Certain dental patients would have lost their entire set of teeth (edentulous), due to various reasons like tooth decay, periodontal disease, genetic defects, physical trauma (caused by an injury, physical attack or an impact), drug use or some tooth developmental defects caused by severe malnutrition.
Prosthetic devices (artificial extensions) called Dentures can be constructed to replace the missing teeth. The Dentures are supported by the surrounding hard tissues and soft tissues of the oral or buccal cavity.
Wearing Dentures means many advantages to a patient which could be:
- Mastication: When the edentulous area is replaced by a Denture, chewing ability is improved.
- Phonetics: With the missing teeth (specially the incisors and molars) replaced, the patient is able to pronounce better especially the words containing fricatives (consonants) and sibilants. In general, speech becomes much clearer.
- Aesthetics: A patient wearing Dentures regains the natural facial appearance and the collapsed look is reverted to a full look as they provide support to lips and cheeks.
- Self Esteem: Patients regain self esteem as they feel much better about themselves.
Dentures come in many designs and can be dental implants or those that rely on clasping and bonding onto teeth. They can be used to replace the missing teeth on the lower jaw or the mandibular arch and the upper jaw or maxillary arch.
With regards to the types of Dentures, they can be removable partial dentures and complete dentures. The removable, partial dentures are used in patients who have only a few missing teeth on a particular jaw or arch. Full or complete dentures are worn by patients who have all their teeth missing in a particular arch.
Sometimes people with dentures can encounter certain problems and it is best to seek professional dental help. The most common denture problems occurring in patients who use dentures are:
- Denture moving or slipping. This can happen due to the shrinkage of the jaw bone and also when the gums, the surrounding tissues and the bone do not support the denture
- Speaking difficulty: Happens when the denture is not fitted properly or it does not stay in a proper position.
- Food chewing problem: Not all foods can be chewed wearing dentures. The reasons could be improper alignment of the upper jaw and the lower jaw or also the non alignment between the natural teeth and the denture. Only a dental professional can offer solution to difficulty in chewing food.
- Sometimes, a condition like ‘dry mouth’ can cause problem to the suction or adhesion of the denture posing fitting problems.
- Formation of wrinkles around the lips or the corners of the mouth can cause movement of the denture into the mouth.
- Hard foods like small seeds can get under the denture and need an adjustment.
Though Dentures offer support, mastigatory function and help the patient regain a smile, an important fact is that they need everyday care. Plaque can form on the dentures and they need to be cleaned every day. This helps them to remain bright and clean. Cleaning helps to remove stains and odor as well.
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