Dentures Specialist

What are dentures?

Dentures are dental appliances that replace missing teeth and gum tissue and provide support for your cheeks and lips. You would probably consider dentures if you’re missing several or all of your natural teeth. If your remaining teeth are in danger, your dentist could recommend extracting them, then fitting you for dentures.

Dentures include both a pinkish base, which looks like gum tissue, and a set of artificial teeth, made of plastic, porcelain, or a combination of the two. Depending on your dental health, you could get upper dentures (on your upper jaw), lower dentures (on your lower jaw), or both. Upper dentures cover your palate (the roof of your mouth), while lower dentures are shaped like a horseshoe to leave room for your tongue.

Thanks to advances in dental technology, dentures are more comfortable and natural-looking than ever. The team at Swinney Dental fits you for custom-made dentures designed to fit your unique smile and bite.

How can dentures help?

Dentures replace your missing teeth, which can greatly improve your oral health, self-esteem, and quality of life. Missing teeth can cause problems with chewing food and speaking. Over time, missing teeth can lead to serious complications, including changing the shape of your face and jaw, oral infections, and chronic headaches.

If your teeth are in danger, dentures can help protect your oral health. Your dentist can replace your loose, infected, or otherwise troublesome teeth with dentures before they cause additional problems.

What kinds of dentures are available?

Your dentist at Swinney Dental could recommend partial, complete, or implant-supported/implant-retained dentures depending on your needs.

Partial

Partial dentures are appropriate if you have one or more remaining natural teeth, but they’re not strong enough to support crowns, bridges, and other restorations. The appliances consist of artificial teeth and clasps or other connectors that attach to your natural teeth. You can easily remove them for cleaning and when you go to bed.

Complete

Complete (full) dentures replace an entire set of upper or lower teeth. They stay in place using either built-in suction or a dental adhesive. If you have natural teeth, your dentist could recommend pulling them and fitting you for complete dentures instead of partial dentures.

Implant-supported dentures

Implant-supported (or implant-retained) dentures attach to a metal bar or stud that your dentist places in your jawbone. They can be more stable than regular dentures. Your dentist could recommend implant-supported dentures if you have enough healthy jawbone to support an implant.

To get more information about the benefits of dentures, schedule an appointment at Swinney Dental online or over the phone today.