Things To Know If You are Getting Full Dentures
- 01:25
- By Emma Smith
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Sometimes, routine dental and oral care does not guarantee a lifelong companionship with your teeth. Even though you brush twice daily and floss, you might never know when tooth decay has set in unless you have a routine check-up dotted on your calendar. Even then, accidents might cause you to lose teeth which will require you to get part or full dentures, given the condition of the gums and the mobility of the teeth. When you are in a position to get dentures, it is always better to be prepared with the knowledge.
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Full Dentures
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What are Dentures?
Dentures are the set of artificial teeth and gums made according to your need and it is made as per the shape and structure of your mouth. These dentures are used to replace your natural teeth and can be either partial dentures which means they replace a few missing pieces or maybe the upper or lower set or they can be full dentures meaning that the whole of the 32 set is being replaced.
Previously, these dentures were made of porcelain or plastic but recently a more lasting material like hard resin is used in the manufacturing of the teeth and the gums. Even though the substance used is strong, the hard resin is no competition for natural enamel, thus these artificial teeth are prone to cracks and chips and even with proper care, these need to be replaced every five years.
Why you can need full dentures?
While partial dentures can be done by an experienced dentist, it is better to visit a prosthodontist when you will need full dentures. The need for these full dentures is when you have suffered total bone loss of the mouth due to gingivitis or extensive tooth decay. Both these conditions make the teeth impossible to be salvaged and the only option is to extract them and replace them with artificial teeth.
The need to visit a prosthodontist is that these people spend an additional 3 years, after completing their dentistry degree, specializing in dental prosthetics which is essential in case of getting full dentures as the dentist will need to make a mould of your oral shape and model the dentures likewise so that your artificial tooth shape and size matches your natural set.
Before giving you your dentures, your dentist will provide you with temporary ones to get your mouth adjusted to the feel of these artificial ones. Once the actual ones are fitted, you need to continue wearing them until your next visit so that final adjustment can be made according to any discomforts and resetting required.
Apart from saving you from the obvious embarrassment of missing teeth, dentures help you smile easily and rebuild your confidence. It also helps maintain the structure of the mouth and the jaws by providing the support that your original teeth did. It also helps in the proper digestion of food by allowing you to chew your food properly. In case you have lost most of your teeth, it is suggested you go for full dentures which will prevent further damage to the gums.
How to care for your dentures?
Caring for dentures is as essential as caring for your natural teeth. You should avoid wearing them constantly and remove them before going to sleep to prevent any damage. Allow your gums to breathe and relax the jaws. While cleaning, make sure you immerse them in lukewarm water.
Hot water might cause the structure to break. Also, if not cleaned properly, dentures will develop a foul odour giving you bad breath. Never brush the dentures with toothpaste, rather clean them with mild detergent and rinse thoroughly.
Dentures should be taken care of in the same way that you take care of your original teeth in order to make them last for a longer period of time.
