While oral health and saving teeth are always our goal, some patients lose their teeth from gum disease, tooth decay, or injury.

Dentures are removable appliances that can replace missing teeth. Dentures offer an overall health benefit, because they make it easier for the person to eat and speak better than they would without teeth. Being able to eat a nutritious diet makes such a difference in total body health.

Vanity is another reason to wear dentures. Once a person loses all their teeth, facial muscles can sag, causing a much older look. Dentures can be made to closely resemble your original teeth or can be made to even improve the look of your smile.

• Conventional dentures are made after the natural teeth have been removed and the ridges have healed, which may take several months. An advantage to conventional dentures is that Dr. Huggins can have a “wax try-in” appointment where both she and the patient can check the denture setup in wax before it is processed. This allows both Dr. Huggins and the patient to make changes, if necessary.

• Immediate dentures are seated the same day remaining teeth are extracted. Preliminary measurements and models would have already been made, and the patient would not have to go without all their teeth at any time. Generally, six months later, the patient would need to have the denture relined or possibly even remade to accommodate the healing and overall look of the denture.

• Overdentures fit over prepared teeth or implants to preserve jawbone and provide stability and retention of the denture.

Dentures may feel awkward until a patient becomes accustomed to them… kind of like breaking in new shoes. Muscles of the cheeks and tongue must learn to keep the denture in place. Sometimes minor irritation and soreness occurs while the patient’s mouth acclimates. Adjustments are to be expected.

Once the teeth are removed, bone in the jaw resorbs. Patient’s resorption rate differs. As bone resorbs, dentures may become loose, requiring a reline. A reline requires the dentist to make an impression in the denture and send it to the lab to have them process new acrylic inside the denture to fit in the new shape of the ridge.

Partials are like dentures, except they clasp around remaining teeth.

Denture and partial wearers must still pay attention to oral hygiene. Brushing the tongue, the gums, and the roof of the mouth with a soft-bristled brush helps stimulate circulation in the tissues and helps remove plaque.