For anyone who’s experienced tooth loss, dentures can offer a chance to regain confidence in their smile and their ability to bite and chew properly by replacing some or all of the lost teeth. It helps them to get back to normality. Tooth-loss patients have two choices when it comes to dentures – complete or partial dentures.
What’s the difference?
Full dentures are a complete set of false teeth that can be molded to fit both the top and bottom set of teeth. Dentures can be either conventional or immediate. Immediate dentures can be fitted as soon as your teeth have been removed, but will then need adjusting as your gums heal and change shape. This is often a temporary solution. Conventional dentures are molded over 8-12 weeks after the teeth have been removed and don’t usually need further adjustments as they wait for the gums to heal first.
Like a bridge, partial dentures are designed to replace multiple teeth, but not all of them. The replacement teeth are fixed to a base that can be easily removed from your mouth, but can also be made to be fixed. This base is made using metal framework that clasp onto the surrounding teeth.
The teeth in dentures are commonly made from porcelain or, more commonly, a king of acrylic resin, with the framework also made from resin or a nylon polymer. Read more about the materials used to form dentures.
Which one is right for you?
If you have lost or are having all of your teeth removed, then you will require full dentures to provide a complete set of new teeth. Similarly, if you have lost all of the teeth on either the upper or lower jaw, then you can have a full denture fitted for just that portion of your mouth.
Partial dentures are better for anyone who has lost teeth but still has other healthy teeth remaining in their mouth. Partials can be slotted in to replace the missing teeth while blending in with the surrounding teeth. Partials are a good option for someone who has had teeth knocked out in an accident, for example. Partials are ideal for anyone who has lost teeth but is not eligible for having a bridge fitted.
Whatever your circumstances are, dentures and partial dentures are a great choice for replacing missing teeth and keeping your smile looking natural. If you’re looking for painless dentist services in North Carolina, then visit us for a consultation. We serve areas including Clemmons, Lewisville, Mocksville, Winston Salem, Advance, and Bermuda.