Removable dentures are a common solution to missing teeth. Removable dentures replace one missing tooth or several missing teeth. Dentures come in different types and can be made of various materials like gold, porcelain and plastic. Cost depends on the type and material, as well as the skill of the dentist and the lab technician.
What to Expect During the Procedure
A dentist first performs a thorough examination to evaluate your dental health. Depending on your needs, the dentist can either extract remaining teeth to make way for a full set of dentures or preserve any salvageable or healthy teeth and make dentures with overlays.
If you need to have your remaining teeth extracted, you’ll have to make multiple visits to your dentist. Depending on the number of remaining teeth and your tolerance for discomfort, you can have your teeth extracted in separate sessions or batches. You’ll have to wait for your gums to heal before you can have your dentures fitted.
Before the dentist extracts any of your remaining teeth, however, he or she will make a model out of hardened resin. The model is used to design your dentures. Once the lab finishes creating the dentures, your dentist will fit them over your gums and see if you can perform basic tasks like talking, biting and chewing.
The dentist will also check for fit. Problems like poor bite or protrusions are corrected immediately. Poor-fitting dentures can hurt your gums and inner cheeks and may cause you to avoid wearing them unless you need to eat. Your dentist may send the dentures back to the lab until they work and fit perfectly.
Wear your dentures as often as you can so you can adjust to the feeling of having a foreign object in your mouth. You can also do speech exercises while you’re wearing dentures, especially if you’re used to speaking with no teeth.
Denture maintenance is simple. Take them off before you go to bed so your gums can rest. If you wear dentures during sleep, you can remove them for about six hours during the day.
