Dentures – Lewisville, TX

Effects of Missing Teeth

People can lose their teeth for any number of reasons—from accidental injury to severe dental decay to poor oral hygiene. Periodontal disease can also lead to tooth loss because the connective tissues won’t be able to hold the tooth properly in position. Whatever the reason is, several downsides can come from missing some or all of your teeth. Not only will it make your daily oral tasks more difficult, such as eating, speaking, and smiling, but it can also lead to jawbone deterioration since there’s a lack of tooth roots to stimulate the bone. Furthermore, your self-esteem can diminish because of your facial changes, which can increase the risk of depression and an unwillingness to interact in social settings. With dentures, you can significantly reduce your anxieties about your smile while also improving your oral capabilities.

What Qualifies You for Dentures

Patients who are struggling with missing several or all of their teeth can most likely benefit from dentures. Our team will develop a detailed treatment plan that is tailored to your specific needs to ensure the best functionality and comfort. We will also evaluate your oral health to check for any developing or underlying oral health issues, such as tooth decay and gum disease. If we detect any concerns, then you’ll likely need to undergo preliminary treatments to address them before we can move on to fabricating your dentures. This way you can renew and preserve a healthy smile!

Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options

Dentures might not always be the most viable option for your specific situation. If so, our team can discuss your alternative solutions for rebuilding your smile. These include:

• Dental Bridges: These prosthetics consist of two dental crowns supported by healthy natural teeth on either side of the gap that is connected by pontics. This procedure involves removing some enamel to make space for the crowns, and the results can last around 10 years before needing replacements.
• Dental Implants: Titanium posts can be surgically embedded into your jawbone, providing the stable structure necessary to hold your future restoration(s) in place. This solution requires months to complete, but the results can go for 30 years to the rest of your life with proper care.

Learn More About Dental Bridges

Learn More About Dental Implants

What are Dentures Made Of?

The two main parts of a denture are the base and the artificial teeth, both of which are made with carefully chosen materials:

• The denture base can sometimes be made from nylon or various other materials. However, more often than not, acrylic is used due to its ability to mimic the appearance of the gums. Full dentures and partial dentures can both have acrylic bases, but partial dentures also typically have clasps made out of metal.
• The artificial teeth will often be made out of porcelain. This material is known for its durability, and it offers the added advantage of closely resembling natural tooth enamel.

The Denture Creation Process

When you decide to get dentures, our team will need to take impressions of your gums and create a model of your mouth. Once the model is ready, we will send it to a dental laboratory so that the creation process can begin. The technicians at the lab will make a replica of your gums out of wax, then set the artificial teeth in place with a device called an articulator.

After making any slight adjustments that might be necessary, the technicians will send the wax dentures to our team. At this point, we’ll schedule an appointment with you to make sure that the dentures fit correctly. Once we’ve confirmed that everything looks good, we’ll return the dentures to the lab for the next phase of the process.

At this point, it will be time to replace the wax base with an acrylic one. To do this, the dentures will be placed into a flask, which will then be immersed in hot water. The heat will cause the wax portions to melt away; however, plaster will be used to help the dentures keep their shape. Once the wax is gone, acrylic can be injected.

The plaster will be removed from the now-completed dentures, and unneeded acrylic will be trimmed away. The technicians will then give your dentures a final polish before returning them to our office.

At this point, you’ll finally be ready to receive your new prosthesis. Note that our team may need to make a few last-minute adjustments to make sure there aren’t any problems with your dentures.

Adjusting to Your New Dentures

It will take a while to get used to your dentures, but rest assured that any discomfort you experience should fade over time. Eating softer foods and performing facial exercises can often help while you’re in the process of adjusting to your dentures. If your discomfort lasts longer than expected, please let us know.

Psychological Benefits

The sad reality is that many individuals with missing teeth tend to suffer profound effects on their emotional and mental health. For example, they might isolate themselves socially and miss out on the benefits of meaningful interactions with other people. They might also suffer from anxiety related to the embarrassment of having an incomplete smile or their inability to chew foods easily. Their self-esteem could fall short of its potential.

If you can relate to those problems, dentures may support your mental health. By allowing you to eat and converse with ease, they may significantly increase your daily level of happiness!

Clearer Enunciation

Clear speech is the product of complex interactions between several anatomical structures, including the teeth. Without a full set of teeth, you may struggle to clearly enunciate certain sounds.

When you first get dentures, you might develop a slight lisp. After a bit of time and practice, however, you should notice that it is much easier for you to speak. In fact, your speech should ultimately be clearer and easier than it was before you got your prosthetic!

Improves Nutrition

If you have few to no natural teeth left, it could drastically affect your dietary choices. For example, you might gravitate toward foods that have very little nutritional value. As a result, your overall health could start to suffer.

Dentures can equip you to eat a wide variety of foods, including most fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and other foods that are important for supporting overall wellness. A well-balanced diet can have head-to-toe health benefits!

Preserves Oral Health

If you still have some of your natural teeth, dentures may benefit them in a couple of ways:

• Dentures can prevent dental drift. In other words, they can serve as a placeholder that prevents your natural teeth from shifting out of place and interfering with the harmony of your bite.
• Dentures can take some of the stress of chewing. Your prosthetic can allow you to distribute food evenly across your mouth, which can reduce wear and tear on your natural tooth enamel.

Expands Opportunity

Your teeth, or your lack thereof, can have big effects on the way people perceive you. If people believe you have poor oral health, you may be less likely to find a new job or reach your potential in the workplace. A well-made denture can give you a confident smile and project the impression that you are youthful, successful, and approachable. You might be surprised by the power of a beautiful, strong set of teeth!

Factors That Affect the Cost of Dentures

A complete and thorough evaluation of your smile is necessary to determine how much your estimated costs will be. These often include:

• The number of teeth that are missing
• If preliminary treatments are necessary (i.e., bone grafting, periodontal therapy, tooth extraction)
• The types of materials used to create dentures (typically acrylic and/or porcelain)

Although it is possible to find dentists that offer cheaper materials to help cut down on expenses, you’ll quickly find that paying more for longer-lasting prosthetics is well worth the investment. Otherwise, you’re left to the shifting changes and deterioration of the jawbone. By choosing higher-quality materials, you’ll be more likely to enjoy your new smile for longer.

Are Implant Dentures More Expensive?

Yes, it is true that implant dentures are more expensive than traditional varieties. The reasons are many, but the truth is that by opting for implant dentures, you will receive prosthetics that are known to last a lifetime. Made from durable titanium – a material that easily fuses with the jawbone – they can restabilize and improve functionality to allow for easier eating, speaking, and smiling.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dentures?

There is a good chance that your dental insurance will cover the cost of your dentures as long as you are filing the claim correctly. Our team will be happy to handle this aspect of treatment so that you can focus more on your smile and less on the financial frustrations and components of dentistry. Most insurance companies will agree to pay up to 50% of the total cost depending on whether your deductible is met and how much of your available funds remain in your annual maximum.

Other Options for Making Dentures Affordable

Apart from the use of dental insurance, we also make it easy for patients to enroll in flexible financing through CareCredit as well as provide an in-house membership plan. No matter which method you choose, we can discuss your options and help you fill out the necessary information so that you get the care you need while sticking with a price you can afford.

Removable Dentures

Remove After Eating

Dentures can help make meals enjoyable again by letting you eat a wider variety of foods. Of course, once you’re done eating, you can expect there to be some food particles left behind. As such, after each meal, you should make a quick trip to the nearest available sink so that you can rinse off your dentures. Always check the temperature of the water first; you don’t want it to be too hot, or it may end up causing the shape of your dentures to change.

Clean Your Restoration

Dentures need to be cleaned at least once a day. After taking them out of your mouth, you can brush them with a nonabrasive cleaning material such as hand soap or mild dish soap. (Naturally, specialized denture cleanser is also an option.) Make sure that the toothbrush you’re using has soft bristles that are unlikely to damage your prosthesis. You definitely don’t want any cleaning materials to still be on the denture when you put it back in, so end every cleaning session with a thorough rinse.

Keep Your Dentures Safe

Accidents can always happen, which is why it pays to take steps to minimize the chances of breaking your dentures by mistake. Put a towel or another soft object beneath you whenever you take your dentures out; if you happen to drop them, you don’t want them to fall directly onto a hard surface. Also, if there are any small children or pets in your home, you should always keep your dentures in a spot where they can’t get to them.

Remove Dentures When You Sleep

As convenient as the idea of wearing your dentures 24/7 might sound, you do need to take your prosthesis out periodically for the sake of oral health and hygiene. As such, it’s highly recommended that you remove your dentures at night just before you go to sleep. When your dentures aren’t in your mouth, they should be in a container filled with a cleaning solution to keep them from drying out.

Notice Changes

Have the gums underneath your dentures become irritated lately? Are any of your false teeth broken? Do your dentures sometimes shift around when you don’t want them to? Inform us immediately if you notice anything different so that we can fix, adjust, or replace your dentures as needed.

Will It Hurt to Get Dentures?

If you need to have teeth extracted prior to receiving dentures, you’ll probably experience some mild discomfort following the procedure. However, this pain can often easily be managed by taking your prescribed and over-the-counter pain relievers as instructed, and it typically only lasts for a few days. When you first receive new dentures, some minor irritation might occur as your mouth adjusts to the new appliance. This adjustment period varies from person to person, but it can sometimes take weeks or months. If this pain continues to persist, you should contact us promptly; it could be a sign that your dentures weren’t fitted properly, or there might be an underlying oral health issue that necessitates treatment.

Can I Sleep with My Dentures?

When you first receive your dentures, you’ll likely be asked to wear it for at least the first 24 hours, including sleep; however, you should be taking it out every evening after that. Wearing dentures restricts the circulation in your gums, which can lead to soft tissue irritation. Taking them out encourages healthy blood flow, and also gives your gums and jaw the chance to rest after supporting them all day. Removing your dentures before bedtime also gives you the perfect opportunity to soak them in a cleaning solution or water, which will keep them clean. The dark, moist spaces underneath dentures is an ideal place for bacteria to thrive; in fact, sleeping with dentures has been found to be associated with a higher risk of pneumonia, among other problems such as higher levels of gum and tongue plaque.

What Can’t You Eat with Dentures?

Even though they effectively replace lost teeth, dentures are also accompanied by certain dietary restrictions that need to be followed closely. Sticky foods like peanut butter, taffy, and other chewy items can pull your dentures out of place. Some foods, such as popcorn, shelled nuts, and even the seeds on certain types of bread are also problematic, as they contain small bits that can become trapped underneath the dentures. Tough meats like steak, pork chops, and other items that require an excessive amount of chewing can also place a lot of unneeded stress on your dentures and gums alike.

Is It Hard to Talk with Dentures?

When you first get your dentures, it’ll take some time for you to become accustomed to speaking with them. For the first few weeks, you might talk with a slight lisp or stutter, or muffle certain words. However, as with anything in life, practice makes perfect—you can speed up this adjustment process and master talking with your dentures by reading things out loud whenever you have the chance or practicing conversing with a friend or family member. Also applying a small amount of adhesive can help to stabilize your dentures and make your speech a tad clearer.