Dentures – Calimesa, CA
Replacing an Entire Arch of Teeth
When it comes to replacing missing teeth, there’s one option that has stayed reliable for hundreds of years. Dentures are an excellent way to restore a smile where most or all of the teeth in an arch are missing. Dr. Scott Parker is happy to provide patients with convenient, high-quality false teeth. If you’re suffering from extensive tooth loss, contact our office today; we’ll make sure you can continue to enjoy a full life.
How Dentures Work
Most dentures consist of a gum-colored base and teeth made out of a hard resin. The appliance can be held in place by natural suction, but you can also get a denture adhesive for additional security. They can also be held in place by a metal clasp (partial dentures) or dental implant posts (implant-retained dentures).
Full Dentures
This is what you most likely think of when you hear the word dentures. As the name implies, full dentures are used when an entire arch is missing; if there’s only a few teeth remaining, they can be extracted before you receive your false teeth. Traditional full dentures are removeable; you’ll usually want to take them out at night to give your gums a chance to rest.
Partial Dentures
What if there’s still enough teeth in the upper or lower jaw to be worth saving? In these cases, you would get partial dentures. These appliances are custom designed to replaced teeth in specific areas depending on where the gaps are.
Implant-Retained Dentures
One downside of traditional false teeth is that they do nothing to prevent bone loss, a common side effect of losing teeth. The degeneration of the jawbone can lead to the collapse of your facial structure, leaving you looking much older. With dental implants, you can keep your jaw healthy and strong by replacing the roots of the teeth, thus allowing the bone to continue to receive stimulation from chewing. Dentures that are held in place by four to eight implants offer more chewing power than traditional restorations and will not slip while you’re eating or talking.
Who’s a Good Candidate for Dentures?
Whether or not dentures are right for you depends on the extent of tooth loss. Sometimes a single crown supported by an implant or a dental bridge might be more appropriate. Also, when deciding between traditional dentures and implant-retained dentures, bear in mind that you might need to undergo a bone graft or another procedure to prepare your jaw to receive dental implants.
Benefits of Dentures
- Renewed Confidence: Missing teeth can make it harder to smile and laugh in public, but beautiful, natural-looking dentures can help improve your self-image and encourage you to be more outgoing.
- Eat a Varied Diet: While you will need some time to adjust to your new teeth, dentures will let you enjoy a wide variety of foods and help ensure that you can get proper nutrition.
- Long-Lasting: You will need to replace your dentures eventually, but they can last up to a decade if you maintain them well.
Dentures Aftercare
While dentures have the potential to completely transform and enhance your smile, it's crucial to maintain proper care to ensure their longevity. While eventual replacement is inevitable, premature replacement can be avoided with proper care. In addition to regular six-month checkups with Dr. Scott Parker, here are several other methods to effectively care for your dentures and maximize their lifespan.
Learn More About the Dentures Aftercare
Removable Dentures
Remove After Eating
After finishing your meal, remove your dentures and rinse them thoroughly. This helps prevent the accumulation of food debris and bacteria around them. Additionally, take the opportunity to clean your gums to prevent plaque buildup. Avoid using hot water, as it can warp your dentures, potentially necessitating adjustments or replacements.
Clean Your Restoration
As mentioned earlier, it's recommended to remove your dentures for thorough cleaning, ensuring you clean the underside that contacts your gums. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and a small amount of hand soap or denture cleanser for brushing. Avoid using regular toothpaste as it can be too abrasive.
If you're not planning to wear them immediately, store your dentures in water or a cleansing solution to keep them moist and maintain their shape. Before wearing them again, rinse them thoroughly to remove any residual cleaning materials.
Keep Your Dentures Safe
When brushing your dentures, consider placing a soft towel underneath them to cushion any accidental slips and minimize potential damage. When not in use, store them in a cup of water or denture cleanser. Ensure they are kept out of reach of pets and young children for safety.
Remove When You Sleep
Don't forget to remove your dentures before bedtime. Soaking them overnight will not only keep them free from bacteria until your next use but also provide necessary rest for your gums. Wearing dentures for extended periods can irritate gum tissue, impede circulation, and deprive your gumline of essential nutrients.
Prolonged wear may also increase the risk of pneumonia and plaque buildup on your gums and tongue. Be sure to take them out and soak them in water or a denture cleanser to maintain oral health.
Notice Changes
Keep an eye out for any alterations in your dentures or oral condition while wearing them. This includes detecting damage to your prosthetics, as well as observing gum irritation, mouth sores, or signs of infection. Promptly inform our team so we can help alleviate your symptoms and address the underlying cause, allowing you to regain your full smile comfortably!
Frequently Asked Questions about Dentures
Completing your smile with dentures can feel like an important, big step. Well, it is! You may have many questions about this treatment before you decide to pull the trigger. We understand and want to help you through the decision-making process to the solution best suited for your needs. Here we’ve answered some common questions about dentures, and we hope our responses provide clarity. If you have other concerns, or if you’re ready to move forward, just give us a call to schedule a consultation with Dr. Parker!
What Can I Eat with My Dentures?
When you first start out wearing dentures, it may take a little while for you to adjust to eating with them in. With practice, you’ll be more comfortable eating most foods. However, you should avoid sticky foods like gum, caramel, and other substances that can not only get stuck in your dentures but even cause your dentures to lose suction. Denture adhesives can help with this, but it’s better to simply skip eating these foods altogether.
If you have dental implants, however, you have much more stability and biting force. In fact, with implant dentures, you can basically enjoy any food you would with normal teeth, including gum if you’d like.
How Do I Care for My Dentures?
Even though your prosthetic teeth will not be susceptible to decay (i.e., they won’t get cavities), it is still important that you take good care of them. They can get calcium buildup that irritates your gums and accumulate bacteria that could give you a gum infection. Luckily, maintaining your dentures is pretty simple. Before you go to bed and preferably after meals, you need to rinse them off and gently brush them to remove plaque and bacteria. Be sure to use warm (not hot) water, and do not use toothpaste, because it can be too abrasive on your dentures.
Can I Sleep in My Dentures?
We recommend soaking your dentures in a cleansing solution or a glass of water while you sleep. Although you can wear them throughout the night, your saliva production slows down, allowing bacteria to grow and spread on your dentures.
You should never wear your dentures for 24 consecutive hours without performing hygiene on your dentures, or you run the risk of damaging your gums.
What Should I Do If My Denture Breaks?
Broken or cracked dentures are considered a dental emergency. As a result, you need to contact our Calimesa office immediately to fix the problem. Trying to eat or function with a broken denture is difficult and uncomfortable as well as dangerous for the sensitive soft tissues in your mouth. Dr. Parker can quickly get you a replacement denture so that you can get back to normal as soon as possible.