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Dentures – West Hartford Dental
A Reliable Way to Rebuild Your Grin
Missing teeth can detract from your daily quality of life because tasks that once seemed so simple, like eating, speaking, and smiling, suddenly become much more challenging. Thankfully, Dr. Phadnis can provide a reliable way to rebuild your grin with dentures. These versatile restorations can be adapted to meet your unique needs and simultaneously enhance your smile’s appearance and functionality.
Continue reading to learn more about dentures and who they can help, so you can make an informed decision about your dental health. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact us.
Why Choose West Hartford Dental for Dentures?
- Resilient Tooth-Colored Materials
- Advanced Technology to Improve Patient Comfort
- Flexible Financing and Discount Plans Available
Who's a Good Candidate for Dentures?
If you are struggling with moderate to severe tooth loss, you might have an important question on your mind: Am I a candidate for dentures? Although the only way to find out is by scheduling a consultation, we can share some helpful information, including the qualities we look for in a good candidate. So, if you are interested in learning more, read on!
Effects of Missing Teeth
Unfortunately, gaps in your grin can impact everything from enjoying meals and conversing with friends to feeling confident in your looks and abilities. After all, your teeth play a crucial role in essential tasks necessary for your well-being. For example, without a complete set, you cannot sufficiently grind your food to be easily swallowed and digested, leading to additional health concerns. You could also develop a lisp or other issues with your speech patterns. Furthermore, your jawbone starts to thin without a root to stimulate new bone growth when you bite down.
What Qualifies You for Dentures?
Simply put, dentures are best for patients with healthy gum tissue who have lost many or all of their teeth in one or both arches. If that sounds like you, then take the next step: schedule an appointment at our office! That way, we can review your dental history, complete a comprehensive oral exam, and learn about your day-to-day routine.
Note: If we find gum disease or another oral health problem during your consultation, don’t worry – that doesn’t mean having a complete smile is out of reach. Rather, it means we need to provide the necessary restorative care. Once we’ve restored your smile’s healthy foundation, we can transition our focus to rebuilding it.
Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options
If we decide together that dentures aren’t the best tooth-replacement solution for you, then we will discuss the others that we offer, including:
- Dental bridges – Dental bridges can replace a single missing tooth as well as up to four missing teeth in a row. To fill the gap, a custom dental crown is secured on each of the surrounding teeth. The replacement tooth or teeth connect the two, effectively “bridging” the open space.
- Dental implants – Largely considered the “gold standard” in tooth replacement, dental implants can replace any number of missing teeth. Not only that, but they help prevent bone loss, they can replace both the root and crown of the tooth, and they can last for over three decades!
If you are interested in learning more about dentures, including if we recommend them for you, then take the next step: schedule a consultation at our West Hartford dental office. That way, we can explore all of your treatment options, answer any questions you have, and help you decide the best way to proceed.
Types of Dentures
Dentures can potentially benefit anyone who has lost multiple teeth, but that doesn’t make them the best solution in every circumstance. Before we can recommend an appropriate treatment for your circumstances, you must consult with Dr. Phadnis to ensure that you’re a viable candidate.
Once she determines that your mouth can support these prosthetics, she’ll recommend one of the following options to meet your needs:
Partial Dentures
If you’ve lost teeth sporadically throughout your mouth, partial dentures can fill in the empty spaces left behind. They’re typically made from a gum-colored base and the correct number of pontics (artificial teeth) to rebuild your smile. They anchor to healthy teeth in your mouth via metal clasps built into the base to serve as a firm foundation.
Full Dentures
These are the tried-and-true method for replacing an entire row. They’re made from customizable materials that can be carved and color-matched to your natural teeth and gums so you look and feel like the best version of yourself. These rely on a firm suction against the gum tissue over your bony ridges to remain in place.
Implant Dentures
You might benefit from implant dentures if you’re worried about poorly fitting prosthetics or want a more permanent solution. This treatment combines the strength and durability of dental implants with the versatility of dentures. First, 4 to 6 dental implants will be surgically embedded into your jawbone. It can take several months to heal as your jawbone fuses around these metal rods. Then, our team will attach a restoration that isn’t intended to be removed.
Benefits of Dentures
If dentures didn’t provide any benefits to patients, they certainly wouldn’t still be in use today! On the contrary, this reliable restoration has been improving lives for well over a century. You can expect both your mental and physical health to improve and might even be presented with exciting new opportunities. Keep reading to see what dentures in West Hartford can do for you.
Psychological Benefits
Whether it be because of the functional or aesthetic effects of missing teeth, having a less-than-full smile can take a toll on your mental health. Many of our patients struggle with anxiety and depression on a daily basis. Once they receive their customized dentures, they’re able to smile without worries! It’s truly amazing what a full, complete grin can do for your confidence.
Clearer Enunciation
Many sounds in the English language, such as “th,” “s,” and “sh,” require you to press your tongue against the back of your teeth in a very specific way. When you don’t have the teeth necessary for producing these sounds, clear enunciation becomes difficult, to say the least. The pristine pearly whites of your dentures will give you the tooth structure you need, enabling you to speak like you normally would.
Improves Nutrition
Teeth are also important for helping you chew your food. When one or more goes missing, it can be harder (or impossible) to eat certain foods, and nutrition often suffers as a result. With dentures, you’ll be able to enjoy a much wider variety of meals, making it much easier to maintain a balanced diet.
Preserves Oral Health
Perhaps the most important benefit of dentures is the positive effect they’ll have on your oral health. If you don’t replace missing teeth, neighboring pearly whites will try to adapt by gradually moving towards the empty space. In other words, your dental lineup could become crooked, which tends to create bite issues and discomfort. Dentures will help you avoid needing more involved corrective treatments like orthodontics.
Expands Opportunity
For better or for worse, studies consistently show that those with a full, complete smile are often seen as more approachable. They’re more likely to make standout first impressions, receive job promotions, career opportunities, raises, and other similar social benefits. In that sense, dentures could open doors for you that once seemed to be closed.