There’s a lot more to dentures than what meets the eye. The conventional tooth replacement isn’t a “one-time” thing. Rather, it requires careful planning, ongoing care, and a great dentist to make sure your treatment is successful.
Types of Dentures
Before undergoing tooth replacement, oral surgery, or choosing to have new dentures made, you should know of all the options that are available:
Full Removable Dentures: Often referred to as “plates,” removable dentures cover the entire upper or lower arch of your mouth to replace the respective teeth at one time. They are typically preferred as one of the most affordable methods of tooth replacement in modern dentistry.
Partial Dentures: Rather than removing any healthy teeth that you still have, a partial denture can snap in around them, replacing only the teeth that are missing. Partial dentures are usually made of a metal base, but some models are also designed from natural-colored acrylics that blend in with your gums.
Implant Supported Overdentures: Do you need to add stability to your current removable denture or make sure that your new denture never rocks out of place? An overdenture is one that snaps or clips onto as few as two or four implants, yet you can remove it for daily maintenance.
Implant Retained Dentures: It’s also possible to have a streamlined denture, hybrid denture, or “All-on-4” denture that is permanently anchored on top of your dental implants. This type of “plate” does not cover the roof of your mouth, only the arch of it. It does not come out of place and can only be removed by your dentist.
Estimated Cost of Getting Dentures
The total cost of dentures will be dependent on the type of denture that you get, as well as cost of living in your area. A removable traditional denture may only cost $300 or so in some areas, while an implant-supported hybrid denture (including surgery) may cost upwards of $10,000 or more.
Most dentists will provide a complimentary consultation and treatment estimate for the type of denture that you choose, along with an estimate of your dental insurance benefits. Such visits are the best way to find out exactly how much it will cost to get a denture at a dentist near you. Total expenses can change based on extra surgeries or extractions that are necessary.
How Are They Made?
First, your dentist will need to take an impression of your mouth and then use that mold to create a model of your jaws and gum lines. This model is sent to a laboratory that makes removable dental prosthetics. You and your dentist can specify characteristics such as color and shape of the teeth. About two weeks later, your permanent denture will be ready for you to try in.
If you have existing teeth that need to be removed, your dentist will need to extract them (unless you are having a partial denture made instead of a full one.) Sometimes an immediate denture is placed at the time of your extractions, but it will need to be adjusted or replaced with a permanent one after your mouth has healed.
Take Your Dentures Out Every Night
Many people don’t realize the significance of removing their denture each night before they go to sleep. It is vital that you remove your prosthesis to give your oral tissues and jaws a rest. Prolonged wear for 24 hours a day can accelerate bone loss and predispose you to infections such as thrush. Changes in your bone anatomy can cause your denture to no longer fit, when it still should.
Cleaning Your Dentures
Harsh abrasives and brushes can cause surface damage that accumulates stain or bacterial build up. Instead, soak your prosthesis in a container of water with a denture cleansing tablet, or another denture detergent each night. Brush it clean with a soft denture brush the next morning and then rinse it thoroughly before putting it back in your mouth.
Regular Visits to Your Dentist
Just because you wear dentures now doesn’t mean that you should go without annual or bi-annual dental appointments. Your dentist will need to make sure that your denture is fitting properly, screen for signs of soft tissue diseases inside of your mouth, and can clean your denture during your visit.
Relining, Adjusting, and Repairing Dentures
Acrylic can wear down after an extended amount of use. In some cases, the places where it wears down and causes sore or raw areas on your gum tissues. Relining the denture changes the way that it fits against your gingiva, giving it a more secure seal. Not only should this be more comfortable, but it will help to keep it stable throughout the day. Unfortunately, it also means that you’ll be without your denture for a day or two…so plan ahead.
If there are only one or two areas that seem to be a problem, your dentist can adjust that area of your partial in his or her office. Maybe your denture is cracked or broken because you accidentally dropped it on a hard surface. Depending on the area that is cracked, your denture could possibly be repaired. More serious damage will require the complete denture to be replaced.
Find out how LowerMyDentalBills.com can help you get affordable denture coverage and ongoing care with a dentist in your plan. Contact us today!
