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Partial Dentures
Missing teeth can
ruin your smile, make oral hygiene a nightmare, change the positioning of your
remaining teeth, give you speech difficulty, and reduce your ability to chew
food properly. An important procedure
to help correct missing teeth is the partial denture. Partial dentures are like full dentures, except they are only designed
to address local gaps in your teeth.
A partial denture corrects
all of the above problems with a removable prosthetic that replicates the look
and function of real teeth. Most
dentures these days are constructed with a composite resin that is durable and
life-like. Like full dentures, a
partial denture’s fit is far more important than its look.
Partial dentures are usually smaller versions of full
dentures. They consist of a prosthetic
tooth with a gum-colored base. Metal is
usually used to hold the entire assembly together.
Most patients feel discomfort for the first few weeks after
receiving a partial denture. This
feeling will go away as you adjust to the idea of a foreign object in your
mouth. A denture should slip into place
easily otherwise there could be a fitting problem. You should never use biting force to place a partial denture into
position.
Dentists recommend that patients keep their dentures in 24
hours a day during the adjustment period.
This helps to identify any fitting problems, as areas with extra
pressure will quickly get sore. Once
you have a denture that fits comfortably, you should keep the dentures on only
during the day. When you sleep it
should be off, in order to allow the gums time to breathe properly. During this time the denture should be soaked
in water or an appropriate soaking solution (some metal parts may begin to rust
otherwise).
You should brush a partial denture as often as you’d brush
normal teeth. Use a regular or soft
toothbrush in conjunction with a good denture cleaner. Toothpaste is good but not the best since
dentures have different cleaning requirements.
Never use any abrasive toothpastes or hard toothbrushes as this could
scratch and damage your partial dentures.
A regular checkup schedule with your dentist is essential to
the function of your dentures. He or
she will be able to identify if your gums or jawbones have changed, thus
necessitating a new fit for your partials.
As with regular teeth, by taking care to follow a healthy
oral hygiene schedule you should be able to avoid most problems in your
mouth. Consult your dentist today about
partial dentures to fix missing teeth and restore your smile back to normal.
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