Dentures

Dentures

If you are missing one, several teeth or a full arch of your teeth, dentures can be used to replace the function and appearance of your natural teeth. Our Portway Dental Care dentist will create dentures that are comfortable and natural looking and we will take the time to discuss all the options with you. If you would like a removable and relatively inexpensive solution to restore your smile, dentures could be ideal for you.

It is important to replace missing teeth, even if just one is missing. If left untreated, your chewing and speaking will be affected, as additional strain is put on teeth either side of the gap and your bite can become misaligned. You could lose further teeth as a consequence of this. The missing teeth and bone can also cause your face to sag and look older

What are the advantages of dentures?

There are a number of benefits to choosing dentures to replace your missing teeth.

• You will have a full, natural-looking smile
• Dentures are durable and long-lasting
• They enable you to eat more foods and speak comfortably
• They can easily be removed
• They give support to any remaining teeth
• How do dentures work?

There are three solutions available:

Complete dentures replace a full arch if you have lost all of your teeth. An acrylic plastic base, coloured to match your gums, with a full set of teeth usually made from resin, fits over your own gums. Your Portway Dental Care dentist will take precise measurements of your mouth, which will be given to a dental technician who will custom-make your dentures so that they fit snugly over your gums and jawbone. Your Wantage dentist will make sure your dentures are comfortable, and advise you on how to clean them and the best methods for keeping them securely in place.

Partial dentures replace one or more teeth and are used if you still have some of your own teeth. The replacement teeth are specially created to fit the gaps you have and to blend in with your remaining teeth.

Implant retained dentures are a more permanent solution for partial or complete dentures. Denture stabilisation uses implants to secure overdentures in place. Implants are small titanium screws that are placed permanently in the jawbone and act in place of your tooth’s natural root. The implant provides a fixed, permanent anchor onto which your overdentures can be secured. Implant retained dentures offer a number of benefits over removable dentures:

• They fit securely to your gums
• They feel less intrusive
• They look and feel like real, natural teeth
• It’s easier to bite and chew with them
• Implants stimulate bone growth

It can take a while to get used to your new dentures, but modern dentures are more comfortable and natural looking than ever.

How do I look after my dentures?

Dentures must be looked after as if they were your natural teeth. Plaque can develop on dentures in much the same way as it can on natural teeth, which can put you at risk of gum disease.

With removable dentures, we recommend you take them out and clean them thoroughly with a soft brush after every meal and last thing at night. They should then be rinsed and may be soaked overnight in a denture cleaner.

Remember to keep your mouth clean too, by gently brushing your gums and tongue with a soft brush, paying particular to the areas against which the denture fits.

Contact Portway Dental Care on 01235 762187 today to find out more about how dentures could work for you.