Dentures
Palo Alto, CA
Dentures in Palo Alto provided by Dr. Sharma and Dr. Cheong at Palo Alto Oral Health
 When you reach a certain age, your teeth may begin to fall out, making your cheeks sag.
In fact, tooth loss affects many adults. It can make you look older and cause difficulties in speaking and chewing.
At Palo Alto Oral Health, we offer you custom-fit dentures that can help preserve the form and function of your mouth.
What Are Dentures?
Having missing teeth can be problematic and affect your speech and eating. Teeth around the gap will also grow into the space affecting your bite. To curb these problems, getting dentures is necessary.
Dentures are removable teeth, usually made of nylon, acrylic, or metal. At Palo Alto Oral Health, we will help you understand what dentures are before you consider them for missing teeth.
What Are the Different Types of Dentures?
Dentures are available in different types and purposes for different individuals, and our team will guide you on what type to choose, depending on your needs. The different types of dentures include:
Complete Full Dentures
These dentures are ideal for a patient who has lost all of their teeth. They rest on the patient's gums, and installation is within two to three months following tooth extraction.
Partial Dentures
As the name suggests, partial dentures are usable in patients with some natural teeth in place. These dentures feature a pink base attached to a metal piece that holds it in the mouth. They are useful in maintaining your remaining teeth in position, and you can remove them whenever you want.
Overdenture
Overdentures rely on dental implants to hold them in the upper or lower jaw. Unlike conventional dentures, overdentures are more stable, but you still have to remove them every night to clean your gums and allow your gum tissues to rest.
Immediate Dentures
Normally, you will wait up to eight weeks to get traditional dentures, during which chewing can be challenging. Our team will install immediate dentures after tooth extraction to deal with this challenge. Besides restoring your chewing functions, immediate dentures ensure a smoother transition to traditional dentures.
What Are Dentures Made Of?
Today’s technological advances allow different types of materials to replace lost teeth and restore your natural smile. Three common denture materials dentures include acrylic resin, porcelain, and metal.
Acrylic resin dentures resemble the gums, courtesy of their pink color. The teeth are resin colored to mimic natural teeth. Acrylic resin dentures are light and easy to adjust. However, their durability is short, requiring replacement between five to eight years.
Unlike acrylic resin, porcelain dentures are harder and more durable. They also closely resemble natural teeth, resulting in excellent aesthetics.
Metal dentures comprise metal material on the palate layer and clasps of the denture. Cobalt chrome is the common metal in these dentures. Unfortunately, metal dentures are highly noticeable hence poor aesthetics.
Other materials used to make dentures include polypropylene and polycarbonate. These materials are flexible and comfortable for the mouth.
What Are Implant Supported Dentures?
Implant supported dentures anchor on your jawbone such that they cannot slip when you speak or eat.
During installation, our team will attach up to six implants in your jawbone and give them about six months to heal and fuse with it.
Upon successfully joining the implants to your jawbone, we will attach a unique set of irremovable dentures compared to traditional ones.
Can You Get Implant Supported Dentures After You've Had Dentures?
Most people who opt for implant supported dentures have used traditional dentures before. The process starts with a simple consultation with our team, who will listen to your concerns and shed insight on implant supported dentures.
Since dentures do not stimulate the jawbone, most patients switching to implant supported dentures have bone resorption, requiring a graft.
During your first visit, we will also identify the need for this procedure before implanting the dentures.
What Are Mini Denture Implants?
If you are considering implants but lack the jawbone mass to hold the implants, then your best alternative is mini dental implants. These implants also come in handy if you have limited ability to undertake surgery.
Mini dental implants are smaller implants that do not require complete embedment into the jawbone. They mimic regular implants in structure but are slightly smaller. They comprise one less than 3 mm-diameter screw, and a ball-shaped end protruding from the jawbone.
How Do I Care for My Dentures?
Just like with natural teeth, plaque and food will stick to your dentures, and failure to clean them will put you at risk of bad breath and gum disease.
As such, you should pay special attention to your dentures. Depending on the material, avoid dropping your dentures, as they can easily break, chip, or crack. With proper care, your dentures can last for years.
Proper denture care includes gently brushing them using a denture brush and liquid soap to remove plaque.
While you can do it with one cleaning, it is advisable to brush your dentures at least twice a day. You should avoid toothpaste since most have abrasive ingredients for dentures.
If you wear removable dentures, hold them safely over the sink, preferably with a washcloth to cushion them should they drop.
After cleaning your dentures, soak them overnight in lukewarm water or denture solution and brush them again in the morning before putting them back in your mouth.
Soaking your dentures prevents drying out, which causes loss of shape and brittleness. Avoid soaking your dentures in hot water, as it can alter the shape of your dentures.
What To Expect After Getting Dentures
Getting dentures is a non-invasive, painless process. Individuals may develop sore areas from using the dentures for the first time, but our team will adjust the dentures to relieve discomfort.
Eating may be challenging, and you may take up to eight weeks before getting used to chewing food with dentures. Pronouncing certain words could also be tricky, but once your tongue adjusts to your dentures, you will have normal speech.
Discover More and Schedule Your Denture Appointment Now!
Apart from affecting your chewing capabilities, tooth loss can affect your self esteem. Thanks to dentures, you can recover your confidence and teeth functionality.
If you are considering dentures, we will work with you to ensure you choose the right type and material that meets your needs. Whether you choose traditional or implant-supported dentures, you can reach out to us at Palo Alto Oral Health today by calling (650) 321-9693. |
