At some point in your lifetime you may face the need for tooth replacement. Oakwood Dental Arts offers various options to choose from. A traditional and popular choice is a denture. There are two types available – complete or partial – and both are removable. A complete denture can replace a full set of teeth, but if some teeth are still healthy, a partial denture can be put in place of the ones that are missing.
A typical case for complete denture replacement is the patient who has lost teeth gradually over the years, and the ones he does have left are damaged to the extent that they cannot be saved. If he has reached the decision that brings him to our office for consultation one of our dental professionals will do a thorough examination, and suggest a treatment plan.
One technique would begin by removing the remaining teeth, after which the gums will be given time to heal from the surgery, this will usually take about 8 weeks. In the meantime a “conventional” denture will be custom made, and once the gums are ready, it will be placed.
An “immediate” denture can be made ahead and positioned just after the surgery has been done, but it should be considered as a temporary replacement that will have to be adjusted as the gums and bone structure adapt to the healing process. The advantage is that the patient won’t have to be without teeth for any amount of time, but a conventional denture will ultimately take the place of the immediate one.
Another case possibility may call for a partial denture. In this instance, some of the original teeth are still in good enough condition to be functional, and so only those already missing, or scheduled for extraction will need to be replaced. A partial denture, or “bridge,” will attach to the natural teeth on either side of the missing teeth to fill in the empty space and hold the healthy teeth in place.
Patients who are candidates for denture replacement usually ask questions about how having dentures will feel, if they will affect the ability to eat certain foods, or how they will change physical appearance. A dentist with Oakwood Dental Arts in Freehold, N.J. will be able to answer all your questions, and possibly some that you may not have considered.
Call our New Jersey office @ 732-414-2683, and take the first step in restoring your self-confidence.