If you’ve lost your teeth to gum disease, decay, or injury, you’ve probably lost your smile too. Beyond that, not having your teeth makes normal activities like eating and speaking harder than they have to be.

Missing teeth can cause your gums to shrink and cause bone loss in your jaw and make you look older. Dentures can lift your face structure, improve your appearance, and help you eat and speak with confidence.

If you want a great replacement for your natural teeth, so you can get that high-wattage smile working again, you should consider dentures. Dentures are removable appliances that can be made to look just like your natural teeth. Edgewood Dental Care can fit you with the most natural-looking dentures available.

There are two standard types of dentures available–full and partial. Complete dentures are called for when all of your teeth are missing, while partial dentures can be used when some of your natural teeth remain. There is also a hybrid option available that uses tooth implants that we’ll talk about later.

First, let’s talk about standard dentures, full ones and partial ones.

Full Dentures

Full dentures can be done a few ways. A conventional denture is made and placed in your mouth after your teeth have been removed and your mouth has healed. The process takes about eight to 12 weeks.

Partial Dentures

A partial denture is a removable denture. Our lifelike partials are replacement teeth that are attached to a gum-colored base. They are held in place by a metal framework that attaches to your natural teeth.

Our partials will be virtually indistinguishable from your surrounding, natural teeth. No one will even know that you’re wearing one!

Dr. McMahon can also make a partial by cementing a bridge to your teeth. We use a bridge to replace one or more missing teeth by placing crowns on the teeth on either side of the gap and the cementing the bridge into place.

Hybrid Options Available

Edgewood Dental Care also offers the option of hybrid dentures. Hybrid dentures are fixed-detachable dentures that are held in place with a few teeth implants. They keep your dentures in place but they don’t cover the top of your mouth, which lets you taste your food fully. Dr. McMahon will tell you if you’re a good candidate for hybrid dentures during a preliminary exam.

Are Complete Dentures Hard To Get Used To?

As with anything new, there will be an adjustment period. New dentures may feel odd at first until the muscles in your tongue and cheeks learn to keep them in place.

Eating with your new dentures also takes some practice. It might help to start out with soft foods and food cut into small pieces. Once you’ve mastered those, you can start adding other foods.

Be careful about sticky or hard foods. Sticky foods can dislodge your dentures and hard foods can cause them to chip (just as they could with your natural teeth).

Any other issues with your new dentures, like if they click while you’re talking or they slip occasionally, can be overcome in time. You can always let us know if you continue to have problems and we’ll fix them.

Should I Use Denture Adhesives, And Are They Safe?

Dental adhesives can increase the stability of dentures in your mouth. If you’re someone who is in front of people a lot, like a performer or public speaker, dental adhesives can give you an added sense of security.

Also, if you suffer from a dry mouth which can sometimes keep dentures from adhering, dental adhesives can be the answer.

Don’t use a dental adhesive if you’re only using it to stabilize dentures that are loose or poorly fitting. It’s much better to come back in and let us adjust the dentures.

And check to make sure you don’t have any allergies to dental adhesives before you apply them.

At Edgewood Dental Care, we want you to have the healthiest and most attractive smile possible. To schedule an appointment for a dental cleaning, contact us today at 859-474-7830 or complete our online form.