Everything You Need to Know About Dentures (Cost, Types & Risks)

When it comes to teeth replacement, modern dentistry provides treatments that restore function, esthetics, speech, occlusion, and improve oral health. Dentures is one of the most comment and potentially helpful treatments available.

To find out when you may need dentures and what dentures are the best for you, read along for a short guide about anything and everything about dentures.

Why do you need dentures?

If you are suffering from teeth loss, then you may need to consult with your dentist for a denture treatment. There are many reasons why one can experience tooth loss and these include:

Periodontal disease

This is a group of diseases that affect the health of the structures surrounding the tooth, such as the gums, bone, and ligaments (tooth to bone attachments). Neglect of oral health and the accumulation of plaque and calculus can lead to gum disease. If left untreated, gum disease will eventually lead to periodontitis and eventual teeth loss.

Trauma

Trauma to the face and jaw can cause the removal of the tooth from its socket. 

Congenital defects

Some people are born with oral defects. To correct this, they may need to undergo extractions and have the missing teeth replaced with dentures. Others are also born without certain teeth so they will need to ask their dentist on the most effective way to fix their teeth and smile.

Chronic diseases

Some chronic diseases, including diabeties, might cause multiple teeth loss due to bone resorption associated with this condition.

Dental cavities

This is considered as one of the most common causes of tooth loss, especially for patients with high cavities risk and bad oral hygiene. Dental cavities result from rapid demineralization of tooth structures due to bacteria that eats away acid and tooth enamel.

What happens if a missing tooth is not replaced?

Many people postpone getting dentures or other tooth replacement alternatives. This is not advisable for several reasons.

More bone loss

If you have missing teeth, the bone will naturally decrease because there are no teeth to support its height. The tooth root is responsible for keeping the bone healthy but without it, the bone loses its structure.

Older facial profile

With bone loss, your lips will collapse and facial structures will sag as there is fewer bone structures to support its natural contours. As a result, your facial profile will change. This is the reason why patients missing a full set of teeth can look older.

Shifting of teeth

When there are spaces in between teeth, adjacent teeth tend to move towards the gap. This creates unsightly tooth crowding or spacing. This also happens for the teeth right above the space. This is what we call supraeruption, where the teeth emerge out of their socket to fill in the space opposing it.

Psychological factors

People with missing teeth tend to shy away from social situations. The missing spaces can make them smile or talk less. Speech is heavily affected by oral issues and can cause a person to be less confident. These factors can cause a great dent to the person’s self-esteem.

These are some of the main reasons why prosthodontists and dentists recommend dentures.

What are dentures?

Dentures are removable or fixed dental appliances that are used to fill in the spaces caused by tooth loss. They are made from acrylic, metal, or nylon and can be made to replace a single, series, or full set of missing teeth.

Dentures help to improve your facial profile, preserve remaining bone and teeth, restore confidence, and achieve better oral and general health.

What are the types of dentures?

There are several types of dentures that you can choose from. Essentially, the types of dentures depend on the number of missing teeth. There are either complete or partial dentures. Let’s take a quick look at these types.

Complete Dentures

This type of denture is for patients who have a full set of missing teeth on the upper or lower jaw, or both. They consist of two main components:

  • The denture base which is made of pink acrylic resin and functions to replicate the gums and keep the denture in place. The denture base relies on the remaining mouth structures for support so they do not rock when you eat or speak.
  • And the artificial teeth which may be made of plastic or porcelain. The artificial teeth for complete dentures are made to look, feel, and function like natural teeth. They complete and restore your smile, improve chewing and eating, support the lips and muscles for a better facial profile, and help with your speech.

Partial Dentures 

Partial dentures may either be fixed or removable. It is designed to replace one tooth or  multiple missing teeth.

Fixed Partial Dentures

Also called as a dental bridge, fixed partial dentures are recommended for you if you have 1 – 2 adjacent missing teeth. A dental bridge is composed of an abutment and the artificial tooth in between.

Imagine a structural bridge. The abutments are the posts on the opposite ends of the bridge which holds it in place, while the bridge itself is the missing tooth. The abutment holds the dental bridge in place so it remains fixed in your mouth as you eat and speak.

Requirements for a Fixed Partial Denture

  • The abutment should be sound and healthy teeth 

The abutment teeth are prepared so that they can carry a 3- to 4-unit fixed bridge. So, the teeth should be in good condition. No cysts, large fractures, severe decay, or damage to the surrounding teeth structures. 

  • The patient should have low caries risk 

After reducing the abutment teeth, they become more prone to decay, especially if the patient doesn’t follow proper oral hygiene measures. So, you should be aware of how to take care of your bridge.  Do regular brushing and flossing to preserve the health of your abutment teeth and the condition of your fixed bridge.

  • Good bone health 

To do a fixed partial denture, you should have proper density and quality of bone, so that you can preserve your denture, natural teeth, and remaining bone for a long time.

  • A stable bite 

A healthy bite is one of the most important factors before doing fixed partial dentures as bite issues can lead to failure of the fixed bridge in the long run.

Is fixed partial denture suitable for all patients?

Not everyone can have fixed bridge. In general, you should have only 1 – 2 missing teeth, good oral health, stable bite, and low risk for decay. Otherwise, your dentist will recommend an alternative option for you such as the removable partial dentures.

Removable Partial Dentures

As the name itself, removable partial dentures can be conveniently removed and are more flexible when it comes to requirements of use. They are a great treatment if you have:

  • Multiple teeth loss

If you have lost multiple teeth, the success rate of fixed partial dentures reduces, so you should go for removable dentures.

  • Congenital malformations

Many patients might have some congenital malformations which lead to permanent teeth loss, so they become more liable to do removable partial dentures.

  • Bone loss associated with chronic disorders

The degree of bone loss for these patients is more significant. Removable partial dentures may be more suitable for them for easy relining. If a denture change is needed, removable partial dentures are also easily done than fixed partial dentures.

There are also 2 types of partial dentures: Flippers and Nesbits.

What are flipper tooth?

Flippers are removable appliances that are used to replace one or two missing teeth. The denture base of flippers spans across the palate or the lower ridge for maximum support. They are a temporary option that can be used immediately after tooth extraction to prevent the consequences of tooth loss. Flipper tooth are more popularly used for replacement of front teeth.

Benefits of flippers

  • Cost-effective

They are the cheapest treatment option available for patients who have lost a single tooth due to trauma or other causes, so they are less expensive than traditional fixed bridges and dental implants 

  • Easy to wear 

Many patients find flippers easy to wear, and they can be delivered to the patients in just two visits, so the patient can restore his smile faster than other options. 

  • More natural look

Flippers help you restore your smile with a natural look so you don’t have to stay away from people for so long 

  • Stabilization of the neighboring and opposing teeth

Flippers close the gap present between your teeth, thus preventing shifting of neighboring teeth or super-eruption of the opposing ones that could lead to occlusion problems

Disadvantages of flippers 

  • Less Durable 

Flippers are made of the least expensive material so they can crack or break easily. They are considered to be a temporary option for you until you get a dental implant or a fixed bridge 

  • Not too comfortable

Many patients address that they feel uncomfortable while wearing flippers, as they alter most daily activities such as talking, eating, and others. It’s also difficult to eat with flippers, especially if you have lost more than one tooth

  • Prone to allergic reactions 

Some patients might show some allergic reactions when they wear acrylic dentures, so flippers could be not the ideal choice for patients with allergy 

  • Possibility for gum diseases

You should take care of your oral hygiene measurements when you have flippers to prevent any bacterial accumulation over the denture that could lead to recurrent gingival inflammation and soreness

What are nesbit partial dentures?

Nesbits are flexible partial dentures that are used to replace one or two adjacent molar (back) teeth. They are held in place using clasps that wrap around the teeth next to the space. Nesbits are made of a more durable material than flippers and could help you maintain good oral hygiene, fill the space between teeth, and improve function.

But aside from dentures that depend on the number of teeth missing, there are also types of dentures depending on their use.

Immediate Dentures

From the name itself, immediate dentures are placed immediately after getting a tooth or series of teeth removed. This made for temporary use as you wait for your final, more durable and natural-looking dentures.

After extraction, the wound needs to heal. And as it does, the bone will remodel. If you get your final denture done already, it will loosen pretty quickly as the bone undergoes natural changes. When it does, the dentures will not fit properly. But of course, after getting teeth removed, you need to have dentures in place so you can continue speaking and eating. So what can be done?  It is during this transition stage that immediate dentures are very useful.

How are immediate dentures done? Before the day of tooth extraction, your dentist will take your mouth impression and have it sent to the dental laboratory so they can create your immediate dentures. So that, when you get your teeth removed, your dentist can just slot the immediate dentures in and you won’t have to deal with a time without teeth.

Disadvantages of Immediate Dentures

  • Less accurate

Immediate dentures are less accurate than conventional ones as the patient’s jawbone and soft tissues might change in height and width after extraction. So, the patient might find that it does not fit well after some weeks of delivery.

  • Esthetic considerations 

Immediate dentures might not meet the patient’s esthetic expectations as there are no appointments for try-in and shade selection procedures.

  • More adjustments needed 

After extraction, it takes up to 24 months for soft tissues and bone to heal. So, your denture needs to be relined after this period to avoid rocking, slippage, and other problems associated with ill-fitting dentures. 

  • More expensive than traditional dentures 

When you do immediate dentures, you will do regular follow-up visits to check your mouth condition after extraction and if the denture is fitting properly or not. Your dentist also checks if there are any signs of inflammation or soreness. It’s also advisable to do denture relining if you want the immediate denture to be your permanent one!

Overdentures

As the name implies, overdentures are placed over natural tooth roots. It happens when the dentist finds it difficult to extract the remaining root or if the dentist recommends leaving it.

With the root kept in the jawbone, the bone remains supported so you do not have to worry about decrease of the bone. Other studies also find that with keeping the root in place, patients feel as if they still have their teeth in their mouth and this provides great psychological benefits. Tooth roots are also a great post for future dental implant supported dentures.

Implant-supported Dentures

To improve the efficiency of dentures and to achieve improved confidence and comfort with teeth replacement treatments, implant-supported dentures were introduced. This utilizes implant posts strategically placed along the jaw ridge to support a partial or full denture. A variety of options for implant-supported dentures are available including:

Snap-in Dentures

Two to four dental placed are surgically placed on the ridge to screw and fit dentures in place. But, it can be easily removed for cleaning whenever needed.

This treatment option offers better esthetics and stability than traditional dentures. You may find it much easier to eat, talk, and do regular activities with confidence, and then you can simply remove the denture at night to prevent any inflammations or soreness. Many patients say that with the excellent stability of snap-in dentures, they don’t need any denture adhesives or relining even after 1 year of wearing the denture.

Permanent Dentures

It’s the same idea as snap-in dentures but these dentures use more implants to support the dentures. For this type of implant-supported dentures, the prosthodontist uses 4 to 8 dental implants.

The recent trends in permanent dentures:

“All-on-4” option 

This option offers to place four dental implants in each jaw to achieve more support for the denture.

“All-on-6” option

This option offers to place 6 dental implants in each jaw to support the denture, thus proving maximum level of support and stability.

Why implant-supported dentures are not suitable for all patients?

As mentioned, dental implants are inserted in the jawbone by a surgery done under anesthesia. This may not be suitable for patients with many health conditions especially those involving the bone or with wound healing. Other contraindications also include heavy smokers and those with bad oral hygiene as the implants may not readily heal and there is a higher chance for failure of implants or worse, infections.

That’s All!

After discussing all types of dentures, and how they could be good for your oral health, it seems that there is a no-one-size-fits-all option.

The prosthodontist should do proper clinical examinations, assess your clinical situation, and then decide which treatment option is suitable for your case. Many patients might prefer to do removable dentures as they find them more cost-effective, easy to wear, less invasive to the neighboring teeth, require no surgeries before fabrication, and they can maintain optimum occlusion and daily activities. Other patients might find it difficult to stay with removable appliances as they need a permanent treatment option like implants and fixed bridges.

Whatever your preferences are, there is a type of denture for you.

Comprehensive Denture Options With DentKits

At DentKits, we specialize in creating dentures for everyone. But more than that, these dentures are designed for your convenience.

DentKits offers a denture experience started and completed at home so you never need to go to a dental clinic. Instead, one of our licensed dentists in your state will work with you online to manage your case.

First, you just have to go to our website and select the best dentures for your case. We have several options to choose from; from complete to partial dentures, and even flippers to nesbits. If you’re unsure what you need, we have a simple online test you can take that can help you decide.

After that, just take your dental impression using our easy-to-use impression kit and send it over to us. To create your customized dentures, we use 3D printing and scanning for accurate and durable dentures made using FDA-approved materials that can serve you well for a very long time. When everything is done, we will simply deliver it to your house.

The entire process can be completed in a few weeks and you’ll be ready to flaunt your new smile in no time! No hassle, no dental visits. Just you in the comfort of your home as you await your new dentures.

Ready For Your New Smile?

To learn more about our products and services, go to our website at https://dentkits.com/ or give us a call at 1-800-698-8124.