A removable denture is a prosthesis placed in the mouth to replace missing teeth. Typically, removable dentures are mounted in a base made of a pink gum colored resin. The prosthesis is designed to be removable without the assistance of a dental professional. However, daily maintenance is required to maintain your dentures and dental health.
The removable prosthetic is held in place using natural suction and dental adhesives. Most often, dentures fall into one of two categories:
An upper denture will cover the palate, and a lower denture will only rest along the gums.
Conventional affordable dentures are made from an acrylic base. However, false teeth can be made of lifelike porcelain and other materials. Our Metairie dentists, Drs. Jeffrey Gregson and Taylor Haddock can guide you in selecting the best dentures. Also, our dentists specialize in permanent dentures, also called implant-supported dentures.
When circumstances do not allow for a bridge or dental implants, removable partial dentures are an excellent option to replace missing teeth. Partial dentures provide improved esthetics by replacing the missing teeth and improved function for eating and speech. Generally, it will take multiple appointments to complete this process.
Maintaining a healthy smile includes replacing missing teeth when they are lost. When teeth are lost, surrounding teeth can drift into open spaces. Additionally, opposing teeth can supra erupt into the open spaces.
Tooth movement into open spaces can cause occlusal bite problems. As a result, esthetic problems will gradually become worse. These teeth can also become hard to clean, causing periodontal issues. As a result, your risk of tooth decay increase, which can lead to more tooth loss.
Removable partial dentures fill in the open spaces preventing movement of the surrounding teeth. Not to mention, your new teeth fill out your smile.
The process of creating the dentures begins with our doctor taking several impressions of your upper and lower jaw. These impressions are then sent to a laboratory, where an expert dental technician builds a model of your mouth. Then, the lab works closely with our doctor to design your prosthesis using the model as a reference.
As each phase of the design, our dentist will meet with you to check for proper fit and bite alignment. It usually requires multiple incremental fittings to ensure the best final result for you. Adjusting to the feel of your new restoration will improve each day. Once you become comfortable with your dentures, eating will become easier and more pleasurable.
Full removable dentures are an excellent treatment option for patients who are fully edentulous (missing all teeth) on one or both arches. Complete dentures will provide support for your lips and face. Not to mention, eating and speaking will drastically improve. Fortunately, improvements in our material and technology allow us to fabricate more comfortable dentures.
There are many steps that go into making quality denture teeth. We discuss each step of the process with our patients. By and large, we help patients choose the tooth size, shape, position and shade.
As you may know, dentures have been around for hundreds of years. Today’s dentures are custom lifelike restorations. There’s no doubt, dentures can restore your self-esteem.
On average, dentures last 5-7 years under normal wear and tear. Occasionally, dentures need to be relined to help them fit better. Dentures can also break during function or if dropped. Many of them can be repaired in our Metairie office.
The process of creating the dentures begins with your doctor taking several impressions of your gums. These impressions are then sent to a laboratory, where an expert technician builds a model of your mouth. The lab then works closely with your doctor to design your prosthesis using the model as a base.
As each phase of the design is completed, your doctor will meet with you to ensure proper fit and bite alignment. It usually requires multiple adjustments to ensure the best final result for you.
There will be a brief period of adjusting to the feel of the dentures in your mouth. Then, your full dentures will begin to feel natural to you – making eating easier and your speech clearer. You now have a removable restoration specially designed to mimic the appearance of natural teeth. Most importantly, your prosthesis improves the overall function of your mouth.
Please fill out the form on the contact page, and one of our patient coordinators will contact you soon. Alternatively, you may call our Metairie office at (504) 849-0190.