Dental Dentures

Dentures or prosthetic teeth are commonly referred to as false teeth. They are specially designed to replace an individual's missing or diseased teeth. Made to order exclusively for each patient, the dentures fit snugly in the mouth cavity, well supported by the soft and hard tissues that surround them.

Types of dentures

Dentures can be either partial or complete. The type of dentures used will depend essentially on the specific needs of the individual.

Partial dentures

Partial dentures are used in cases where the patient has only a few missing teeth. They may be of either the removable or the fixed variety, and the patient is generally asked to choose between the two. If a patient has lost only one or two teeth either from an accident or by way of extraction of decayed teeth, the dentist would in all likelihood suggest a fixed partial denture in the form of a 'crown & bridge' arrangement.

Complete dentures

When the entire set of teeth on either the lower jaw (mandibular arch) or on the upper jaw (maxillary arch) have to be replaced, complete dentures are used.

There are 4 kinds of complete dentures.They are standard dentures, immediate dentures, implant retained dentures, and Cu-Sil dentures.

Standard dentures are made for people who have already lost their entire set of teeth. The back of a standard denture ends just behind the hard bone in the roof of the mouth, in order to maximise the surface area for achieving the best possible retention and stability. Retention of the top denture is achieved by suction, while stability is dependant upon the hardness of the underlying tissues.It takes about 4 appointments to have a set of standard dentures fitted comfortably.

Immediate dentures

These are often referred to as temporary dentures, and are actually constructed before the extraction of the natural teeth.The prefabricated denture is inserted immediately after extraction, right over the bleeding sockets. The denture serves to numb the pain, and most patients do quite well with these. It takes one or two appointments with the dentist to have the immediate dentures ready for fitting.

Cu-Sil dentures

Having even a single healthy, natural tooth aids the stability of the denture to a significant degree. The Cu-Sil denture has holes in it which are surrounded by a gasket of stable silicone rubber which adheres to the natural teeth thereby allowing the rest of the denture to rest on the gums. This provides good stability by improving suction in addition to the mechanical stability offered by the immobility of the natural teeth. Cu-Sil dentures thus help stabilise loose teeth and extend the life of the teeth.

Implant retained dentures

Dental implants involve having a titanium 'screw' fitted into a hole drilled into the underlying bone, to secure the position of the tooth. The procedure can be quite expensive (about 1000 Pounds or more), but retention is much enhanced. The insertion of implants into the bone below the dentures can help to mitigate the problem of wearing of the bone.

Plastic or porcelain dentures

Denture teeth can be made of plastic as well as of porcelain, and the latter are a better match with natural teeth. Also, porcelain teeth last much longer than do the plastic counterparts.

Dentures are not expected to last a lifetime, and they have to be replaced when the time is ripe. The bone that supports the dentures is gradually eroded over a period of time, causing the denture of the upper jaw to rise higher and higher under the upper lip, with corresponding downward movements of the lower set. While this is happening, the distance between the nose and the tip of the chin gets reduced, and changes in the shape of the face set in, which may become irreversible. With such changes in muscle length and bulk, it would become virtually impossible for the dentist to make a new set of dentures that are satisfactory to the patient if the old dentures are used beyond a reasonable length of time. It is therefore recommended to have a new set of dentures made once every 5 to 7 years.

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