Dentures

A denture is a removable prosthetic used to replace missing teeth and surrounding tissue. Patients who are missing a majority of their teeth are generally the best candidates for dentures. At Optima Dental, we use the latest technology to make sure that your new dentures look natural, feel comfortable, and function properly.

When you lose most or all of your teeth, daily oral activities like eating and speaking become more strenuous. Dentures make these basic functions, that many take for granted, much easier and more achievable. Additionally, dentures will enhance your appearance as they fill out your facial structure where much of your jawbone has diminished.

✔ Helps Prevent Shifting of Any Existing Teeth

✔ Boosts Confidence to Smile Again

✔ More Cost-Effective Than Most Tooth Replacements

✔ Less Invasive Procedure

✔ Improves Eating and Speaking

✔ Easy to Adapt to and Take in-and-Out

Here at our Lawrenceville dental office, we offer more than one kind of denture for our patients who require different treatment solutions. Depending on how many of your natural teeth remain, we will either suggest a partial or complete denture. Both tooth replacement options will substantially improve your appearance and give you the confidence to smile again.

If you’ve lost multiple teeth in a row in the upper or lower jaw, we’ll offer a removable partial denture or fixed bridge as an effective treatment. Our partial dentures use replacement teeth to attach to a gum-colored plastic base which is held in place by your mouth and dental adhesives. The attractive, removable prosthetic acts similarly to your natural teeth and keep your jawbone active and engaged.

When you’ve lost all your teeth and want a more affordable restorative treatment, complete dentures will likely be your preferred choice. Generally, to prepare your mouth for a conventional set of dentures, any damaged or decayed teeth that are still present will need to be extracted. You’ll have to wait out a healing period until your next visit, which can leave you toothless for months.

Luckily, Dr. Houenou also offers immediate full dentures. As the name implies, we can provide you with your new, full set of teeth. This can happen immediately after we extract the others, which saves a lot of time for the patient. You won’t have to live toothless any longer, and you won’t have to wait for your new smile.

It’s important to know that you’ll need to have a second appointment so that we can make any adjustments to your dentures. As your mouth heals after the tooth extractions, the shape of your jawbone will change, and the denture will have to be adjusted accordingly to ensure a comfortable fit.

Other benefits of our complete dentures include:

✔ Fewer restrictions on the food you eat

✔ Improves the collapsed appearance of your facial structure

✔ Offers a natural, beautiful, complete smile

✔ Speaking is effortless

✔ More affordable than dental implants

While dentures look natural, they won’t necessarily feel natural right away. It may take a couple of days or weeks until your cheek and tongue muscles get used to the removable prosthetic, but that’s completely normal. At first, eating and speaking will be a bit of a challenge and will require some practice until you get used to them.

Over time, they will gradually feel normal inside your mouth, and you’ll be able to return to most of the same functions as you would with your natural teeth.

Taking care of your dentures is similar to the way you would with your real teeth. Brushing them twice a day to remove plaque and food particles is essential for keeping them clean and eliminating stains.

Each night, you’ll need to remove them and soak them in room temperature water or a special denture solution to keep them from warping. Be sure to handle them carefully, because they easily break if you drop them.

For patients seeking a permanent, more natural-looking tooth replacement solution, Dr. Houenou will recommend dental implants. This restorative treatment is great for those who still maintain good oral health and haven’t suffered from extreme bone resorption.

Dental implants can replace one tooth, a full-arch, or an entire set of teeth just like dentures. However, they offer a more stable, long-lasting option as they integrate with your jawbone through a process called osseointegration. Determine your ideal treatment with Dr. Houenou at your initial consultation, and be sure to discuss all options before investing in one of these life-changing procedures.

When searching for a treatment to replace your missing teeth, choosing the most effective solution for your individual needs is crucial for your smile’s success. With dentures, you’ll be able to speak and smile with confidence, as well as eat and appreciate your food once again. No one deserves to suffer from tooth loss permanently. Give us a call today to schedule your first appointment with our Optima Dental team so that we can begin your restorative treatment.