Dentures
A PRACTICAL SOLUTION TO MISSING TEETH
If you have a few or all of your teeth missing, one solution is to have a denture. A denture is made from hard-wearing material that mimics the look of teeth and gums to give your mouth a natural appearance. Your denture will be made to fit snugly on your gums and you will be able to remove it for cleaning.
Dentures can be used to replace either a full arch of teeth, just one tooth, or in some cases, several missing teeth. There are many reasons why a patient may have a missing tooth or teeth, but it is always best to replace a tooth wherever possible.
When will I need dentures?
- Missing teeth – it is important to replace missing teeth, even if just one is missing. If left untreated, your chewing and speaking will be affected, as additional strain is put on teeth either side of the gap, and your bite can become misaligned. The missing teeth and bone can also cause your face to sag and look older, and you could end up losing further teeth.
- Removable solution – if you are missing several teeth or a full arch of your teeth, dentures can be used to replace the appearance of your natural teeth and also some of the function. We will take the time to discuss all the options with you. If you would like a removable solution to replace missing teeth or unable to have dental implants, then removable dentures may be an option for you.
- Hygiene is important – when you wear a denture for the first time it will take some getting used to when speaking or eating and chewing. It is important that you take extra care in your hygiene regime so that you can avoid bad breath, tooth decay and gum disease. Our hygienist will be able to show you how to best take care of your denture and gums and will tell you about specialised brushes you can use to do this.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF DENTURES?
- Partial dentures replace one or several teeth and can be provided in cases where you still have some of your own teeth. The replacement denture teeth are attached to a base or framework to fit the gaps you have, and to blend in with your remaining teeth. There may be clasps or ‘hooks’ which help to keep the denture in place.
- Complete dentures replace a full row of teeth if you have lost all of your teeth in the jaw. The teeth are usually set in an acrylic plastic base and rests over your own gums. Several appointments are involved to ensure that we each stage is as accurate as possible because in many cases full dentures can become quite unstable due to the shrinkage of the gums and supporting bone.
- Implant retained dentures are a more stable solution for removable partial or complete dentures. Denture stabilisation uses implants to secure overdentures in place. Implants are small titanium screws that are placed permanently in the jawbone and act in place of your tooth’s natural root. The implant provides a fixed, permanent anchor onto which your overdentures can be secured.
Read more about Implant Supported Dentures
Contact Hermitage Clinic on 020 7481 2999 today to find out more about how dentures could work for you.
