Discover The Best Dentures Near You, Your Guide To A Perfect Smile

Having the perfect smile isn’t just a matter of aesthetics.

While a healthy set of pearly whites can undoubtedly boost your confidence and improve your appearance, it impacts your overall quality of life. You wouldn’t be able to properly eat or speak without your teeth, and in some cases, you could even encounter issues with your airways, preventing you from breathing properly.

Fortunately, if you have some missing teeth or would like to improve your smile, there are several ways to achieve that – one of them being with the help of dentures.

Have a look below to find out more about dentures, their different types, and the benefits you could enjoy with them.

Who should use dentures?

Well-designed dentures are convenient, easy to maintain, and natural-looking, allowing you to transform your smile. However, before you start looking up “dentures near me,” you (and your dentist) should determine whether you’re a good candidate for them in the first place.

So, who should use dentures? Who is a good candidate for them?

As a general rule of thumb, you might be a good candidate for dentures if you have:

• One or more missing teeth
• Difficulties eating because of missing teeth
• Difficulties speaking because of missing teeth
• Facial changes due to missing teeth (sunken face)
• Healthy gums
• Healthy jawbone structure

Although most people believe that dentures are only for the elderly, your age isn’t always a deciding factor. Many people lose some of their teeth because of aging, but other things like accidents, cavities, gum disease, and more could also lead to tooth loss and make you a prime candidate for dentures.

Of course, you should always speak to a skilled dentist who can help determine whether you should or shouldn’t use them.

What type of dentures best suit you?

Dentures come in various shapes and sizes, which can be perfectly customized to suit your unique needs and preferences. Though there are many subtypes, they can all be categorized into complete, partial, or implant-supported dentures.

1. Complete dentures

Complete dentures are likely what first comes to mind when you think of dentures – a full set of removable fake teeth designed to replace the missing ones. They’re used in cases where all of your teeth (in the upper/lower jaw or both) are missing.

These types of dentures are made to attach directly to your gums, so having healthy gums and a strong jawbone structure is essential. If you have gum issues, wearing them can be highly uncomfortable.

The main drawback of these dentures is that you typically cannot use them immediately after tooth extraction – i.e., before your gums are healed. Since your gums and jawbone can change shape after tooth extraction, you must wait until everything is stabilized. Otherwise, you must keep visiting your dentist for denture adjustments throughout your healing process.

2. Partial dentures

Partial dentures are used when you still have some natural teeth left. They’re designed to fill in the gaps between the teeth and give you a natural-looking smile.

Unlike complete dentures that attach to your gums only, partial dentures typically attach to both your gums and the surrounding teeth. As a rule, they’re made of acrylic resin (or, in some instances, porcelain), fixed to a gum-colored base, and connected by a metal framework that remains hidden while you’re wearing them. Some partial dentures also have clasps to connect to your natural teeth, giving them more stability.

One of the great things about partial dentures is that they can help prevent your remaining natural teeth from moving and your jaw from becoming misshapen due to gaps after tooth loss.

3. Implant-supported dentures

Unlike traditional, easily removable dentures, implant-supported dentures are designed to be fixed into place. You cannot take them out or snap them into or out of place – you’ll need a dental procedure to remove them.

To get implant-supported dentures, you’ll have to undergo surgery where the dentist will insert a dental implant directly into your jawbone. Then, they fix the dentures into the implant and leave you with a pearly white smile.

It’s also possible to get implant-retained dentures. Highly similar to the former, these are attached to the dental implants inside the jawbone, but you can snap them in or out whenever you want. Their biggest benefits are that they don’t require you to use dental glue, and they’re more securely attached than convenient dentures.

The benefits you can enjoy with the fitting dentures

If you don’t have any immediately visible missing teeth, you might feel like you don’t need to use dentures. However, they do offer some great benefits, which makes investing in them well worth it:

• Prevent bone loss – dentures can prevent your jawbone from becoming misshapen;
• Improve oral health – missing teeth can lead to issues like periodontal disease, which can be avoided with the right dentures;
• Eat and chew comfortably – dentures allow you to eat and chew with the utmost ease as if you had all your natural teeth;
• Speak clearly – with dentures, your tongue can move and rest comfortably, allowing you to speak clearly and eliminating pronunciation difficulties;
• Smile confidently – dentures improve oral aesthetics and can make your face look fuller, thus boosting your confidence.

Dentures aren’t for everyone, but if you need them, investing in high-quality ones is in your best interest.

Final thoughts

High-quality dentures that fit you perfectly can be life changing. They can restore your confidence and help you speak more clearly, eat more comfortably, and avoid encountering other oral health issues. Consult your dentist to learn whether dentures could benefit you and what type would fit you best. For all of its patients in Hamilton and Elizabeth, New Jersey, who wish to restore the function and health of their smiles by filling in the gaps created by lost teeth, Columbia Dental provides premium dental implants. Call the office or use the online scheduling feature to schedule a visit to get started right.