Dentures – Chevy Chase, MD

Who's a Good Candidate for Dentures?

Dentures can be an effective way to restore your smile’s appearance and functionality regardless of how many natural teeth you have remaining. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean this treatment is the best way to meet everyone’s unique needs.

Before proceeding, you must consult Dr. Yu to ensure that you’re a good candidate for this service. Continue reading to learn who might benefit from dentures so you can make an informed decision to rebuild your grin after tooth loss. 

Effects of Missing Teeth

According to the American Dental Association, periodontitis (advanced gum disease) is the leading cause of permanent tooth loss in adults. This can occur when bacteria in your mouth penetrate your connective tissues, resulting in an infection that, if left untreated, can eventually cause them to recede. Without a firm enough anchor, your teeth can become destabilized or dislodged. However, they can also be lost due to severe decay, damage, or physical trauma that knocks one out.

Whatever the cause, tooth loss can detract from your daily quality of life in several ways. For instance, you might feel self-conscious about the changes to your appearance, or struggle to eat and speak normally.

What Qualifies You for Dentures?

After your initial conversation and examination, Dr. Yu can make an appropriate treatment recommendation based on her findings. She might suggest dentures for patients who have:

• Suffered more significant tooth loss.
• Sensitive teeth or gums.
• Sufficiently healthy connective tissues.
• A strong enough jawbone to support this restoration.

Keep in mind that there are different types of dentures, and the right solution for you depends on your unique circumstances, like how many teeth you have lost, your oral hygiene habits, and your financial situation.

Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options

If our team in Chevy Chase determines that you’re not a good candidate for dentures right away, don’t lose hope! You might still benefit from one of the following alternative solutions:

• Dental bridge. This is an oral appliance that contains the correct number of artificial teeth (pontics) positioned between a dental crown on each end that anchors to healthy abutment teeth or dental implants on both sides of the space in your smile. This can be used to replace a single tooth or several consecutively missing teeth.
• Dental implant. This is the only restoration that is surgically placed in your jaw and eventually fuses with the bone material to become a more permanent part of your mouth. This may cost more initially, but the results tend to be more resilient and longer lasting, which can save money in the long run.

Learn More About Dental Bridges

Learn More About Dental Implants

Types of Dentures

To best determine which type of denture is ideal for your smile, you’ll first need to schedule a consultation at Avant Dentistry. At this appointment, Dr. Yu will review your oral and overall health and make recommendations for the type of prosthetic that will suit your needs. She will also take impressions and images for the dental lab, or if you need any preliminary treatment such as extractions or gum disease therapy, we can schedule your treatment for those first.

Partial Dentures

Having large gaps between your teeth can cause myriad problems for your mouth. In addition to making it harder to chew and enunciate your words, it can also cause jawbone deterioration and tooth drift, which can eventually lead to the loss of more teeth.

Partial dentures can help solve many of these problems. They are typically made of acrylic “gums” and crowns that are durable and lifelike and won’t damage nearby teeth. Typically, they secure in place with metal clips or clasps and are removable for cleaning and soaking overnight.

Full Dentures

Full dentures are ideal for patients who are missing all the teeth on an arch. They secure in place using natural suction, so you can use them to smile, speak, and eat confidently. The base of your full dentures is custom crafted to fit the precise measurements of your individual mouth, so they not only look like your real smile, but they feel like real teeth and gums, too.

Implant Dentures

Implant dentures are just as natural looking as full dentures, but they secure in place permanently with four to six dental implants that are attached to your jaw. To receive this treatment, you will need sufficient jawbone density. Implant dentures are ideal for anyone who isn’t happy with traditional dentures, and who doesn’t want to deal with removing them for cleaning and soaking. Furthermore, because they’re attached to your jaw, implant dentures won’t slip or cause painful denture sores like traditional dentures sometimes do, and since they’re designed for the long-term, they won’t need to be replaced every five to seven years like removable dentures, saving you both time and money.

The Benefits of Dentures

Dentures are a highly customized treatment that requires several weeks or months to complete, but they’re well worth the wait.  These versatile prosthetics are made to look just like your natural teeth and gums, so nobody needs to know they’re not “real.” Furthermore, they allow you to eat a more nutritious diet, potentially improving your overall health. They can also make you look younger by preventing that hollow look in the cheeks that sometimes occurs with tooth loss. Dentures are also easy to clean and maintain, and they are often the most cost-effective solution when it comes to tooth replacement.