Dentures – Buda, TX
Let Us Help Restore Your Smile
If you are missing numerous teeth, have many broken or failing dental restorations, or your gum health is poor and the teeth no longer have enough support, dentures from our skilled dentists in Buda may be the solution for you. With the introduction of dental implants, dentures have become a more viable, functional, and satisfying option for those who hope to recover their smile as well as their ability to chew and speak.
Why Choose Buda Dental Professionals for Dentures?
- In-House Implant Placement & Restoration
- Natural-Looking, Custom Dental Prosthetics
- Friendly, Fun & Knowledgeable Team
Who’s a Good Candidate for Dentures?
Dentures are able to help a number of patients experiencing tooth loss because they are able to replace several or all of the teeth along an arch, depending on the type you opt for. The first step to take to find out if dentures in Buda are right for you is to schedule a consultation with our skilled team of dentists. Our team will capture any necessary X-rays and conduct a thorough examination of your teeth and gums. Based on your goals and oral health, we can then recommend partial, full, or implant dentures.
Effects of Missing Teeth
Tooth enamel is the strongest part of the entire body – even stronger than bone! However, it can still become damaged if you aren’t careful. Teeth can be lost due to tooth decay, gum disease, and trauma to the mouth. According to the American Academy of Periodontology, there are numerous negative side effects of tooth loss, including facial sagging, difficulty speaking, challenges when eating, and low self-esteem. When you replace your missing teeth with dentures, you can improve all of these areas resulting in a better quality of life.
What Qualifies You for Dentures?
Dentures are an excellent solution for people who are missing multiple, most of, or all of their teeth. Depending on the number of teeth that you are missing and where they are located in the mouth, our team can put together a customized plan to meet your individual needs. It’s important that you have good oral health before you get dentures, so any existing issues, like tooth decay and gum disease, will need to be treated and eliminated ahead of time. Once your existing teeth and gums are in good health, we can move forward with the rest of the process.
Alternative Tooth Replacement Options
If dentures aren’t something that you are interested in, you could benefit from another tooth replacement option that we offer. Here are some other popular solutions:
- Dental Bridge: A dental bridge works by “bridging” the gap in your smile with a replacement tooth. The replacement tooth, also known as a “pontic,” is supported by two dental crowns that are placed on the adjacent teeth.
- Dental Implants: A dental implant is a titanium, screw-like post that is surgically inserted into the jawbone to support a replacement tooth. This requires that the patient has a healthy, sufficient jawbone. Dental implants have a higher upfront cost, but they are intended to last for many decades or even the rest of your life.
Types of Dentures
The type of denture that we recommend to you will depend on the location of your missing teeth, smile goals, and ideal treatment timeline. Based on these factors, we may suggest the following:
Partial Dentures
Partial dentures are designed to replace several missing teeth in a row. They have a metal base that is custom crafted to fit perfectly between the existing teeth to fill the gaps throughout the arch by anchoring the replacement teeth in place.
Full Dentures
Full dentures are comprised of a gum-colored acrylic base as well as natural-looking replacement teeth. The base is made to harness the power of natural suction within the mouth to hold them in place over the gums. As a result, eating and speaking is much easier!
Implant Dentures
Implant dentures or hybrid dentures are often referred to as “same-day teeth.” This is an acrylic denture with a metal substructure that is attached permanently to dental implants. Before the teeth are removed, a temporary denture is designed to be inserted the same day as the surgery, allowing people to transition from teeth to dentures immediately. After healing has been completed, a final set of dentures is fabricated to ensure the best fit, esthetics, and function. With the addition of dental implants, a denture becomes a stronger, better chewing appliance and also helps with bone preservation.
How Dentures are Made
Dentures need to be custom-designed for each patient in order to make sure that they fit comfortably and look as natural as possible. As such, a lot of work will go into making dentures that are just right for your unique mouth. Are you curious about the steps that will need to be taken to create your new teeth? Below is a brief look at the materials used for dentures as well as the process of making them.
What are Dentures Made Of?
Each denture comes with a base and a specific number of artificial teeth. While there are multiple materials that can potentially be used to create the base, acrylic is the most common option. It’s a very comfortable material that can imitate the appearance of your gums. If you get a partial denture, it may come with an acrylic base along with clasps made of metal.
As for the artificial teeth, porcelain is often favored for a number of reasons. For one thing, it’s very durable and can last for a long time. On top of that, it can be customized to closely resemble natural enamel, giving your dentures a very lifelike appearance.
The Denture Creation Process
The process will begin at our office. Our team will capture impressions of your gums, which will allow us to make a model of your mouth. Thanks to this model, it will be possible to create a denture that meets your specific needs.
The model will be sent to a dental laboratory. Trained technicians will examine the model closely, then use it as a reference to create a temporary denture base out of wax. With the help of a device called an articulator, the technicians will insert the artificial teeth into the wax base.
The wax dentures will be sent to our office so that we can confirm that they fit properly. Then we will return them to the lab so that the process can continue. (Note that you will be wearing temporary dentures during this time.)
The next step is to replace the wax base with an acrylic one. This is done by putting the dentures in a flask that will be immersed in hot water. The wax portions will melt away, but plaster will be used to help the dentures maintain their shape. Once the wax is gone, acrylic can be injected into the flask to take its place.
The plaster will be removed to reveal the newly completed dentures. After trimming away any unneeded acrylic, the technicians will send the dentures back to our practice, at which point we can schedule your final fitting appointment.
Adjusting to Your New Dentures
It will take time to get used to eating and speaking with your new dentures, and there may also be some mild soreness. As long as you continue to wear your prosthesis, your mouth will get used to it over time. Eating soft foods and performing facial exercises can help your adjustment process go more smoothly.
The Benefits of Getting Dentures
With so many benefits to offer, it’s no wonder why dentures are an incredibly popular choice for patients looking to restore their smiles. Whether you’re looking for a near-permanent tooth replacement solution through implant dentures or you want to be able to eat and speak with greater ease once again, these reliable prosthetics can help you reclaim your life.
Psychological Health & Wellbeing
Tooth loss does more than just impact your day-to-day functioning. Over time, you may notice that the gaps in your smile have worn-down your self-esteem and increased your social anxiety, sadness, or even depression. This is because going out in public without your full smile can make you feel self-conscious, gradually leading to wanting to do so less.
Better Enunciation & Speaking
When you first receive your dentures, you’ll undergo a short adjustment period as you strengthen your facial muscles used to keep your dentures in place. However, after that, you’ll find that it’s much easier to eat and speak with your new prosthetic, and you’ll likely find yourself getting less frustrated while you’re trying to communicate with others.
Improved Nutrition
Because you can chew more effectively, you’ll be able to eat a greater variety of foods. This will also improve your nutrition intake. Many patients suffering from tooth loss (before they invest in dentures) experience problems like indigestion and malnutrition from not being able to effectively chew their food, which is the crucial first step of digestion! By restoring your teeth with dentures, you’ll find it much easier to eat foods that you may not have been able to consume before, allowing you to get all of the essential nutrients you need to promote good overall health.
Preservation of Oral Health
One of the consequences of not replacing missing teeth is the risk of additional tooth loss. This can occur due to a variety of issues, like dental misalignment and jawbone deterioration. Whether you opt for traditional or implant dentures, both will help you avoid gaining even more gaps in your smile.
Improved Confidence
As soon as you put your new dentures in your mouth, you’ll immediately realize the impact that tooth loss has had on your self-confidence. Your smile was once a trait that you let show to make a good first impression, but what happens when that’s taken away from you? With time, you may find yourself keeping your lips sealed tight or hiding your laughter behind your hands so nobody can see your missing teeth. With a full grin and more self-esteem, you may find yourself doing better in all facets of your life, from your professional career to personal and social life.
Dentures Aftercare
Even after you have replaced all of your teeth with dentures, you will still need to be mindful of your oral health. This means continuing to visit your dentist at least twice a year so that they can check your mouth for signs of gum disease and other issues. On top of that, you will also need to make sure that you are taking good care of your dentures. Below are some of the steps of denture maintenance that every patient should keep in mind.
Remove After Eating
Dentures may not be real teeth, but food debris and plaque can still accumulate on them all the same. Thus, once you’re finished with your meal or snack, you should make a quick trip to the nearest sink so that you can gently rinse off your dentures. Be mindful of the temperature of the water; heat can warp your dentures and alter their fit, so it’s best to only use lukewarm water to rinse the prosthesis.
Clean Your Dentures
Of course, if you want to keep your dentures in the best possible shape, then you have to do more than simply rinse them off. You also need to give them a thorough cleaning on a regular basis. It’s generally recommended that you clean dentures with a soft-bristled toothbrush and a nonabrasive cleaning product such as unscented hand soap or denture cleanser. (Toothpaste could potentially damage your dentures and should thus not be used for this task.)
After you’re done with the cleaning process, give your dentures a thorough rinse. Then, if you aren’t planning to immediately put them back in your mouth, put them in a container filled with denture-cleansing solution.
Keep Your Dentures Safe
Even if you’re as careful as possible when handling your dentures, there’s always a possibility that you might drop and break them by accident. Thus, whenever the time comes to clean your dentures, you should place a towel underneath you before you take the prosthesis out of your mouth.
When storing your dentures, you should always make sure that they’re in a place where they won’t be damaged. In particular, you should put them somewhere that children and pets can’t get to.
Remove Dentures When You Sleep
Wearing your dentures to bed might seem like a convenient option, but it could lead to irritation in your soft tissues, and it might even increase your risk for pneumonia. For the sake of your health and comfort, you should always take your dentures out in the evening so that your gums can get some rest while you sleep. Remember, your dentures can lose their shape if they dry out, so when you remove them for the night, be sure to put them in a specialized denture soaking solution.
Notice Changes
Do your dentures seem to be causing mouth sores or gum irritation? Were they damaged in an accident? Have they started shifting around? Let us know right away if there are any changes related to your dentures; if there’s a problem, it’s important to take the appropriate action to address it as soon as possible.