When you suffer tooth loss, your whole life is affected. Losing your teeth makes it incredibly difficult to eat, which can impact your digestion and nutrition. Your speech suffers, and you may have difficulty communicating. Tooth loss also has a significant impact on the quality of your smile and your confidence. Replacing missing teeth is essential for restoring the functions of your mouth and your quality of life. A Dentist Peoria AZ can help by fabricating a well fitting denture.
What Causes Tooth Loss?
There are several different reasons why you might lose your teeth.
- Gum, or periodontal, disease. This is the primary cause of tooth loss in adults.
- Facial trauma: As a result of a car accident, a fall, or a sports injury.
- Bruxism, or grinding and clenching of your teeth.
- A failed root canal.
- A tooth splits in half.
What Are Dentures?
Full Vs. Partial Dentures
When most people think of dentures, the ones that come to mind are full dentures. These dentures are designed to replace an entire arch of teeth, whether the top arch, the bottom arch, or even both. Your dentures are made from impressions of your mouth, which are taken following the extraction of any unhealthy remaining teeth. The base of your dentures is made to sit directly on your gums.
Partial dentures are a type of denture designed to replace a section of missing teeth when the rest of the teeth in your arch are still stable. Like a full denture, a partial denture is made from an impression of your mouth. The design is similar as well, acrylic resin teeth in an acrylic base or sometimes a metal base. The base sits directly on your gums. Partial dentures usually have clasps, which attach to your remaining teeth, to help hold the partial in plaace.
Taking Care of Your Dentures
Taking proper care of your dentures is essential for the health of your mouth as well as ensuring that your dentures function properly. They need to be removed every night to be cleaned. Before you remove your dentures, lay down a towel or fill the sink with water. After taking your dentures out, brush them with a soft-bristled toothbrush and denture paste or soap and water. Do not use regular toothpaste on your dentures. This will scratch them and create areas for bacteria and stains to collect.
After cleaning your dentures, they should be left out overnight to soak in a denture cleaning solution or just in water. This is essential for ensuring that they do not dry out and warp. Leaving them out of your mouth allows your gums a chance to rest. Before you go to bed, be sure to brush and floss your healthy teeth as well as brush your gums and other intraoral tissues. In the morning, after you take care of your mouth again, rinse your dentures and set them back into your mouth to go about your day.
If you have suffered the loss of several teeth or even an entire arch of teeth, dentures can help to give you back the functions of your mouth, allowing you to eat and speak normally as well as smile confidently. For more information, and to schedule your consultation, call Sunrise Dental today at 623-487-4870.