Complete and Partial Dentures In Whitby, ON

Many adults experience tooth loss, often stemming from gum disease, decay, or injuries that result in missing teeth. Normally, dentists recommend dental implants for tooth loss replacement, but it’s not always practical or even possible for every patient to undergo implant placement. 

Fortunately, the talented dentists at Dentistry on Dundas can offer affordable, practical ways to provide relief  while simply and effectively restoring function and beauty to a patient’s smile. These particular methods of smile restoration are called complete and partial dentures. Keep reading to learn more about our complete and partial dentures and how they can help bring back your smile.  

What Are Dentures? 

Dentures are sets of removable prosthetic teeth designed to replace missing teeth in your mouth. Dentures are usually made of acrylic resin, although they can also be made of porcelain, nylon, and even metal. There are two main types of denture solutions: complete dentures and partial dentures. 

In general, the type of denture solution recommended by your dentist will depend on the number of teeth you’re missing from your upper or lower arches of teeth. If you’ve lost significantly more teeth from one arch than the other, a complete denture solution may be better for one and a partial denture solution can be fit for the other. 

Complete Dentures

With complete dentures, you can replace an entire upper or lower arch of teeth. For a typical complete denture fitting, your dentist will extract any remaining natural teeth from the top or bottom arch and your gums will be allowed to heal completely over a period of about 12 weeks. 

During this period, temporary or immediate dentures may be made available by your dentist to make eating and speaking less of a challenge and to protect your gum tissue. While immediate dentures help ensure you don’t have to go toothless, they aren’t crafted to accommodate the changes your jaw and mouth will undergo due to tooth loss. This means that immediate dentures aren’t a long term solution or a viable replacement for conventional dentures, which are crafted to suit the new shape of your mouth, jaw, and gums after tooth loss, making them more permanent.

Partial Dentures

If you’re only missing a section of teeth, partial dentures can restore function and stability. Much like complete dentures, partial dentures are made of prosthetic teeth fused to a customized base that will match your surrounding gum tissue and fit snugly in place of your missing teeth. However, they also feature hooks that attach to the surrounding teeth, or ‘abutment teeth’ to keep your denture solution secure. 

For patients with only a section of missing teeth, a partial denture solution can be a less invasive treatment path than complete dentures while delivering similar outcomes. Your dentist can design and install your partial dentures without disturbing your healthy remaining teeth.   

Benefits of Complete and Partial Dentures 

Contrary to outdated depictions, modern day complete and partial dentures are better designed then they’ve ever been. Continued improvements on their overall design mean dentures remain a popular treatment option for replacing missing teeth and provide several advantages, including:

• Enhanced Appearance – Dentures restore your smile to fullness, allowing you to eat, speak, and smile with confidence again. 
• Supports Your Facial Muscles – Losing teeth often means your facial muscles lack support. This can lead to sagging in your face and the development of premature wrinkles. Dentures restore that support, helping to prevent premature wrinkles.
• Improved Bite – Denture solutions restore some of your bite force, helping you chew and digest solid foods, lowering the risk of choking and diabetes.
• Prevents Misalignment – Partial dentures help support your remaining teeth, preventing mesial drift, which occurs when teeth shift towards the empty spaces left by missing teeth.
• Improved Speech – complete and partial dentures will help prevent lisps and whistling sounds commonly associated with gaps left by missing teeth.
• Affordability –  One of the main draws of dentures is that compared to traditional dental implants, most patients will likely find them much easier to afford. 
• Simplicity – Complete and partial dentures are easy to use and care for. With good oral hygiene, proper maintenance, and regular dental exams with your Whitby dentist, your dentures can help you enjoy your smile for years. 

What To Expect From Complete and Partial Dentures

Your Initial Consultation

While you’ll probably be eager to receive your new dentures and restore your smile as soon as you can, you’ll first need to attend an initial consultation with one of our talented Whitby dentists. During your consultation, your dentist will provide a thorough examination of your mouth, including X-rays, review your medical history, and discuss your smile goals with you. They’ll also have a conversation with you about costs and possible financing options. Once you and your dentist have agreed on dentures as a treatment option, we’ll schedule your next appointment.

Preparation

If you’re receiving complete dentures, or you have remaining natural teeth that can’t be repaired and need to be removed, your dentist will perform tooth extraction. We’ll apply an anesthetic to the soft tissues around the teeth that need to be pulled and make sure it’s working before we proceed. 

If you’re one of the many individuals who experiences dental anxiety, we also offer sedation dentistry options to help make the process go more smoothly. If extraction was performed, you’ll be allowed to heal completely before you return to have your dentures fitted. Be sure to follow any instructions given by your dentist to ensure smooth healing, including those laid out in our surgery aftercare guide. 

Designing Your Dentures

Once any necessary extractions have been completed, we’ll take images and impressions of your gums and remaining teeth. These will be sent to an offsite laboratory and used as the blueprints for your custom made denture solution. 

Wearing Your Dentures

When you return to our Whitby, ON office to receive your new dentures, your dentist will make sure they’re to your liking. They’ll make sure they fit snugly and comfortably, before giving you instructions on how to take wear and care of them. From there, you’ll be able to enjoy your new smile.