Name: Complete dentures
Brand: Hereford Dental & Implant Clinic
Rating: 4.8 (242 reviews)

Complete dentures

In the most severest of cases when you have no remaining teeth left, you will require a complete denture. Dentures, also known as false teeth, will never be the same as your original natural teeth, but they will allow you to regain some of the lost functionality in your mouth.

Not only will loosing your teeth affect the aesthetics of your smile, but it will also have further complications on your dental health in the long run. After loosing your teeth, the jaw bone and gums will continue to recede and change for the rest of your life. These changes are often the causes why a well fitted denture can become loose and not as comfortable as they were initially, and will eventually require an adjustment. Other treatments such as dental implants are a great way to securely replace missing teeth, that also promotes healthy bone growth and will combat the effects of loosing your teeth.

What is bone shrinkage?

After the extraction of your teeth, the complete dentures are made to rest on the ridges of your gums and bone. This is what holds the dentures in place. As soon as one tooth is lost/extracted the bone in your jaw will start to shrink. The effects are more drastic if you are missing multiple teeth. This process is known as resorption. This process will continue throughout your life and the effects will be different from person to person.

Lower denture vs. upper denture

There is more space on the upper jaw bone meaning that upper dentures are more stable and less problematic compared to lower dentures.

Most problems occur with lower dentures. This is because the lower jaw suffers from faster shrinking than the upper. Lower jaws naturally have less space on the gum ridges. The tongue movement may also be a reason why the lower denture does not stay in a fixed place at all time. If the denture is consistently being moved around it will start to lose its shape and will become ill fitting (requiring an adjustment).

How often do I need to change my denture?

This will differ from person to person and will depend on the changes that occur in your mouth, and how fast these changes take place. The denture will remain the same shape, but because of these changes in your mouth, the denture will not be a perfect fit to how your mouth develops – making it not as comfortable. We recommend that you come in for a yearly denture check to ensure it fits well and then any adjustments that are needed can be made. If your denture starts to feel uncomfortable at any time, please do not hesitate to arrange an appointment today!

What are the advantages of complete dentures?

You will be able to chew food
You will be able to speak normally again
You will be able to smile with confidence

How to secure your complete dentures

Loosing your teeth is not a pleasant experience to go through. Not only does it affect how you look and how your mouth functions (eating, speaking etc), but it can also cause more problems as time goes on. Your jaw bone will start to recede away if there are missing teeth. To secure your dentures and to stop the bone resorption, dental implants are an effective treatment to combat these issues. They will securely hold your dentures in place (known as overdentures) and will fuse with the jaw bone, which also promotes healthy bone growth.

Treatments

Bridges

If you don’t have many missing teeth, or if your missing teeth are all on one side of your mouth, your Hereford Dental & Implant Clinic dentist may recommend a bridge. A bridge will literally bridge the gap left by missing teeth.

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Treatments

Dental implants

If you would like a fixed solution for one or more missing teeth, our Hereford Dental & Implant Clinic dentists can help restore both your smile and your quality of life with dental implants.

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Related FAQs

Dentures

Will dentures affect my speech?

For many people there is a period of adjustment when you first get your dentures fitted, in which speaking may be more difficult than before. But this is normally a case of getting used to the feel of them, and you’ll soon be back to speaking normally with a little practise. Your Portman dentist will be able to help you with this.

Dentures

Why do dentures have to come out at night?

This may not be compulsory but it is highly recommended. If you soak them overnight in an approved denture cleaner, they will be clean and fresh the next day.

Dentures

Do dentures make eating difficult?

Eating may be difficult at first. Eating with dentures is slightly different to eating with natural teeth as they are not rooted as deep in your mouth. You will be used to a biting and tearing method but this will need to be adapted to focus more on biting. It can take some getting used to.

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If you'd like to learn more about our treatments or begin your dental journey in our state of the art dental surgery, please book an appointment.

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