Dentures – Tustin, CA

Effects of Missing Teeth

Teeth are incredibly strong. After all – tooth enamel is the strongest substance in the entire body! However, they aren’t completely indestructible. Tooth loss can occur for a variety of reasons. The most common include tooth decay, gum disease, and trauma to the mouth. According to the American Academy of Periodontology, there are numerous negative effects of tooth loss. They include facial sagging, difficulty speaking, difficulty eating, and lower self-confidence. When you replace your missing teeth with dentures, you can improve all of these things, therefore improving your quality of life.

What Qualifies You for Dentures?

Dentures are a great solution for those who have experienced significant tooth loss. People who get dentures must also be committed to their oral hygiene routine and willing to properly care for their new replacement teeth. The number of teeth that you are missing and where they are located in the mouth will determine which type of denture best meets your needs. One of the many benefits of dentures is that they are more affordable than other options, like dental implants. This makes them great for people who aren’t in the position to invest a lot of money into their smile at this time.

Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options

If you aren’t a good candidate for dentures, or they don’t sound like your cup of tea, you may want to consider alternative tooth replacement options to complete your smile. Here are some of the ones that we offer:

• Dental Bridges: A dental bridge works by “bridging” the gap with a replacement tooth using dental crowns on the two adjacent teeth. This works well for patients who are only missing one or a few teeth consecutively. To get a dental bridge, you need to have healthy teeth surrounding the gap to support the replacement tooth.
• Dental Implants: A dental implant is a screw-like titanium post that is surgically inserted into the jawbone to support a replacement tooth. This requires that the patient has a strong and sufficient jawbone structure. Dental implants are more costly than dentures and dental bridges, but they are made to last for many decades or even a lifetime!

Learn More About Dental Bridges

Learn More About Dental Implants

What are Dentures Made Of?

No matter its type, every denture has a base and artificial teeth. These two parts are the core components of the restoration. So, consider their features as described:

• Denture Base –  As the main structure, a denture's base will support its many artificial teeth. The latter is thus made from acrylic, nylon, resin, or metal. Full dentures often use acrylic, as this plastic can match your gums. Partials, though, use metal clips with an acrylic base.
• Artificial Teeth – Of course, the artificial teeth are a denture’s pearly whites. These bits are crafted from lifelike resin or porcelain. That said, porcelain is more popular due to its toothlike looks. It’s typically only suggested for full dentures.

The Denture Creation Process

A given denture is custom-made for a patient's distinct mouth. Therefore, making one involves a multi-step process. The relevant steps are:

• Step 1: Dr. Zhang will take a dental impression. From there, he’ll make a plaster model that matches the final denture’s size and shape.
• Step 2: Our office will send the plaster model to a lab. Once it arrives, lab workers will use it to create a wax gumline.
• Step 3: The lab will set artificial teeth in the wax base. Doing so will lead to a prototype denture, which will be used to make the final one.
• Step 4: The wax denture will go to the dentist for a fitting. After testing, it’ll return to the dental lab to finish the final restorations.
• Step 5: A worker will boil the denture to remove its wax. Next, they’ll place the prosthetic in a flask. This flask will receive plaster and sit in hot water.
• Step 6: A separator will go into the plaster layer, preventing the acrylic from sticking. This acrylic will be injected into the flask to replace the wax.
• Step 7: The plaster will be removed to reveal the denture. Afterward, the restoration will be placed in a bath to remove lingering residue.
• Step 8: Excess acrylic will be cut from the denture. Said denture will then be polished.
• Step 9: The patient will have the denture fitted. At that time, the dentist will adjust your denture to work smoothly.

Adjusting to Your New Dentures

True enough, your mouth may ache when you start using dentures. It could even feel sore and struggle to eat or speak. Even so, rest assured that such effects are normal. They’ll quickly fade as you adjust to the dentures. After this adjustment, your new teeth should feel like your other ones.

If you’d like, you could speed up the adjustment process. One approach would be to exercise your facial muscles. In contrast, eating soft foods for a week is another helpful method. You could even apply denture adhesives to keep the restorations in place. By using these tips, you’d further ensure your dentures feel familiar.

Should your discomfort last a while, call us at once. Your denture may need further adjustment.

Factors That Affect the Cost of Dentures

At our office, three major factors influence the cost of dentures. These are:

 

• Need for Preparatory Work –  A patient will sometimes need preliminary dental work (gum disease therapy, tooth extraction, etc.) before they can receive dentures. If that applies to you, your treatment will cost more.
• Denture Base Material(s) – While acrylic is the standard material for a denture’s base, this substance can come in different types. The kind used can make your treatment more or less expensive.

• Replacement Teeth Material(s) – As with its base, artificial teeth can cost more or less for a denture. Those made of acrylic are less pricey, while porcelain ones have higher costs.

 

Beyond the points above, note that the cheapest dentures use subpar materials. You’d do well to buy moderately priced kinds to ensure good treatment results.

 

Are Implant Dentures More Expensive?

While implant dentures are pricier than regular ones, their heightened cost is justified. They have unique benefits that other restorations don’t.

 

Keep in mind that implant dentures use dental implants – metal posts set in your jaw. Because these posts fuse with your jawbone, they stop the connected prosthetics from slipping or falling. The result is that an implant denture will remain secure and steady for many years. Such an effect is priceless, especially when implant dentures look highly lifelike.

 

Better yet, implant dentures are great long-term investments. Their long lifespans – often 30 years or more – ensure they don’t need costly follow-up work. Given that fact, you can trust implant dentures to save money that regular ones (and dental bridges) won’t.

 

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dentures?

As it happens, yes – dental insurance typically does cover dentures.  Most plans today see the replacement teeth as crucial and match 50 % of their final cost. To that extent, many patients can benefit if they meet their deductible or maximum first.

 

Of course, exceptions to these rules do exist. Your own dental plan may have limited denture coverage or offer no coverage at all. You’ll thus want to confirm the benefits of your policy before your treatment. If you’d like, our team can help you do just that.

 

Other Options for Making Dentures Affordable

If you don’t have insurance, don’t panic; dentures can still be affordable. You’ll just want to rely on Zhang Dental Group’s payment options for some help!

 

For example, you could consider our dental membership plans. Each of them offers major discounts on dental work in exchange for a yearly fee. By getting one, you could receive anywhere from 25-50% off a denture treatment.

 

There’s no need for dentures to exceed your budget. Instead, visit our office – we’ll help you finance your treatment!

Remove After Eating

With dentures, you will be able to chew a wider variety of foods again. However, food particles and plaque could easily build up on your prosthesis if you’re not careful. Thus, whenever you finish eating, you should head to the nearest sink and take your dentures out so that you can thoroughly rinse them off. Pay attention to the temperature of the water; if it’s too hot, it could warp your dentures and change the way they fit.

Clean Your Restoration

You should make a point of cleaning your dentures once a day. To avoid damaging your artificial teeth in the process, be sure to use a soft-bristled toothbrush and non-abrasive cleaning material such as hand soap or dish soap. Additionally, you can periodically soak your dentures in a specialized cleaning solution. Remember to always rinse your dentures off thoroughly before you put them back in your mouth.

Keep Your Dentures Safe

You can naturally expect dentures to be quite durable; after all, they need to be in order to withstand the pressures of biting and chewing. Nevertheless, it is possible for dentures to be damaged, so it’s important to go out of your way to protect them.

For example, when you take your dentures out of your mouth to clean them, it’s a good idea to put a towel under them. That way, if you happen to drop your dentures, they’ll land on the soft towel instead of on the hard bathroom countertop or the floor. Additionally, if you live with children or pets, you should always keep your dentures in a place where they can’t get to them.

Remove Dentures When You Sleep

Wearing your dentures 24/7 may seem like a harmless decision, but it can lead to all sorts of problems, such as irritation of the gums and an increased risk of pneumonia. It’s therefore in your best interests to remove your dentures before you go to bed. That said, you need to make sure your dentures stay moist while they’re outside of your mouth; they could easily lose their shape if they’re allowed to dry out. As such, you should make a point of putting your dentures in a specialized soaking solution each night.

Notice Changes

Have your dentures started to cause sores to form on your gums? Were they recently damaged in an accident? Have they begun shifting out of place more frequently? If you notice these or any other concerning changes involving your prosthesis, let our team know immediately. We can take a closer look at your dentures and determine whether relining or replacing them is necessary.