Simple & Effective Restoration: Complete and Partial Dentures
Not every patient can or should undergo implant placement, which presents a dilemma. How can patients get the smile they want without implants? Fortunately, at Downtown Dental Group, our Manhattan dentists have a solution for you.
Modern complete and partial dentures are better made than ever and offer a simple, affordable, and effective solution for smile restoration. Keep reading to learn more about complete and partial dentures and how they can help restore your smile.
What Are Complete And Partial Dentures?
Complete dentures are the most traditional form of dentures. They’re made of artificial teeth designed to match your natural smile, which is set into a gum-colored base. This base, usually made of acrylic, rests on your gums and uses suction and adhesives to remain in place.
Partial dentures are also false teeth inlaid into a gum-colored base, except they only replace a few teeth in an arch and use your surrounding teeth for support. This is accomplished with metal hooks that latch onto the teeth around the space left by the missing teeth. These teeth are often referred to as anchor teeth and help secure the partial denture.
Benefits of Complete and Partial Dentures
- Simple – Complete and partial dentures are easy to use.
- Removable – Both complete and partial dentures are easy to remove without professional help.
- Affordable – Complete and partial dentures are more affordable than implant restorations and fixed bridges.
- Effective Smile Enhancement – Complete and partial dentures restore the form and function of your smile, improving your appearance, your speech, and your bite.
- Supports Your Facial Muscles – Losing teeth often means your facial muscles lack support, which can lead to sagging in your face and premature wrinkles. Complete and partial dentures restore that support, helping to prevent premature wrinkles.
Qualifying For Complete and Partial Dentures
You may be wondering if you qualify for smile restoration with complete and partial dentures. Complete and partial dentures are most often recommended for patients who:
- Are missing one or more teeth
- Have dental damage that can’t be repaired
- Can’t undergo implant placement
- Want a simple, affordable solution to tooth loss
- Want better dentures than the ones they currently have
What To Expect From Complete and Partial Dentures
Initial Consultation
Before one of our restorative dentists approves you for treatment with complete or partial dentures, they’ll have you undergo an initial consultation. During your initial consultation, your restorative dentist will evaluate your oral health by providing a dental exam, and make note of how many teeth you’ve lost.
They’ll also take X-rays of your smile, review your medical history and ask you about your smile goals. This information will allow your restorative dentist to determine which denture solution is right for you.
Preparation
If you opt for complete dentures and have remaining teeth, your restorative dentist will extract these to ensure there’s enough room for your complete dentures. If you choose partial dentures, no extraction will be necessary.
Impressions
If your restorative dentist approves you for denture solutions, they’ll take impressions of your jaws and any remaining teeth. This appointment lasts about 30 minutes.
Wax Rims
Based on the impressions from the first appointment, a restorative dental technician creates a set of wax rims, which represent your dentures’ bases. These rims are fitted in your mouth and measurements for a bite and tooth placement are made to help the technician create a lifelike prosthesis. This appointment lasts about an hour.
Wax Try-In
A wax replica of your dentures is fitted, and you and your restorative dentist evaluate the look of the teeth, including shape and color. Changes are noted and sent back to the technician for updates. This appointment takes 30-60 minutes.
Wax Final
Changes from the previous appointment are incorporated into a second wax denture. These are tried on and, if approved, we give the technician the go-ahead to produce your final denture solution. This appointment typically takes 30 minutes.
Denture Fitting
Your final dentures arrive and your restorative dentist makes several minor adjustments to perfect the fit and comfort level. This appointment lasts about 30 minutes.
Additional Adjustments
After wearing your dentures for 48 to 72 hours, you’ll return to our Manhattan, KS office for additional adjustments to improve their fit and performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
The exact cost of your dentures will vary based on multiple factors including whether you get complete or partial dentures, the materials used to make your denture solutions, and your insurance. Rest assured the restorative dentists and the rest of the staff at Downtown Dental Group will work with you to help you afford your dentures.
- Clean your mouth by rinsing, as well as brushing and flossing any remaining teeth before putting your dentures in.
- Clean your dentures every day with a toothbrush and denture toothpaste.
- Soak your dentures overnight in water or a specially-made cleaning solution.
- Rinse your dentures thoroughly before putting them back in your mouth.
- Visit your restorative dentist as soon as possible if your dentures start to feel loose or make your mouth feel sore.
- Avoid using bleach, harsh bristles, or hot water to clean your dentures as these can weaken and destroy them.
You should never wear your dentures while you sleep. Failing to remove your dentures while you sleep can result in bad breath and denture stomatitis, also known as oral thrush. Thrush is a condition where your gums become swollen, yeast-infected, and inflamed due to overexposure to bacteria that grows between your gums and dentures, as well as a lack of saliva exposure. Instead of sleeping with your dentures in, soak them in water.
Complete dentures tend to last about five to 10 years while partial dentures tend to last an average of 15 years. However, the longevity of your dentures will depend on multiple factors beyond the type of dentures you receive including the material used to make them and how well you care for them.
To get the most out of your dentures, you should follow any and all care instructions given by your restorative dentist and visit Downtown Dental Group at least every six months for regular dental exams.
Complete And Partial Dentures For Simple, Effective Restoration
Thanks to complete and partial dentures, you can more easily and affordably restore your smile. Downtown Dental Group’s complete and partial denture solutions can help you smile your best, so you can look and feel your best too. Our experienced restorative dentists offer complete and partial denture solutions to patients from our home location of Manhattan, KS, and surrounding areas such as Riley, Zeandale, and St. George, KS.
If you’re interested in learning more about complete and partial dentures, contact Downtown Dental Group by dialing (785) 776-0097. You can also request an appointment by clicking the button below and one of our friendly team members will get back to you shortly.