You may not feel like smiling if you’ve experienced tooth decay, loss, or other dental issues. The good news is there are dental solutions that can help restore oral health and your youthful smile. Dentures are affordable partial or full-mouth dental devices that can quickly replace missing or damaged teeth and completely change your appearance. If you’re curious if dentures may be right for you, read on and consult a local dentist in Merrillville, Indiana.
How do dentures work?
Dentures are removable devices that replace many or all of your natural teeth. There are several types of dentures, including implant, full, and partial, so each patient can find the right solution to fit their needs. The denture process consists of a few easy steps:
- Plan: Your dentist will work alongside you to create a comprehensive treatment plan that aligns your wishes with what’s possible based on your oral health and dental history.
- Extract: Depending on your treatment plan, your dentist may need to perform extractions or oral hygiene work before fitting you for dentures. In this case, you may need to wait several months following preliminary dental work to ensure complete healing of the area. You may receive healing dentures during this time to help you get used to the feel of dentures in your mouth.
- Customize: As your care team creates your dentures, you can customize them in color, shape, and size. That means your new smile with dentures will be precisely what you want.
- Finalize: Once customization is complete, your dental team will create dentures using whatever durable materials you’ve chosen. You’ll receive the new dentures and work with your team to ensure your smile is perfectly aligned before you walk out the door.
Who is a good candidate for dentures?
Dentures tend to be a good option if you have missing teeth but have retained adequate jaw and gum health. People with degraded gum or jaw quality may need additional procedures to create a stable base before getting dentures.
What are the benefits of dentures?
Dentures are a dental solution with immense benefits. Not only can dentures improve your aesthetic appearance by giving you a youthful smile, but they have other benefits, including:
- Improve ability to chew: It can be difficult to chew correctly when several teeth are missing. Using dentures to replace missing or weak teeth can make chewing a more pleasant and functional experience.
- Enhance speaking ability: Gaps from missing teeth can result in a lisp or other unwanted speaking problems. Filling gaps with partial or full dentures may help you form words as you did before tooth loss.
- Restore facial structure and muscle tone: Tooth loss can sometimes result in a sagging countenance that can make you appear older. Having dentures in place may help restore facial structure and muscles that have been out of use.
The bottom line
Dentures can be a restorative dental solution that gives your smile back. And thanks to advances in dental technology, choosing dentures that look natural and fit well is easier than ever. Contact your local Merrillville dentist to start your journey to improved oral health with dentures.
