All You Should Know About How Dental Dentures Work

Restorative dentistry has provided hope for many patients, especially those who have lost their teeth prematurely. Without your teeth, a lot of the functionality of your oral cavity is interfered with, ranging from speech to eating properly. It is why oral appliances are employed differently to help replace missing teeth and restore the functional mouth.

When you have multiple missing teeth, the person of interest in your life should be a denture specialist near you. They can help you understand how dentures can help your smile again, without fear or anxiety about your tooth loss.

What Are Dentures?

They are oral appliances featuring artificial replacement teeth attached to a gum-like base, used for replacing missing teeth. Dentures have been used for the longest time in dentistry, as a restorative measure for both functionality and appearances of patients’ smiles.

Deciding to get dentures should be a result you go for when you have already lost multiple of your teeth. If you only have damaged ones, you may have the option of having them repaired instead of extracting them. However, dentures still provide a beautiful experience for patients to smile boldly again.

How Long Should You Wait to Get Dentures After Losing Your Teeth?

Ideally, after teeth have been loosened from their steady foundation, you will experience some discomfort for a little while. This can make the whole experience of having dentures uncomfortable for you. In that case, most patients wait about 6-8 weeks after tooth extraction, to consider getting full or partial dentures. This time is necessary to allow both your gums and jawbone to heal properly. The last thing you want is an episode of bleeding and tender gums as soon as you place to get the dentures near you.

However, the pace at which patients heal differ. This means that some people need more time for healing, while others may not need the whole six weeks before they are ready to wear dentures. For this, your dentist in San Pablo, CA, has to re-examine the health of your mouth before starting the procedure of getting dentures.

Can You Get Dentures the Same Day You Have Your Teeth Extracted?

All factors considered, sometimes it is better to give yourself some time to heal first. However, if you prefer getting dentures immediately, it is a viable option. Usually, immediate dentures are manufactured for such purposes. They are pre-made dentures that are available in dental facilities for patients who require immediate restorative treatment on the very day they get their teeth extracted.

How immediate dentures work is that they are manufactured based on the measurements taken before your teeth have been extracted. What this means is that your dentist will take impressions of your teeth before your surgery for extracting the remaining teeth in your mouth. The dentures, therefore, will fit your teeth based on the appearance of your gums while your teeth were still intact. The advantage here is that you never have to go a single day without your teeth. These dentures are also helpful in guiding the healing of your gums.

However, as your gums heal, they tend to shrink. This will make your dentures ill-fitting and uncomfortable to have. It is the point that you require the relining of your dentures. For some people, these dentures can last up to 5 years or more. Still, you may need to have them reclined multiple times because of how they keep slipping off.

Is It Painful to Get Dentures?

When dentures are placed on your gums, it is a different experience from that of having your natural teeth. The dentures may feel bulky, and like they do not belong in your mouth. Within the first few days of having them, it is expected that you will experience minor irritation in your gums, as you gradually get used to wearing them.

The level of discomfort often depends on when you got your dentures. If you got immediate dentures right after your surgery, you may experience more discomfort than patients who wait for a couple of weeks until their gums heal properly. Either way, the more you wear your dentures, the more comfortable they get.

A big factor to consider is customized dentures, which are made perfectly for your gums after they shrink due to healing. In that case, they snug your gums properly, which elevates your comfort levels and reduces irritation of your gums.