Losing your teeth is never pleasant. No matter how many are lost, it greatly impacts your life. First, your appearance is affected. You might suddenly find yourself quite self-conscious when you used to always be a smiling face. Not only that, but you might also find yourself having increased difficulty with seemingly simple tasks, such as eating and speaking. At Ford Dental Group, your oral health as well as your overall well-being is important. If you have experienced tooth loss, we can provide you with dentures, restoring both your smile and your quality of life.
Dentures are removable prosthetic teeth that are custom-made to fit your mouth. Dentures have long been the traditional solution to tooth loss. They are designed to look like natural teeth and sit in a gum-colored base that is supported by your gums. Dentures can be made for the purposes of replacing a whole bridge of missing teeth or they can be used to replace sections of missing teeth. There is even a newer option to solve tooth loss known as dental implants.
Full Dentures
Full dentures are created with the purpose of replacing an entire arch, or mouth, of missing or no longer viable teeth. If you do have teeth remaining that are beyond repair, these teeth will be extracted, which will help to prevent any infection. Impressions are taken of your mouth, which is sent off to a lab for denture creation, to ensure a proper fit. Even with a proper fit, dentures need to be removed each night. This allows you to thoroughly clean the appliance and your gums, as well as give your gums a break from the pressure of supporting the dentures.
Partial Dentures
Partial dentures are used to fill in large spaces where many teeth are missing, but you still have several healthy teeth. After all, there is no reason to extract perfectly healthy teeth! Partial dentures compensate for your healthy teeth while restoring empty spaces. They can also help to hold your healthy teeth in place and prevent too much shifting. Partial dentures are supported by your gums, but they are secured in place by metal clasps. These, too, should be removed nightly for cleaning and for the comfort of your gums.
Dental Implants
When you have missing teeth, something begins to happen under your gums that you might not even be aware of. Without roots planted in your jawbone, your body no longer believes that it needs to send essential nutrients to that region. Without proper nutrition, your jawbone begins to deteriorate. When this happens, your jaw can begin to change shape, giving you an aged appearance. Resorption can also force remaining teeth to shift, altering your bite. If you have dentures, these changes mean that in a few years, you will need to be refit for a new set.
Dental implants are the newest form of tooth replacement and are considered to be a superior tooth replacement solution when compared to dentures. Small titanium rods are surgically placed into your jaw, and act as “roots” to support a bridge of prosthetic teeth. The number of implants varies depending on your needs. The rods imitate tooth roots and can slow, even stop, bone loss in the jaw. This stops resorption and preserves the integrity of your jaw, meaning there will be no need for alterations later.
Don’t let tooth loss destroy your life. Contact Ford Dental Group today for more information!