, etc. – much harder. Another, meanwhile, is that its untreated smile gaps slowly erode your jaw. (Left unchecked, this process could trigger a facial collapse.) Those spaces can also cause your remaining teeth to tilt and fall out.

What Qualifies You for Dentures?

In addition to tooth loss, several factors affect whether a patient qualifies for dentures.

One such element is general oral health. After all, dentures only work if your gum and jaw tissues are sufficiently healthy. (The prosthetics lack support otherwise.) Furthermore, dentures can be a suitable way to replace decayed or sensitive teeth.

The number of teeth missing is also worth noting. Based on how many are lost, a patient will need one of two possible denture models. The first is a partial type that only replaces a few teeth. A full denture, though, is used when replacing all pearly whites along an arch.

You’d also be wise to consider finances in your treatment. You see, dentures actually cost less than other restorations. Consequently, they’re ideal tooth replacements for patients on small budgets.

Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options

Even if you’re not a good dentures candidate, you can explore our office’s other tooth-replacement options. These generally are:

• Dental Bridges – Being a fixed restoration, a dental bridge is a set of dental crowns fused to a pontic. It thus clasps onto nearby teeth to support itself and stay in place.
• Dental Implants – Dental implants are replacement teeth that fuse with your jawbone. Doing so makes them permanent parts of your jaw and don’t slip or fall. In exchange for such high-quality features, though, implants are more expensive than other restorations.

Learn More About Dental Bridges

Learn More About Dental Implants

What Are Dentures Made Of?

Dentures are comprised of two main parts – the denture base and the replacement teeth. Here’s a closer look at what each one consists of:

• Denture Base: This is the foundational structure that gives the artificial teeth support. This can be made from various materials, including acrylic, nylon, porcelain, resin, and metal. Full dentures are usually made from acrylic because they can be easily tailored to match the natural gum tissue.
• Replacement Teeth: The replacement teeth are often made from resin or porcelain. Both of these materials have an appearance that closely resembles natural tooth enamel. For full dentures, porcelain is most popular thanks to its durability.

The Denture Creation Process

1. Your dentist will take impressions of your upper and lower gums. This will be used to create a plaster model that acts as a replica of your mouth. This model will be used to ensure that your final denture fits perfectly. During this time, measurements of your jaw will also be taken.
2. The model will be sent to the dental laboratory where your dentures will be crafted. The technicians will make a wax version of the gumline.
3. Replacement teeth are set into place. A mechanical device known as an articulator will be used to attach the teeth to the wax. Then, the technician will make minor adjustments by shaping and carving the wax to ensure that it looks like your gums. This wax base will be used for your finished dentures.
4. The wax dentures are sent to the dentist for a fitting. If they are approved, they are sent back to the laboratory to complete the process.
5. Once they are back at the dental lab, the technician will boil the dentures to melt away the wax portions. To do this, the dentures are placed in a flask. Then, the flask is filled with plaster to maintain the shape of the dentures. The whole flask is placed into hot water to melt the wax.
6. Next, holes are made in the teeth, so the material attaches to them. A liquid separator is added to the plaster layer to prevent the acrylic from sticking to them. Acrylic is then injected into the flask to take the place of the wax.
7. The plaster is carefully removed using special lab tools to reveal the denture. The acrylic dentures are placed in an ultrasonic bath to remove any remaining plaster.
8. Any excess acrylic is cut away from the denture. After trimming, the denture will be polished.
9. Now that it’s ready, the patient will return to the office for a fitting. Adjustments will be made as needed to ensure that everything feels and looks as it should.

Adjusting to Your New Dentures

If your dentures feel strange or uncomfortable at first, don’t worry. This is perfectly normal. Initially, many patients experience mild soreness and difficulty chewing and speaking. With a little bit of time, your mouth will adjust to the dentures, and they will feel very similar to your natural teeth. You can speed up this adjustment process by sticking to soft foods, exercising your facial muscles, and experimenting with a denture adhesive. If the discomfort persists, give us a call so we can help.

Psychological Benefits

Tooth loss can be a difficult reality to accept. Many people who have lost most of or all of their teeth experience negative effects on their self-esteem, resulting in higher levels of sadness and depression. When you restore your smile with dentures, you can improve how you feel and how you look. This will reduce anxieties about your appearance, speech, chewing ability, and more!

Clearer Enunciation

Producing certain sounds and saying different words can be a challenge when you have gaps in your smile. To enunciate your words properly, your lips and tongue need to be positioned properly. When you are missing teeth, your tongue isn’t in the ideal position, making it challenging to say certain words. Since dentures act like missing teeth, they allow you to speak more clearly.

Improved Nutrition

Lots of nutrient-dense foods are tough in texture, like proteins, fruits, and vegetables. If you can’t chew your food properly, your eating habits may be negatively affected. Dentures make it easier to bite and chew healthy foods, allowing you to enjoy a nutritious diet and promote your overall health.

Preserves oral Health

If you still have healthy natural teeth, dentures can help to keep them in ideal shape. By filling in these gaps with a partial denture, you can keep your teeth secure in place. Dentures also help to support a lot of the weight of regular chewing, reducing wear and tear of the natural teeth over time.

Expanded Opportunities

When you attend interviews, negotiate sales, attend social events, making an excellent first impression is key! Your smile is one of the first things that people notice about you, so having one that appears healthy does nothing but help. Studies have shown that the possibility of being employed is negatively associated with poor oral health.

Factors that Affect the Cost of Dentures

Here are a few main factors that will contribute to the cost of your dentures:

• The preparatory work that you need before you’re able to get your restoration will contribute to the overall cost. This includes gum disease treatment and tooth extractions.
• The material that is used to create your dentures, like acrylic and porcelain, will affect the cost.
• The number of teeth that you are needing to have replaced has a direct relationship to the cost.

Remember that cheaper dentures don’t mean better dentures. When you opt for budget dentures, you are much more likely to require frequent repairs and replacements. When you invest in a quality restoration, you will notice a difference!

Are Implant Dentures More Expensive?

Implant dentures cost more than traditional dentures, but there is a good reason for it. Instead of being supported by the shape and suction of the gum tissue, implant dentures are held into place by a series of dental implants that are placed into the jawbone via a surgical procedure. This allows for many additional benefits, like being more lifelike and having additional stability. You don’t need to replace them every 5 to 7 years either. Dental implants are made to last for several decades.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dentures?

In the majority of cases, you can expect some level of coverage for dentures. Many insurance plans cover up to 50% of your treatment, but this varies depending on the plan that you have. Our practice is in-network with numerous popular dental insurance providers. If you have any questions regarding your plan and what it covers, give us a call!

Other Options for Making Dentures Affordable

 If you don’t have any dental insurance, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be left completely on your own. We work with CareCredit and Sunbit – third-party financing companies that can split the cost of your treatment into manageable monthly installments. To learn more about your financial options, talk to one of our friendly team members.

To find out exactly how much you can expect your dentures to cost, schedule a consultation with us. We’re eager to help you get your smile back!

Removable Dentures

Removable dentures come in two main types: partial and full. Partial dentures typically don’t require quite as much upkeep as full dentures, since they’re designed to be held in place by your existing teeth. However, this doesn’t mean that full dentures are a lot to handle—there are just a few key maintenance instructions and pointers you’ll want to keep in mind.  

Remove After Eating

You should always remove and rinse your dentures after every meal—this habit is what prevents the buildup of food debris and plaque on the surface of your restoration. Even though your replacement teeth are immune to decay, any remaining teeth aren’t, not to mention, you’re still vulnerable to other oral health issues, such as gum disease. Remember to use cool water to rinse your dentures, since hot water could warp their material and alter the way they fit.

Clean Your Restoration

Aim to clean your dentures twice a day, just the same as you’d clean your natural teeth. You can brush your dentures using a soft-bristled toothbrush and room temperature water. You should also consider picking up a denture-approved cleanser that can be safely used on your restoration. Remember, never use hot water to clean your dentures, and don’t use regular dental hygiene products either, since they can also potentially cause damage.

Keep Your Dentures Safe

Your dentures are an investment in your smile, so you should be sure that you’re treating your restoration with care and respect. Whenever they aren’t inside your mouth, your full dentures should be stored in a glass of room temperature water; this keeps them moist and helps them retain their shape. With partials, a protective case will be provided for you to place them in whenever you need to remove them. Also, take care to keep your restoration away from pets, young children, or any other potential disruptions.

Remove Dentures When You Sleep

Your dentures might be the most comfortable thing you’ve ever worn, but it doesn’t mean that you should wear them to bed! It’s important to remove your restoration before going to sleep, in order to give your gums and facial muscles a break. If you don’t do this, you may begin to notice the development of small oral sores and experience discomfort. It’s also important to note that removing your dentures before bed also provides you with the perfect opportunity to clean them, which you should be doing daily anyway.

Notice Changes

On average, dentures have a lifespan of around 7 to 10 or so years, but this depends heavily on how well you take care of them. In addition to keeping them clean and well-maintained, it’s crucial to keep your eyes peeled for any noticeable changes in how the dentures fit, how they look, or how they function. While you should be doing this yourself on a daily basis, it’s also important to continue attending your biannual dental visits, so that our team can also inspect your dentures and make sure they’re in great condition. If the need does arise, dentures can easily be readjusted, repaired, or replaced!   

Should I Have All My Teeth Pulled to Get Dentures?

Repairing a damaged tooth whenever possible is always preferable to replacing it. Tooth extractions of any kind will only ever be recommended when absolutely necessary, like when a tooth is too damaged to save thanks to extensive decay, severe infection, or trauma that’s broken off most of the enamel. If all of the teeth in an arch are severely decayed or infected with gum disease, replacing them with dentures may be a viable option, but your dentist will always explore all of your options before recommending extractions for dentures.

Can I Sleep with My Dentures?

Dentists will generally recommend that you take your dentures out at night when you go to sleep. However, when you first get your dentures, you will typically be told to keep them in your mouth for 24 hours, including throughout the night. After this, you should be taking them out every evening. Wearing dentures restricts the circulation in your gums, leading to soft-tissue irritation and potentially speeding up ridge resorption. Taking dentures out gives the gums a chance to recover and get the nutrients they need while you sleep.

Will It Hurt to Get Dentures?

If you need to have teeth extracted before getting dentures, you are likely to experience some discomfort after the oral surgery. Take your prescribed pain medication as directed and discomfort should improve after 3 to 5 days. When you first receive new dentures, some minor irritation may occur while your mouth adjusts to the new appliance. The amount of time this lasts will vary from person to person. If discomfort persists, give us a call so we can help!

Will Dentures Change the Shape of My Face?

When you lose your teeth, your facial muscles begin to sag, and that can give your face a sunken appearance. Ill-fitting dentures will provide support to the facial muscles that have collapsed, therefore improving your appearance. Ill-fitting dentures may not give your face the proper support it needs so it’s important to design each restoration so that it fits perfectly in your mouth. You should also have your dentures refitted or replaced as soon as you realized they don’t fit properly.