Replacing Lost Teeth with Complete & Partial Dentures

If you are curious to find out what solutions are available for you if you are missing any teeth, Sunrise Dental in Wenatchee is worth your visit. We provide general and cosmetic dental services in the Wenatchee 98801 area. There are three common ways for replacing teeth, they include bridges, implants and dentures. Your dentist will usually recommend any of three depending on which seems like the most effective solution. In this article we focus on dental dentures and how they can help improve your oral health.

What Are Dentures?

Dental dentures are removable false teeth designed to be worn over on the gums where teeth are missing. They are usually made of acrylic plastic, nylon or metal and they help eliminate any potential problems associated gaps caused by missing teeth. The gear is usually custom-made to fit your specific needs. Dentures in Wenatchee can either be complete or partial.

Complete Dentures

Also referred to as full dentures, these are used when you are missing all of your natural teeth. They are removable and are usually held in place by suction. Complete dentures in Wenatchee can be used when you come in our clinic with all teeth already missing or when you need to have them extracted. In case the teeth have to be first removed, you may need to wear a temporary denture as we give the gum tissue time to heal. This allows you still have a set of teeth while the permanent denture is being prepared. During the healing period you will still be required to regularly visit the dentist so he can make adjustments to your dentures. This is because, as the bone and gums heal, they are likely to change shape. The temporary dentures cannot be relied on long-term, and thus once you are completely healed your dentist will change them.

Partial Dentures

As the name implies, partial dentures are meant to only replace a section of your teeth. They are used as alternatives to traditional bridges and implants. Partial dentures are usually more comprehensive in cases where you are missing consecutive teeth on bot sides of the same arch. They are designed with the false tooth or teeth attached to a plate with metal clasps. The metal clasps hold it securely in the mouth by clipping onto some of the existing natural teeth. The clasps can also be made from tooth or gum-colored materials, although these are not popular because they tend to be brittle. Partial dentures provided in Wenatchee are removable and cane be removed for proper cleaning or before going to bed.

What to Expect

Once the gum and bone tissue heal, the process of getting your set of conventional dentures begins. You can either have a dentist or denturist in Wenatchee take you through the process. It begins with taking a series of impressions of the tissues expected to hold the denture in place. The impressions are taken to a dental lab to begin creating a model of the patient’s mouth and the dentures. The complete dentures will be fitted on the mouth model and then tested on the patient to see if it results on a proper bite and a desirable smile. This whole process may take 4 to 5 weeks before getting a perfect set of dentures.

Be it you are wearing partial or complete dentures, it is normal to feel slightly uncomfortable and awkward at first, but with some getting used to, you can go about speaking and chewing without any problem. It is also common to experience excessive production of saliva in the first few days as well as a little soreness. However, if there is pain or extreme discomfort, make sure to visit a dentist near you.

Caring for Your Dentures

When you are not wearing your dentures, you should place them in water or denture cleaner to prevent them from drying out. Do not place them in hot water as they can disfigure. Make sure to clean them daily using a soft toothbrush with soap and water. Also rinse your mouth daily without the dentures on, to help clean out any plaque so as to reduce risk of infections.

For more information on dental dentures in Wenatchee, WA, you can come to our clinic or give us a call.