Dentures – Orange Park, FL 

Effects of Missing Teeth

Teeth do have the potential to stay in your mouth for the rest of your life, but unfortunately, you can potentially lose them under a number of circumstances. From gum disease to tooth decay to physical trauma, there are several reasons why you might end up with empty space in your smile.

Losing any number of teeth can lead to various consequences. For example:

• The lack of support from your teeth can affect your facial appearance, possibly leading to sunken cheeks or a permanent frown.
• If the teeth involved in speaking are lost, you may have a harder time pronouncing specific words.
• An incomplete set of teeth can affect your ability to chew properly; consequently, you may not be able to enjoy some of your favorite foods anymore.
• When you’re unhappy with your appearance due to missing teeth, your self-esteem is likely to suffer.

Simply put, it tends to be in your best interest to have missing teeth replaced as soon as you can.

What Qualifies You for Dentures?

You may want to think about getting dentures if you have already lost multiple teeth in one or both arches. You likely qualify for this form of tooth replacement if:

• Your gums are in good enough health.
• There is plenty of bone in your jaw.
• You are willing and able to commit to taking care of your dentures in the long term.

We can discuss the criteria for getting dentures in more detail during your initial consultation. Additionally, we will need to narrow down the kind of denture that you will get, whether it’s a partial denture, a full denture, or an implant denture.

Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options

Dentures are a highly reliable form of tooth replacement that almost 41 million Americans currently benefit from. Nevertheless, they aren’t necessarily the best choice for everyone. It’s important to remember that there is more than one way to re-complete your smile after tooth loss:

• Dental Bridges: If you have lost one tooth or multiple teeth in a row, the empty space can be filled with a dental bridge. Note that this type of tooth replacement requires you to have healthy teeth on both sides of the gap in question.
• Dental Implants: You need to have a certain level of bone density before you can get dental implants. This form of tooth replacement comes with all kinds of unique benefits, and it can last for the rest of your life with the right care.

Partial Dentures

For patients who still have healthy teeth, partial dentures are designed to fit between them like the last piece of a puzzle. Small clasps are attached to a framework that holds a unique number of teeth that will fill in any gaps. 

Full Dentures

These are probably what come to mind when you hear the word “denture.” Full dentures are meant to bring back a complete row of teeth and do so by sitting directly on the gums. With the help of natural suction and denture adhesive, they’re able to remain rock-solid.

Dental Implant Dentures

With dental implant dentures, the prosthetic teeth are rooted to your jawbone using small titanium posts. This not only makes the prosthetic incredibly stable and strong, but the new roots also stimulate the jawbone from within. This prevents bone loss over time and enables the denture to maintain its initial fit for much longer compared to removable prosthetics.