A Teenager's Guide to Braces

Due to numerous advancements in dental medicine, patients that are needing to have one or more of their teeth replaced now have an assortment of options to choose from. However, there will be situations where dentures are still the best solution for a particular patient's needs.

Are Dentures Suitable For People That Have Only Lost A Portion Of Their Teeth?

Dental patients will often think that dentures are strictly for individuals that have lost all or most of their teeth. As a result, patients that are missing only a few teeth may not consider this as a viable option, and this can be particularly true when the missing teeth were located in different areas of the mouth. However, partial dentures can be extremely common for individuals that have only lost one or two teeth. Additionally, it is possible to use a combination of different partial dentures to meet a person's dental needs.   

How Do Dentures Stay In The Mouth?

Interestingly, there are a couple of different ways that dentures can be anchored in a person's mouth. If you choose to opt for full dentures, they will use suction to anchor themselves to in the mouth. Not surprisingly, this can be a somewhat strange sensation at first, but you should not worry as you will be likely to adjust to wearing the dentures fairly soon. Some patients may be tempted to use denture adhesive to make them feel more secure, but long-term use of these substances can irritate the gums. Therefore, you should limit the use of these products for important situations, such as public speaking events. For patients that choose to use partial dentures, the denture will be anchored to neighboring teeth.

Will Dentures Need To Be Replaced?

Proper care and maintenance can help your dentures to last for many years, but there will always come a time when they will need to be replaced. Wear and tear can cause the artificial teeth to loosen and the dentures to fit unevenly in the mouth. Due to the fact that the dentures may need several weeks to be made, you should be mindful of replacing these devices. At least twice a year, you will want to have the dentures serviced so that they can be inspected for signs of wear. By knowing when problems are developing and having the dentures replaced quickly, you can minimize the risk of being without dentures while the new set is being created.

For more information, contact a dentist like Michele A Bibeau DDS.