Dentures and Partials - Garland, TX

Effects of Missing Teeth

Replacing missing teeth is incredibly important, as you’ll want to avoid any further complications from tooth loss. Firstly, some of the most common reasons for losing pearly whites include decay, accidental injury, gum disease, and poor oral hygiene. There are also certain medical conditions that can raise your risk of tooth loss, such as diabetes.

Several issues that come from not replacing missing teeth involve further potential tooth loss, as any of your remaining ones can start to move out of place to fill the gaps. Your jawbone can also begin to deteriorate due to a lack of stimulation, causing the bone to shrink and change your facial structure. Other troubles include gum recession, difficulty eating, trouble speaking, facial sagging, and significantly reduced self-esteem.

Of course, the cheapest dentures aren’t ideal. Those sorts use inferior acrylic for their bases and teeth. Therefore, remember to choose high-quality sorts!

What Qualifies You for Dentures?

If you’re missing teeth, then you’re likely qualified for dentures in Garland. Our team will first need to confirm that your gums and jawbone are strong and healthy enough to support your prosthetics. Any underlying problems like decay, cavities, gum disease, or infection will need to be addressed before moving forward.

The kind of dentures you’ll receive will also depend on the number of teeth that you’re missing. For instance, you might choose between partial dentures, full dentures, and implant dentures based on your situation and what your dentist deems is viable for you. This treatment is also beneficial for those who are working with a budget, as your prosthetics will be more cost-effective compared to more costly procedures.

Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options

If dentures aren’t a good fit for you, you can still consult our team to figure out an alternative method for replacing your missing teeth. We offer other services like:

• Dental bridges : This restoration is usually reserved for patients missing one or several teeth in a row. It simply requires healthy adjacent teeth to support the two dental crowns and pontics that create the bridge.
• Dental implants : Instead of resting on the gums or using healthy teeth, our team can embed dental implants into your jawbone to directly anchor your restorations. This will provide optimal stability for your new teeth while promoting strong bone tissue to preserve a more youthful facial shape. You can also expect the results to last several decades to a lifetime with proper care.

What are Dentures Made Of?

Whether partial or full, all dentures have two core parts: the base and the artificial teeth. Each of these components is crucial for the treatment to work correctly. To find out why, just look at the following details:

• The Denture Base – Put simply, a denture’s base supports its artificial teeth. It thus sits on a patient’s gums and uses pink coloring to blend with its surroundings. Generally, a dental lab can make one from acrylic, nylon, porcelain, resin, or metal.
• The Artificial Teeth – Artificial teeth (per their name) are a denture’s tooth-replacing portions. Most dental labs make them from resin or porcelain, ensuring lifelike results. Still, most patients prefer porcelain models – they look and feel more like natural tooth enamel.

The Denture Creation Process

Since a denture is custom-made for a particular patient, making one involves a multi-step process. That being the case, here’s a look at how this appliance is made:

• Step 1: Your dentist takes a dental impression of your gums. Afterward, the resulting model is sent to a lab that makes the final dentures.
• Step 2: Once crafted, the lab sends wax dentures to the dentist/prosthodontist for a fitting. Assuming patient and dentist approval, the restorations are returned to the lab for completion.
• Step 4: A technician boils the dentures to remove their wax portions. This individual then places the prosthetics in a flask to pour plaster. Subsequently, the flask is placed in hot water to melt the dentures.
• Step 5: The lab worker makes holes in the artificial teeth so new material can attach. A liquid separator is also added to the plaster layer to prevent the acrylic from sticking. The same acrylic is then injected into the flask to replace the wax.
• Step 6: The worker removes the plaster to reveal the prosthetics. Later, they place the dentures in an ultrasonic bath to remove leftover plaster.
• Step 7: After cutting away excess acrylic, the technical polishes the restorations
• Step 8: The patient returns to the office for fitting and final adjustments.

Adjusting to Your New Dentures

As you start wearing new dentures, you may feel some discomfort. That’s normal – adjusting to the restorations can cause soreness and even trouble eating or speaking. Luckily, these symptoms are temporary and fade quickly. The dentures will start to feel like natural teeth in no time.

Even so, it’s possible to speed up adjustment if you’d like. You simply need to adopt and practice the right oral habits. For example, eat softer foods for a while to reduce chewing-related aches. Other ideas include strengthening your facial muscles or using dental adhesives.

However you manage with adjusting, try to be careful. You may need to see your dentist if denture aches persist. In that scenario, your restoration may need to be further tuned.

Psychological Benefits

If you don’t have any healthy teeth, this can be difficult to accept. A lot of people who have lost most of or all of their teeth encounter negative effects on their self-confidence, resulting in higher levels of sadness and depression. When you restore your smile with dentures, you can feel better about your image, reducing anxieties regarding your appearance, speech articulation, chewing ability, and more.

Clearer Enunciation

Making certain sounds and saying different words is challenging when you have gaps in your smile. To enunciate your words properly, your lips and tongue must be positioned properly. When you are missing teeth, your tongue isn’t able to be positioned properly, making some words very challenging to say. Since dentures act as your missing teeth, they give you the ability to speak more clearly.

Improves Nutrition

Many nutrient-dense foods are tough in texture. This includes healthy proteins, fruits, and vegetables. If you aren’t able to chew these foods, your eating habits will be negatively affected, resulting in poor dietary choices and indigestion. When you have dentures, you can chew more easily, giving you the freedom to enjoy an expansive diet.

Preserves Oral Health

If you have healthy natural teeth, dentures can help to keep them in excellent shape. By filling in the gaps with a partial denture, you can keep the surrounding teeth from shifting around. Dentures also help to bear some of the weight of regular biting and chewing, limiting the wear and tear of the natural teeth.

Expands Opportunities

When you are attending interviews, negotiating sales, and attending social events, making an excellent first impression is key. Since your smile is one of the first things people notice about you, having one that appears healthy will do nothing but aid you in your endeavors. Studies have shown that the probability of being employed is negatively associated with having poor oral health.