Dentures

Teeth are lost due to various reasons. Most important of them all is gum disease. Gum diseases extending into the surrounding bone induce loss of supporting bone. As a result, teeth become mobile and fall down. Multiple decayed teeth without proper care also break and lead to loss of teeth.

For reasons like appearance, food chewing, and supporting the lips and cheeks one would go in for dentures.

·        Dentures replace missing teeth and part of the tissues that are lost during the process.

·        Dentures support the lips and cheeks otherwise which could have sunken in and give aged appearance.

·        Dentures allow the patient to enjoy food thus helping in maintaining good health

·        Dentures get back the confidence to the wearer to face the world.

·        Dentures help the patient in speaking more clearly. Teeth are very crucial in pronouncing various letters and words without which the speech would be badly affected. Dentures clear this problem.

Complete dentures are fabricated in multiple stages to obtain well fit, functionally and aesthetically acceptable dentures.

First appointment: Initial impressions of both arch (jaw) is made. This is used to develop a positive replica of your jaw and surrounding tissues and is called a cast. A special tray is fabricated over these casts which would adapt exactly to the surface structures of the mouth.

Second appointment: Special trays are further manipulated in the patients as per the functional movements of tissues like cheek, tongue, jaws. Now final and accurate impression of the jaws is made.

Third appointment: The height, form and shape of the dentures is established during this visit ensuring dentures offer proper support and appearance to the facial tissues along with proper speech and food chewing capability. Type and size of teeth is also decided during this appointment based on jaw size and sex of the individual.

Fourth appointment: The chosen teeth are fixed over the trays and are checked in patient’s mouth. Visibility of teeth, ease of speech is examined and if found satisfactory, they are sent to the lab for processing.

Final appointment: Dentures are placed in patient’s mouth, problems if any are cleared and patient is given instructions to use and maintain dentures. Teeth and base are made of modern high density plastic materials.

Follow-up appointment: usually the patient will be asked to wear dentures even at night during initial days and to report back to the dentist. If there are any minor problems associated with dentures, they will be corrected and suitable instructions are given.

 ·        During the initial days of wearing new dentures, there can be increased saliva secretion in mouth which can be annoying. This problem will           gradually get resolved.

·        During the first few days of denture wearing, patient might find it difficult to talk or chew food with dentures.

It is advised to read newspaper or books loudly so as to get used to the dentures thus making speech more natural.

·       While chewing with dentures food should be cut in small pieces and should be chewed on both sides. Otherwise the dentures might become unstable

Some amount of perseverance and patience is expected during the initial days while consuming food. Body learns to chew food with dentures gradually. 

·       While sneezing or coughing hands should cover the mouth as dentures get unsettled during these forceful outbursts of air. They might fall down creating embarrassment as well as breakage of dentures.

1.  During the initial days of wearing new dentures, there can be increased saliva secretion in mouth which can be annoying. This problem will gradually get resolved.

2. During the first few days of denture wearing, patient might find it difficult to talk or chew food with dentures.

3. It is advised to read newspaper or books loudly so as to get used to the dentures thus making speech more natural.

4. While chewing with dentures food should be cut in small pieces and should be chewed on both sides. Otherwise the dentures might become unstable

5. Some amount of perseverance and patience is expected during the initial days while consuming food. Body learns to chew food with dentures gradually. 

6. While sneezing or coughing hands should cover the mouth as dentures get unsettled during these forceful outbursts of air. They might fall down creating embarrassment as well as breakage of dentures.

 Maintaining cleanliness of your dentures is of utmost importance. Following tips can help in achieving best hygiene for your dentures.

• Special brushes with larger and smaller tufts of bristles are available. The larger tuft should be used to clean outer surface of denture whereas smaller tuft should be used to clean the under surface or tissue facing surface of dentures. Use of regular brushes and tooth paste to clean dentures can create roughness on the denture surface. This in turn will attract growth of microorganisms on denture surface.

• Special denture cleansing products are available either in powder or tablet form which can be put in normal water and dentures are immersed into it. Dentures get cleaned. They should be washed and then worn. These products can be used on alternate days.

• Separate body soap can be used to clean dentures every-day.

• Usually the dentures are brittle. They break if fallen down. So special care should be taken while handling dentures.

• Some amount of perseverance and patience is expected during the initial days while consuming food. Body learns to chew food with dentures. If well maintained, dentures can last for several years and fill your life with joy.

Denture relining is a procedure of adding a new layer of material to the tissue surface of the denture. Denture relining is advised for people who have thin and sore gum tissues.

Denture reliner acts as a cushioning material along with improving the fit. Thus it reduces patient discomfort.

 It is advisable to reline dentures once in 2-3 years.

Immediate dentures are given immediately after teeth removal without waiting for the healing period. They spare the patient of the embarrassment of being without teeth.

Impressions are made before removal of all teeth and rest of the treatment procedures is completed. Finally, teeth are removed and immediately dentures are inserted.

During the initial three months following teeth removal, jaws undergo drastic changes because of bone loss. So the immediate dentures tend to get loosened. This is the biggest problem associated with immediate dentures. So they need to reline or a new denture may have to be constructed to achieve comfort and accuracy in the following 3-6 months.

Jaw bones wear out gradually. This wearing out of jaw bone is higher in lower jaw. As a result, jaw height reduces to the level of or below that of tongue.

This seriously disturbs denture stability as any tongue movements tends to move denture.

Implants can be a ray of hope in such conditions. They are placed inside the jaw bone and extensions called abutments are fixed over these implants. These extensions hold the dentures firm in their position. The comfort achieved is much better.

Implant supported dentures provide comfort and confidence to patients who otherwise would suffer from loose dentures and embarrassment.

Based on the quality and quantity of jaw bone available, implants are placed are placed in the jaw bone at suitable site and are allowed to heal. After 3-6 months, abutments are fixed and components are fixed onto the under surface of dentures. These get connected to each other in the form of lock and key and hold dentures firm in their place.

These implants also preserve bone around them thus improving the longevity and comfort of dentures.