When Dentures Are a Good Idea

The idea of dentures can be intimidating for anyone that is concerned about losing or replacing missing teeth. After all, few people grow up thinking about teeth falling out and the possible opportunity of wearing a set of false teeth.  The negative impression of dentures has been perpetuated by popular culture, television, and even movies. However, we know that this is actually an ideal solution for anyone who has been struggling with their natural teeth and wants to improve their lifestyle.

At some point, you have to consider whether or not keeping all of your natural teeth is really in your best interest. Some signs that you should consider replacing yours with dentures are:

• You have already lost many of your adult teeth
• You have severe gum disease and have been unable to get it under control
• Your remaining teeth are loose and appear as though they may fall out in the near future
• You have several infections and a variety of cavities
• Your teeth are extremely sensitive, making it difficult to eat, drink, or even brush them

Essentially, if your teeth are in this bad of condition or causing you such distress, you are at the point where it would be worthwhile to schedule a consultation to discuss the benefits of wearing dentures. Normally, we try to help patients do whatever is possible to maintain natural and healthy teeth since it is better for one's health to have natural teeth intact. However, as a dentist, we also understand that at some point, there is little benefit to maintaining teeth that are causing intense pain or discomfort.

If you have reached this point, the best thing to do is to schedule a consultation with our office so that we can thoroughly examine you, take X-rays, and make recommendations as to the best way to proceed. If we feel that it is not in your best interest to wear a full set of dentures, we will discuss other options. However, if that does appear to be an ideal solution for your particular situation, we will begin to discuss next steps with you and how the process works in general.

If you only need a partial denture, we will make an impression of your mouth and take images and measurements. This will allow us to have your partial denture created in a lab, and once done, we will secure it in place. Unless you are getting a dental bridge, partial dentures are removable and will need to come out on a nightly basis. However, if you are a better candidate for a full or complete set of dentures, we will need to remove any remaining teeth and allow your gums time to heal before going to the next phase. At this point, you can choose between removable dentures that are taken out on a nightly basis or ones that are secured in place using implant technology.

Many of our patients prefer to have dentures attached to implanted posts because it provides a greater level of stability and the confidence to be able to eat whatever you want and speak freely without a concern of your dentures becoming loose or slipping out-of-place. Schedule a consultation today to discuss dentures in greater detail and your options for securing them.