DENTURES

If you have lost all of your natural teeth, whether from periodontal disease, tooth decay or injury, complete dentures can replace your missing teeth and your smile. Replacing missing teeth will benefit your appearance, your eating ability, and your health. Without support from the denture, facial muscles sag, making a person look older. Your cheeks and lips can also sink in but dentures can help restore their original form. You’ll be able to eat and speak comfortably again – things that people often take for granted until their natural teeth are lost.

There are various types of complete dentures. A traditional full denture is made and placed in the patient’s mouth after the remaining teeth are removed and tissues have healed. An immediate complete denture is inserted as soon as the remaining teeth are removed. The dentist takes measurements and makes models of the patient’s jaws during a preliminary visit. With immediate dentures, the denture wearer does not have to be without teeth during the healing period, making the patient much more comfortable socially. With complete dentures, a series of relines may be required throughout the first year to assure an accurate fit while your gums and bones heal.

Even if you wear full dentures, you still must take good care of your mouth. Brush your gums, tongue and palate every morning with a soft-bristled brush before you insert your dentures to stimulate circulation in your tissues and help remove plaque. Edentulous patients still need a regular dental exam by your dentist to evaluate any changes in your tissues and to inspect for oral cancer and other lesions. Dr. Farmer will help determine how often you need to come in to have your dentures cleaned and oral tissues evaluated.

If you have poorly fitting dentures, a reline may be needed to help them fit your gums in their current state. Over time, people’s gums change shape and size while the denture remains the same as the day it was given to the patient. Often we are able to achieve a much better fit and more functionality by simply doing a reline, saving you money by not having to have a completely new set of dentures made. If your dentures do not fit well, call Dr. Farmer today to have an evaluation!