DENTURES - ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

WHAT ARE DENTURES?

Dentures are nothing but replacements of missing teeth which may be lost due to any reason. 

WHO NEEDS DENTURES?

Mostly required by elderly people because of the loosening to the teeth due to certain gum problems or bone loss or decay process etc but can also be needed by young or middle-aged individuals due to some other reasons resulting in tooth loss such as trauma other than decay etc.



Therefore anyone who has lost a tooth or multiple teeth requires an artificial one either to restore proper function that is eating food and chewing or to restore aesthetics can use dentures.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF DENTURES AVAILABLE?

Firstly, depending on the number of teeth to be replaced we have :

  1. Complete dentures — wherein all the teeth are replaced by the artificial teeth. done in cases where the individual doesn’t have even a single natural tooth and has lost all of them due to any of the reasons mentioned above.



        2.   Partial dentures — these are the dentures provided wherein only one single tooth   or multiple teeth are to be replaced but not all of them.

Secondly, depending on whether they are fixed or removable we have :

  1.   Fixed partial dentures — these are fixed as the name suggests and therefore can not be removed by the patients at his or her will.



        Advantages :
        
        - feel more natural 
        - better stability and support compared to removable partial dentures
        - minimal soft tissue coverage hence more comforting to the patient 

        Disadvantages :
   
        - more expensive compared to removable partial dentures
        - can only be used for replacing one or two teeth in one area
        - teeth must be well aligned and can not be done if this is not the case
        - more traumatic procedure compared to using removable partial dentures.

         2.      Removable partial dentures — these can be removed by the patients at his or   her own will.



        Advantages :

        - less expensive than fixed
        - less traumatic than fixed
        - can be used for replacing more than 2 teeth in one area at a stretch 
        - easy to maintain oral hygiene here compared to fixed.

        Disadvantages :

        - not that aesthetic as fixed partial denture
        - may cause gagging
        - support and stability is less compared to fixed partial denture


Thirdly, depending on the material of the denture bases (denture bases is something to which the teeth are attached which is then placed in patients mouth)


denture base along with the teeth together combine to form dentures.
the denture base can be either :

1. METAL DENTURE BASES :



Advantages :

  1. Easier to maintain 
  2. Strong even in thin sections unlike acrylic which breaks off in thin sections.
  3. Better sensory perception in metal since its a good conductor of heat.

Disadvantages :

  1. More expensive.
  2. Requires more time for fabrication, therefore, patient has to wait for a much longer duration.
  3. Difficult to fabricate for the operator.
  4. Cannot be corrected or altered easily once made.
  5. Not aesthetic.

2. ACRYLIC DENTURE BASES :





Advantages :

  1. Acrylic has a translucent pink colour which closely resembles the colour of our gums hence more esthetic than metal denture bases.
  2. Can be easily corrected in future if required.
  3. The material is strong and therefore can bear chewing forces.

Disadvantages :

  1. Cannot be used in thin sections like metal denture bases which sometimes is unconformable for some patients.
  2. Does not transmit heat hence sensory perception is poor here.
  3. Difficult to maintain. 

IS THERE ANY ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT IF I DO NOT WANT TO WEAR DENTURES?

Yes! Fortunately, we have another amazing option other than dentures which is dental implants.


This is a much better and probably the best option currently. They are fixed and most aesthetic providing the best support and most natural feel and comfort to the patient. 
The only problem is that they are quite expensive compared to dentures but if you can afford then hands down it is best to use this rather than dentures.

The detailed explanation of implants will be done in subsequent blogs.

DO WE REALLY NEED TO USE DENTURES?

Dentures are quite important because they help you to chew food which is of utmost importance. 
Other than that, they provide you with the best aesthetics and if you won’t wear dentures in the absence of natural teeth then all your surrounding facial muscles will sag down and this is how you might look. 




in case of missing teeth in between your natural teeth, these natural teeth may move towards the empty space created by the lost teeth and that can hamper your bite and lead to various other problems lie food lodgement etc.

HOW TO MAINTAIN MY DENTURES?




if you have complete dentures or removable partial dentures, then there are various things that you should keep in mind as a part of their maintenance like :
  1. Always remove your dentures at night before going to bed.
  2. Place your dentures in water in a steel box. 
  3. Brush your dentures just with normal plain water or some special denture cleansers available in the market using a small toothbrush. DO NOT USE COLGATE OR ANY OTHER kinds of toothpaste.
  4. Remove and rinse your dentures every time after eating.
  5. Do not use excessively hot or cold water to clean your denture.
  6. If you have loose fitting dentures visit your dentist.
  7. If you feel that your dentures are rough and causing you injury on wearing them please get a checkup.
  8. Handle your dentures carefully.
  9. Wash your mouth once after removing dentures from the mouth.
  10. Do not eat any tobacco or betel quid(supari) firstly because they are not good for your health and also they cause staining of the dentures. 

For fixed partial dentures, 
  1. Proper brushing and flossing can prevent any food lodgement and help to maintain your fixed denture. 
  2. Go for regular dental checkups.

HOW LONG WILL MY DENTURES LAST?

  1. fixed partial dentures last for more than 10 years.
  2. complete dentures and removable partial dentures can last for several years too but its best to keep on changing them and getting new ones fabricated after every 5-6 years since they become loose over a period of time because the size of the gum tissues decrease and shrink over years once you loose teeth.

WHAT ARE THE DISADVANTAGES OF DENTURES?

  1. Loose fitting dentures are a hindrance to speech and causes difficulty for the patient to speak.
  1. tight fitting dentures can cause injury to the underlying tissue and hence lead to pain and ulcerations and bleeding.

  1. Dentures increase the rate of bone loss from the jaw. 
  2. Unclean dentures can be a source of infection for the patient and can even cause bad breath.
  3. They have to repeatedly adjust over time since of the constant changing gum tissues. Etc.

That is all for today’s blog. 

Hope you understood it!

Thank you :)


For any suggestions or queries mail me at muskan.3096@gmail.com 

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