Even with advanced knowledge in dental health and technology to go with it, there are millions of people who end up with dentures due to various reasons, one of which is either lack of awareness about dental care, and lack of resources to afford dental services.
People who have been advised to wear dentures by their dentists have apprehensions about them. It is natural to have fear of something new, especially if you are the first one in the family to need them. Ask your dentist to explain everything in detail to alleviate your fears. You need to have a trusted dentist who can guide you through the whole process. In the modern world, the dentures that are available are amazingly well made, and look natural. They are comfortable to wear and very easy to take care of.
But even with all this knowledge, you need to be aware of what the market has to offer. There are numerous variety in looks, in prices, in durability and in comfort. Before deciding on what kind of dentures to go for, it would be advisable to have an idea of what you are looking for, for your particular needs and for you budget.
What are dentures?
Dentures are devices which are used as a replacement for missing or extracted teeth. For whatever reasons, if you have no teeth or some teeth in the mouth, the dentures are used to get all the work done with them which our teeth do.
The need for dentures
When teeth are missing, the first difficulty faced is chewing. Because the food is not chewed properly it brings on other physiological and digestive issues. Another purpose served by teeth is to give a contour to our face. Without teeth, the bones on the face around jaws recede and the muscle tissues supporting the bones sag, which makes the face look old and wrinkled.
Factors affecting your choice of dentures
These are the common factors that affect the choice of the right dentures:
- Number of missing teeth
The first factor that needs to be considered while choosing the dentures are whether you have lost all the teeth or some of the teeth. If you have lost all the teeth, you will have to opt for full or complete dentures. When you are left with a few remaining teeth, you can opt for partial dentures. There are many varieties in these two types of dentures also. After deciding which type of dentures you need, you will consider the other factors.
- Cost
The next big question about choosing the right dentures is the cost. There are quite a few choices in the cost of complete and partial dentures. The cost will affect the durability and also the look of the dentures.
While considering cost you will have to take into account whether your dentures are covered under state health schemes. You can also consider insurance for the dentures. You need to discuss the expenses of dentures with your dentist and ask him for options. After checking the prices, you can choose that suits your needs and your budget.
Types of dentures
There are many types of dentures available. Your dentist will ask you to choose from a variety of dentures available, and you have to decide after discussing the same with him. The main category of the dentures is the complete and partial dentures. There are permanent and immediate dentures. Then there are conventional dentures. Apart from these there are fixed dentures, fixed bridges, and implants as well.
- Complete dentures
Complete dentures are also known as conventional or full dentures. These are required when all of your teeth are missing or extracted. These dentures come in many varieties. These are fitted into the mouth after all the extractions and after the gums and tissues have healed. These dentures are removable and are expected to be removed at night before going to bed.
- Partial dentures
As the name suggests the partial dentures have only the missing teeth in them and are fixed onto the adjacent teeth. You will have to consider depending on the state of teeth you are left with whether you require a full or a partial denture. It is the endeavour of dentists to save your natural teeth as far as possible. If some of your natural teeth are still remaining, you may opt for partial dentures. In case if you have lost all of your teeth you need to opt for full dentures.
- Immediate dentures
These dentures are put on after the treatment of extractions and other issues are over and before the longer lasting dentures are made. These are made for the interim period when your dentures are being made, before your gums and mouth tissues are healed completely. These are kept ready , the impression of your teeth would be taken before extractions so that they can be made in advance. These are for the immediate use so that you do not have to be without teeth even for a day.
- Over dentures
The over dentures are used over the remaining teeth in the case where there are some teeth left and which are needed to be saved.
- Fixed dentures
These are surgically fixed and non-removable dentures. The dentist will explain how to take care of these because you cannot remove them at night. Some people prefer this because it saves the daily routine of taking out and putting back on.
Like fixed dentures, there are fixed bridges which are used when teeth are missing but you have remaining teeth on either side, where the dentist will fix the bridge.
- Implant supported fixed dentures
There are dentures which have been fixed onto the dental implants. Dental implants are artificial roots for artificial teeth. These are expensive and should be considered if you have budget for this kind of expense.