We realize that missing teeth can negatively impact our patients’ day-to-day lives by making it more challenging to eat, speak, and smile. While many dental offices create dentures, our dentists take the extra time to make sure that our patients enjoy great results.
Our dentures in Lansing, IL, are made of quality materials and customized for your mouth. Ill-fitting dentures create sores and can move around when eating or speaking, creating an embarrassing situation. Fortunately, dentures today allow patients to enjoy greater comfort and improved function compared with dentures of the past.
What Are Dentures?
Dentures are a standard removable dental prosthetic that restores missing teeth. While dentures may take some time for patients to become used to, they benefit by looking natural and restoring eating, chewing, and speaking functions.
Patients have two options when it comes to dentures—partial or complete dentures.
We recommend complete dentures to replace all teeth, and partial dentures are utilized when existing teeth remain.
During your consultation with Dr. Josephine Pallotto or Dr. Anthony Pallotto, we go over your medical history, current dental health state, and what your smile goals are to determine the best type of denture for your lifestyle. The improvement in your quality of life after replacing missing teeth is immediate and life-changing.
Two Types Of Dentures
Complete Dentures
Complete, or full, dentures are either “immediate” or “conventional.” Prior to the invention of dental implants, conventional complete dentures were the only option for patients with missing teeth. Today’s modern dentures are nothing like what your grandparents or even parents would have recognized. Immediate complete dentures are utilized right after an extraction while the gum and tissue heal enough for the full dentures.
Your dentist may recommend complete dentures to replace all the teeth on the upper or lower arch, or both. Sometimes a dental extraction is necessary to complete this dental procedure.
Partial Dentures
The main difference between partial and full dentures is that partial dentures allow for existing teeth to remain in place. If the existing teeth are healthy and do not need to be extracted, your Lansing denture specialist will recommend a removable partial denture.
Partial dentures are removable, but patients also have the option to choose a fixed bridge, which utilizes placing dental crowns on the neighboring teeth and “bridging” the gap with an artificial tooth. A partial denture serves to replace the missing tooth and to prevent other teeth from shifting. When a patient has remaining natural teeth, a partial denture will complete their chewing surface and their smile.
When designing a partial denture, our dentists take great care to match the appliance to existing natural teeth for aesthetic results. Natural teeth anchor partial dentures in place with metal clips. Because of the force caused when chewing, partial dentures may require an occasional adjustment to keep them feeling great. Partial dentures have several base options – pink resin, metal, and even flexible materials. Each has its benefits, and our dentists will discuss the pros and cons.
Natural-Looking Modern Dentures
Many of our Lansing patients ask us if dentures will look bulky and artificial. We can confidently say that with advances in technology, techniques, and dental material, our high-quality and durable dentures are custom-fabricated to look like your natural teeth.
Skilled technicians in our custom dental labs use the best quality ingredients to fabricate the perfect smile for you. We work together with our patients to ensure that their new smile is perfectly sized and shaped, down to the smallest detail.
If you are facing dental extractions, you may have many questions. Our dentists are here to help! For patients with parents or grandparents with dentures, images of big, square teeth in a glass of water by the bedside table might conjure the wrong image. Today’s dentures are highly aesthetic, natural-looking, and more comfortable.
In most cases, complete dentures consist of artificial denture teeth in a gum-colored resin base. When opting for complete dentures, patients have an opportunity to provide input on the shade of teeth they prefer. Dr. Josephine Pallotto and Dr. Anthony Pallotto take great care to ensure that dentures function well with the anatomy of the patient’s mouth and their bite. We also make sure that they love the way they look!
Caring For Your Dentures
Heat and dryness are the enemies of complete dentures. Avoid hot water for cleaning, never leave a denture in a car, and always use a cleanser designed specifically for dentures to increase their longevity. Even patients with complete dentures need a regular dental exam.
Our dentists will make any necessary adjustments, take an x-ray to monitor bone levels, and perform an oral cancer screening. If you have dentures and notice that they are slipping more often, or don’t feel comfortable, they may need to be replaced soon.
Replacing Your Dentures
Without a permanent tooth replacement like dental implants, your jaw bone will not be stimulated and may start to shrink or recede over time. If your dentures are slipping frequently, or if adhesives need to be applied more regularly, it is probably time to get your dentures looked at to see if they need to be replaced.
The denture plate is also vulnerable to cracks and chips; they can be broken if dropped or left in a hot car all day. If any parts of your dentures are broken and need to be repaired, don’t try to fix it yourself. Schedule an appointment with your dentist today.
Your dentures can last you for many years, but over time they will need to be replaced so they can fit snugly.
Implant-Retained Dentures
When you are missing one or several teeth, you lose the tooth root that anchors your jaw bone. Without a root, the bone will start to recede, which can affect the contours of your face and typically ages patients by many years. Additionally, existing teeth will tilt or shift towards the gap, which can damage teeth and lead to tooth loss. If a patient suffers from bone loss, that makes it difficult for dentures to fit snugly, we can help.
Pallotto Dental Care offers implant-retained dentures in Lansing, for greater security and confidence. By placing a few dental implants (usually two to four), dentures will lock in place until released by the patient for cleaning or adjustments. Dental implants have the added benefit of reducing bone loss. If you are worried about facial sagging, bone loss, tooth shifting, or just want a permanent tooth replacement option; please call our dental office today.
Are You Facing Dental Extractions?
Our compassionate and skilled Lansing, IL dentists are here to answer questions and discuss the many tooth-replacement options available at Pallotto Dental Care.
When a patient has remaining natural teeth, a partial denture will complete their chewing surface and their smile. When designing a partial denture, our dentists take great care to match the appliance to existing natural teeth for aesthetic results.
Contact Pallotto Dental Care today so we can start customizing your dentures.
