Smile Big With a Pair of Dentures

Dentures are removable appliances that can replace missing teeth and help restore your smile. If you’ve lost all your natural teeth, replacing them benefits both your health and your appearance. When teeth are missing the facial muscles sag, and dentures can fill the face out. It is also very difficult to eat and speak without teeth, so dentures improve these as well.
There are several different kinds of dentures. They can be made to closely resemble your natural teeth so your appearance does not change.

• Conventional: These dentures are fully removable and are placed in your mouth after the remaining teeth have been removed and the tissues have healed (this can take several months).
• Immediate: This type of denture is removable and inserted on the same day that the natural teeth are removed. Your dentist will make models of your jaw and take measurements during a preliminary visit. With immediate dentures you don’t have to be without teeth during the healing period, but may need the denture relined after your jaw has healed.
• Overdenture: Sometimes some of your natural teeth can be saved to provide stability and support for the denture. This type of denture fits over a small number of remaining teeth after they have been prepared by your dentist.

When you first have your dentures in, they may feel foreign and uncomfortable for a few weeks until you become accustomed to them. They may feel loose while the muscles of your cheek and tongue learn to keep it in place. It is not uncommon to experience minor irritation, soreness or increased saliva flow. These problems should go away as you become more comfortable with the dentures. Be sure to follow up with your dentist so the fit can be checked and adjusted as needed. Maintaining good dental hygiene is still necessary with dentures. Brush your gums, tongue and the roof of your mouth with a soft-bristled brush every morning before inserting your dentures. Some other care tips are as follows:

• Rinse dentures before brushing to remove loose food.
• Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and a non-abrasive cleaner to gently brush all the surfaces of the denture so they don’t get scratched.
• Clean your mouth thoroughly when brushing – including gums, cheeks, roof of your mouth and tongue to remove plaque. This helps reduce the risk of irritation and bad breath.
• When you’re not wearing the dentures, put them in a safe place covered in water to keep them from warping.
• Denture wearers may use adhesives – creams, powders, pads, strips or liquids. If you use an adhesive, read the instructions and use as directed. Your dentist can recommended appropriate cleansers and adhesives.

Art of Modern Dentistry offers a variety of denture options – if you have any questions or concerns, be sure to contact us as soon as you can.
 
Courtesy of Mouth Healthy
http://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/d/Dentures.aspx