As you age, regular visits to your dentist are increasingly important to maintain healthy teeth. If you have one or more missing teeth or begin experiencing tooth pain from your remaining teeth, it might be time to consider wearing dentures. You should visit the dentist every six months, but if you haven’t been diligent with your oral health care, there’s a higher chance that problems like decay may have increased to a point beyond repair. This is when your dentist may recommend extracting teeth rather than trying to save them. Although, when possible, your dentist will try to save your natural teeth.
To avoid complications with cavities and periodontal problems, it is essential to keep your regularly scheduled dental appointments and maintain a good at-home oral health routine. Once you lose teeth, there can be further complications like bone loss because you no longer have the tooth roots to stimulate your jawbone.
How to Know If You Need Dentures
How can you know if dentures are the right choice for you? If you’ve experienced tooth loss, teeth, and gum pain, or have difficulty chewing foods because of unstable teeth, it might be time to consider tooth replacement options. Other signs you should talk to your dentist about dentures are you:
Are missing multiple teeth
Having two or more missing teeth can put unnecessary pressure on the rest of your teeth when you’re eating, speaking, or clenching your jaw.
Are self-conscious of your smile
Missing teeth can affect how we feel about ourselves and even how we smile or interact with others in a social setting. Dentures can help you get your confidence back.
Have trouble eating hard, crunchy, chewy foods
When you’re missing teeth or if your teeth are painful, it can make eating properly a chore. Dentures can help you enjoy eating again, enabling you to eat a wide range of foods for better nutrition.
Have swollen, sensitive gums
Swollen gums can be an indicator of periodontal disease, which contributes to tooth loss. Having infected or decayed teeth removed and replaced with dentures can improve your gum health.
Are experiencing toothaches
Tooth pain can indicate that decay has progressed past the point of resolution for your tooth, and you may require a root canal or a tooth extraction. If you need multiple teeth extracted, dentures are a suitable option to replace them easily.
Dentures are an affordable way to improve your quality of life and make managing your oral health easier. Other benefits of dentures include support for your facial muscles, improved speech, restored confidence with a full smile, and low maintenance. Implant-supported dentures can even help strengthen your jawbone and maintain your facial structure by stimulating the bone as a natural root would.
Different Types of Dentures
If you’re considering dentures, schedule a dental appointment to learn about the different types available to you. There are two kinds available at Owens Cosmetic and Family Dentistry. Partial and complete dentures both provide benefits, but they are uniquely suited to specific situations.
Partial dentures are ideal for patients who have lost multiple teeth in one arch, allowing them to regain structure and chewing capability in that part of the mouth without affecting their remaining healthy teeth. A complete denture set is more suitable for individuals suffering from excessive tooth loss due to gum diseases. Complete dentures are designed for total tooth loss in either the top or bottom arch.
Conventional dentures are placed after your gums have healed post extraction. Immediate dentures are placed right after the removal of natural teeth. The benefit of immediate dentures is that you never need to step out in public with no teeth, and it’s often easier to replicate your natural teeth while some are still present in your mouth.
You may also consider implant-supported dentures, which are a more permanent solution than conventional dentures. Rather than sitting on top of the gums, implant-supported dentures are affixed to your jawbone by metal rods acting as an artificial tooth root, just like with a regular dental implant. This provides additional support to your jaw and creates a stronger, long-lasting solution.
Dentist in Farmington Hills
For cosmetic or general dentistry, book an appointment with Owens Cosmetic and Family Dentistry in Farmington Hills at (248) 626-0772 today. We can assess your oral health and discuss your tooth replacement options..
At Owens Cosmetic and Family Dentistry, we believe everyone deserves a beautiful and healthy smile. That is why we offer several payment options and Care Credit to qualifying patients to help you achieve your smile goals. We can also help you process your dental insurance claim.
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