Dentures

Dentures are removable false teeth that come with a host of benefits, including helping to improve how you eat and speak, as well as boosting your confidence by restoring your smile. They can also enhance facial shape, especially around the lips and in the cheek area. You can either have partial dentures for a few missing teeth or full dentures to a replace a whole set of teeth on the upper or lower jaw.

They are usually made from acrylic, or a combination of acrylic and metal, and modern materials mean that partial dentures will blend in beautifully with existing teeth and complete dentures can produce a very natural-looking smile.

Benefits

• Natural-looking appearance
• Can enhance facial shape
• Can improve eating and speaking ability
• An effective and affordable way to restore your smile

Treatment Steps

• Making and fitting dentures can be quite an involved process so you may have to attend several appointments to ensure the final set of dentures are a secure and comfortable fit.
• There will usually be two visits for impressions, then further appointments for the design stages before the final fitting and follow-up.

After Fitting

It can take a little while to get used to your new dentures, especially if they are a complete set. They may feel odd at first and eating can be tricky, so it may be a good idea to start with softer foods and slowly introduce more challenging items. The amount of saliva in your mouth may increase, but this should soon improve as your mouth gets used to your replacement teeth.

Initially, speaking may be difficult but you can improve this by reading aloud and if you are experiencing any sore spots in your mouth, the denture surface may need some adjustment.

Aftercare

Dentures are designed to be hardwearing but they will last longer if you treat them with care. Dentures should be removed before you go to bed so your gums can have a rest, but they must be stored in water or denture cleaning fluid.

Clean your dentures with a toothbrush or a special denture brush and it’s essential to keep your gums and any remaining teeth clean too. You will also need to attend regular dental health examinations so your dentist and hygienist can help ensure your dental health remains good. Denture-wearers need an exceptionally high standard of daily oral hygiene and good diet control to prevent the remaining dental tissues deteriorating.