Dentures – Cleveland, TX

Effects of Missing Teeth

Whether you lost your teeth due to gum disease, physical trauma, or other causes, you may face a number of difficulties due to your incomplete smile. For example:

• You may not be able to eat a nutritious, balanced diet that properly supports your overall health.
• You may feel self-conscious because of the way your mouth and cheeks look. Your social life and emotional wellness could suffer as a result.
• Your gums may easily become irritated when you try to eat certain foods.
• Because clear speech depends on interactions between the tongue and teeth, it may be challenging for you to speak precisely and confidently.

What Qualifies You for Dentures?

Dentures may be right for you if:

• You have lost all or most of your teeth throughout one or both of your dental arches.
• You still have many of your natural teeth, but they are badly decayed, worn down, or damaged in other ways.
• Your gum tissue and jawbone are healthy enough to support a set of prosthetic teeth.
• You are looking for a cost-effective way to rebuild your smile.

During your consultation, we will consider your situation in order to determine which type of denture best fits your circumstances.

Alternative Tooth Replacement Options

Dentures are a wonderful tooth replacement option, but some patients are better suited to other restorative treatments, such as dental implants. Dental implants are prosthetic tooth roots that can replace any number of missing teeth, so they can help individuals who have suffered minor tooth loss as well as those that require full mouth reconstruction. They are extremely sturdy, and they stimulate the jawbone to keep it strong and whole.

We strongly recommend dental implants over traditional dentures for patients who qualify for them. You should have a strong jawbone, good oral health habits, and meet a few other important criteria. We can discuss your candidacy for them when you come to our office for a consultation.

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What Are Dentures Made Of?

Dentures consist of a denture base and artificial teeth. This is required for full and partial dentures. Although the two are held in place differently, they are quite similar when it comes to their creation process. Below is a brief explanation of what each component is and how they work together.

• Denture Base: Resin, nylon, porcelain, or acrylic are the most common materials used to create a denture base. This is the portion that sits on top of your existing gums. Acrylic is often the most frequently used because of its ability to mimic natural gum tissue, and it can be color-matched easily to blend in with your existing smile.
• Artificial Teeth: Resin and porcelain are the two materials that most labs use to craft artificial teeth. No matter if you need a full or partial denture, the teeth are attached to the base in designated areas so that they appear natural when put into place. Most dentists recommend porcelain because of how close in appearance they are to regular pearly whites.

The Denture Creation Process

To create your custom dentures, we will start by measuring your jawbone and taking an impression of your mouth. This will generate a model that lab technicians will use to create a wax model of your gumline. Artificial teeth will then be positioned along the wax model with the help of a mechanical articulator. After carving the wax and making adjustments, they will be returned to our dental office so that you can undergo the first fitting.

Once the dentures are sent back to the lab, they will continue with the creation process. The wax model will be placed in a flask after they are boiled to remove the wax. The flask is then filled with plaster – a material used to create the shape of your dentures. A liquid separator is added after small holes are placed within the dentures. This prevents the acrylic from sticking to the plaster and replaces the wax.

When ready, the plaster is removed to reveal the denture, and they are placed in an ultrasonic bath to remove the remaining plaster.

If any excess acrylic is found, it will be cut away from the denture before it is thoroughly polished.

The last step is to send them back to our office and have you come in for your final fitting. If additional adjustments are required, they can be made at this time.

Adjusting to Your New Dentures

You will need time to adjust to your new dentures because although you will wear temporary ones while waiting for your finalized prosthetics to be created, your mouth still needs to get used to the new foreign object in your mouth. You can speed up the adjustment phase by speaking slowly and reading aloud to more easily pronounce harder words. You can also eat soft foods immediately after receiving your new teeth. If you should notice that they do not feel right or become uncomfortable, don’t hesitate to reach out to our office for help.

Psychological Benefits

Losing teeth is more than a physical process, it can also affect your mental health. Many patients have trouble coming to grips with the loss of their smile and begin to sink into feelings of grief, anxiety, and depression. They feel unattractive and sometimes guilty about their tooth loss. Dentures are a way to restore both your smile and your confidence, granting you peace of mind as you focus on more important matters like visiting friends and family.

Clearer Enunciation

Teeth are one of many components that make it possible to speak. They help control airflow and provide touch points for your tongue. Without them, it can be hard to pronounce certain words or syllables, leading to speech impediments. Dentures fill in for missing teeth and after a brief adjustment period, you’ll be able to talk naturally, making conversations with loved ones less of a chore and more of an experience.

Improves Nutrition

Many times, when patients discover they can’t chew their favorite foods anymore, they stop eating them. As tooth loss progresses, the number of fresh, nutritious meals they can enjoy decreases. The foods they can enjoy don’t get processed properly by chewing, leading to nutritional deficits and digestive issues like acid reflux and indigestion. Dentures solve these problems by restoring your ability to chew effectively and get the vitamins and minerals you need in your diet to stay healthy.

Preserves Oral Health

Dentures aren’t just good for your stomach, they’re essential to preserving your mouth, especially if you still have some natural teeth. The prosthetics help maintain the space between your pearly whites, preventing excessive wear and the gradual shift that occurs naturally with tooth loss. Over time, this can help prevent other issues like bite misalignment and excessive plaque buildup due to uneven gaps that can be hard to see and clean.

Expands Opportunity

One of the most important things about your smile is its ability to influence people and make lasting impressions. This can be especially important in a career situation, especially if you work in any kind of front-facing role like sales or customer service. Studies from the Harvard School of Business indicate that people with winning smiles are more likely to be viewed as intelligent, organized, and approachable. If you’re aiming for a better career, dentures can help get you there!

Factors That Affect the Cost of Dentures

Since dentures are a one-size-fits-all tooth-replacement solution, our denture dentist in Cleveland will need to first review some important factors. That starts with the condition of your oral health. If tooth decay, gum disease, or another serious oral health concern is present, then the appropriate preliminary treatment will need to be administered first. From there, factors like the severity of your tooth loss and the materials your dentures are made of need to be considered. Of course, our team will review each of these in-depth during your consultation to ensure you can confidently decide which is best for you.

Are Implant Dentures More Expensive?

Since implant dentures require oral surgery, they are typically more expensive. With the higher cost, however, comes some noteworthy benefits. Since they are surgically inserted directly into your jawbone, they provide added stability and prevent unwanted movement. Additionally, they stimulate your jawbone like your natural teeth, preserving your youthful face shape over the years. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, they can last for 30+ years with proper care.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dentures?

While plans vary, dental insurance providers typically cover a portion of the cost. For example, if you need a preliminary treatment, like gum disease therapy, there is a good chance your available benefits can be used toward that. Ultimately, it depends on the fine print on your dental plan.

Other Options for Making Dentures Affordable

For our team, providing the highest quality of care is the priority, always. Of course, that doesn’t mean that rebuilding your smile will break the bank. In addition to offering periodic specials, our team is happy to work with CareCredit, a third-party financier. As a result, you can break up your payments into monthly, budget-friendly installments. There are even 6, 12, 24, and 60 months with little to no interest!