REMOVABLE PROSTHODONTICS
Mayfield Smiles offers removable prosthodontics (dentures) for clients with missing teeth. Dentures are permanent or removable appliances that are carefully crafted and tailored to your mouth to replace natural teeth. They can be complete or partial and are made with porcelain, acrylic, or a combination of the two. Dentures can be created to serve as separate appliances or in conjunction with dental implants or natural teeth. We offer many different types of prosthodontics:
Conventional dentures - once all teeth are removed, a full denture is created and fit in your mouth after the healing process of the gums is complete.
Immediate dentures - unlike conventional dentures, immediate dentures are placed in the mouth immediately after extraction, permitting the tissue to heal under the dentures.
Upper dentures - placed over the roof of the mouth and are created with natural-colored acrylics.
Lower dentures - placed on the bottom of the mouth around the back of the gums to allow enough space for the tongue.
Immediate Dentures
Immediate dentures are prepared in advance of teeth extractions so that on the day of your scheduled appointment, you come with your old teeth and leave with your new ones. This process begins in advance of your tooth extraction appointment, where we will need to take impressions of your teeth and gums in their current state to create and prepare the dentures for after the extraction. These teeth are placed and fit at your extraction appointment.
Post-Extraction
Post-extraction care is critical to maintaining the health and safety of your gums and new prosthodontics. Gum and bone recession is expected and will be monitored closely at routine checkups with our office. Tissue conditioners or linings will be temporarily placed along the prosthodontics to ensure the best fit and may require replacements throughout the healing process. Once the gums and prosthodontics have healed and have been carefully assessed by your dentist, a permanent denture reline will be placed along the dentures to ensure the best fit moving forward. (Temporary denture liners, relines, and tissue conditioners may not be included with your prosthodontics. Please consult Mayfield Smiles for further information and pricing on these services).
Caring For Your Dentures
Dentures have normal wear and tear, just like natural teeth. While there are preventive measures you can take, it is crucial to maintain regular appointments with your dentist to ensure healthy gums and fit of your prosthodontics. It is expected that over time dentures will need to be relined and/or replaced to maintain the alignment of the jaw and overall oral health due to gum and bone recession from the tooth extraction.
Routine checkups are critical to maintaining and enhancing prosthodontic care - don’t skip regular appointments!
Never let someone other than your designated dentist adjust your prosthodontics.
Just like natural teeth, dentures need to be brushed twice daily, both inside and out. (Brush with denture creams - not toothpaste - using a soft toothbrush and ALWAYS rinse with cold water so it doesn’t deform the appliance.
Inspect prosthodontics for wear and stains, as it can cause them to malfunction and cause discomfort and other issues to your bones and gums.
Keep prosthodontics covered in denture-cleaning solution or cold water when not being used.
Implant-Retained Dentures
It is always in the best interest of your oral health to have a missing tooth replaced. This can help avoid impediments to your speech and your ability to chew, improved dental hygiene, as well as avoiding potential pain stemming from your jaw and causing headaches. There are several alternatives for patients missing all of the upper teeth and all of their lower teeth.
Implant Retained Dentures for Lower Teeth
Ball Attachment Denture - Two implants planted in the lower jaw that hold a denture implant in place, while still allowing for slight movement. This option requires more ongoing maintenance and routine checkups from your dental professional due to its ability to move slightly.
Bar Attachment Denture (Overdenture) - Four to 6 implants planted into the lower jaw connected by a support bar attachment. The bar is attached after the jaw is healed and is a more secure option than a ball attachment denture with very little wiggle room.
Screw Retained Denture - Five+ implants planted in the lower jaw that hold a permanent denture in place, slightly removed from the gum line, which allows for easy routine care of the prosthodontics. This is the most permanent and preferred option of the three, as it will only be removed by your dentist at routine visits.
Implant Retained Dentures for Upper Teeth
The upper jaw bone is not as strong as the lower jaw bone and therefore requires more implants to support prosthodontics. Comparable treatments for the lower jaw are available for the upper jaw, however, a complete denture is typically unnecessary to replace the upper teeth. A partial denture implant would be removable, allowing you to taste and feel your food at ease while giving the appearance and feel of more natural implants.
Partial Dentures
If a patient is in need of replacing one or more missing teeth, but not an entire row of teeth, removable partial dentures are a great option. They are made out of either acrylic or metal and acrylic and are designed with the intention of preserving the patient’s natural teeth and gums as much as possible without having to alter your existing teeth. While metal partial dentures are stronger and thinner than their acrylic counterparts, the dentists at Mayfield Smiles will assess your unique situation and guide you through their best recommendation for the future of your oral health. Removable partial dentures can also help to eliminate the shifting of your natural teeth, as well as evenly distribute the pressures from your jaw while chewing.
Repairs, Relines and Rebases
A variety of circumstances can lead to a damaged denture and should be addressed immediately. Repairs restore a fractured or damaged denture close to its original condition. Mayfield Smiles can often provide denture repair procedures on a same-day basis.
Repairs
Damaged dentures should be brought to the attention of your dental professional as soon as possible, and in most cases can be fixed the same day.
Relines
Over time, your dentures will become loose and shift slightly; this is expected as the tissue in your gums change. Doctors Chan, Hudec, LoPresti, and Schuster will reline the denture every year or two at your regularly scheduled appointments to make sure the denture is serving the purpose it was created to.
Hard Denture Reline - this process involves the removal of the bottommost layer of plastic from the denture and filling it with a mold to capture a more updated impression of the gumline. A laboratory then alters the denture to fit more snug and provide maximum efficiency. Hard relines should transpire every two years.
Soft Denture Reline - this treatment is recommended for patients with sensitive or chronic gum problems while providing relief to those in need of prosthodontics. The material for this is much more flexible in comparison to the hard-liners and therefore requires replacement more frequently. The pliability of the material provides comfort and fewer issues with chewing than hard-liners.
Temporary (Palliative) Reline - these relines are necessary when a patient’s gums are in pain and/or engorged and the dental professional is unable to obtain the impressions needed for a reline. A temporary reline’s material is similar to that of a soft liner, and allows the denture to fit snug while the gums heal and prepare for a new reline.
Rebase
Patients qualify for a rebase when the acrylic base of the denture has worn out significantly faster than the wear of the denture teeth, or has reached its life expectancy and is beginning to break. Unlike relining, the entire base is replaced using the original denture teeth, as opposed to just the hard or soft lining.