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Home / Cosmetic - Dentures
Dentures
 Dentures or false teeth have been around for a very long time. Man has been trying to replace missing teeth with some type of appliance for thousands of years. With modern technology, dentures have become lighter, stronger, more comfortable, and even flexible. Dentures are used to replace missing teeth, and/or to build up the bite so that the jaw relationship is improved. The teeth used today in all types of dentures are made of plastic so that the shape and colour resemble natural teeth very accurately. Dentures need to be removed from the mouth for cleaning and this allows for cleaning of the remaining natural teeth.
Dentures can be full dentures that replace all the teeth in the upper and lower jaws or in just one jaw. Partial dentures replace only some of the teeth, when not all the teeth have been lost. Dentures are made from a variety of materials, most commonly from plastic. They can also have a metal component that is usually a chrome-cobalt alloy, but gold is also sometimes used. Metal partial dentures are designed on a surveying machine so that they are easy to put in and take out of the mouth, as well as to distribute the forces of the bite evenly between the natural teeth and the denture. The latest type of material being used for dentures is Valplast, a new type of nylon. This allows this type of denture to be flexible as well as extremely strong, and very light. Valplast dentures do not have a metal component.
Full dentures have always been retained in the mouth by suction from the saliva and a vacuum created like a rubber cup, between the denture and the gums. Various types of denture adhesives are available on the market as an aid to keeping the denture stable. Retention is usually good in the upper jaw, but the lower has always been challenging, and is seldom a great success. Partial dentures use a combination of suction and metal clasps that hold onto natural teeth to keep the denture down on the gums. Valplast has clasps or extensions made from Valplast incorporated in the design to provide retention and stability.
Implants are often used to anchor and stabilise dentures. Two or three implants per jaw (and particularly in the lower jaw) that may have balls or bars attached to them, provide a framework to anchor the denture. They are proving to be a boon to denture wearers.
Advantages: Replacement of missing teeth so that the patient can chew, smile, and talk better is always an advantage over having no teeth or having gaps. False teeth now look great and patients can feel confidant with false teeth. Plastic dentures are relatively cheap, are easy to make, and are easily repairable or added to. Metal partial dentures are stable in the mouth and cover a minimum of gum, being almost entirely clasp retained. Valplast dentures are virtually unbreakable, are light and comfortable and look good. All come in a variety of gum colours as well.
Disadvantages: Plastic full dentures cover the entire inside of the mouth, removing all sensation when eating, drinking and talking. The lower denture is often annoying, as it tends to move while eating and accumulates food debris under it that is often uncomfortable. Partial plastic dentures also move when eating resulting in a pumping action, pushing food under the gum on the standing natural teeth. The plastic is generally fairly thick to provide strength for the denture. Metal dentures are clasp retained which may put undue pressures on the standing supporting teeth. The dentures are difficult to repair or to add teeth onto. Metal dentures are quite expensive. Valplast dentures are difficult to adjust if they rub in the mouth and cannot be repaired if the need arises which is extremely rare, and cannot have teeth added to them.
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