Quality Dentures Beverly Hills

Dentures are prosthetic or false teeth used to replace teeth that are missing due to periodontal disease, decay, trauma or other reasons. Dentures can be installed as full dentures or partial dentures, which can be fixed or removable. A new set of dentures installed by a skilled cosmetic dentist provides many benefits. Dentures can improve the wearer’s self-esteem and ability to interact and socialize with others. They make it easier to speak and pronounce words more clearly. Dentures let the wearer eat all kinds of foods they couldn’t before because missing teeth kept them from being able to chew their food thoroughly. And dentures restore the structure to the face by filling in space where cheeks have collapsed inward due to missing teeth.

It is estimated that 30 to 40 million Americans wear dentures. As many as one in four older Americans have lost all of their teeth. A complete set of dentures is used when all of the teeth are missing from an arch. The complete set is made to look just like normal teeth in a person’s mouth. After any necessary extractions are complete and the gums have healed, a series of molds are made to ensure a precision fit in the patient’s mouth. The initial impressions are made of the ridges of the patient’s maxillary (or upper) arch or mandibular (or lower) arch. Then, additional, more detailed impressions are made. Finally, the dentist checks the occlusion or the way the upper and lower arches fit together when the jaw is closed.In the case of complete dentures, the plastic base is colored to match the color of healthy gums. The base is held in place by a seal that is formed with the wearer’s gums. In the case of a complete lower denture, two to four dental implants can be surgically inserted into the lower jaw to provide additional support. The implants reduce the risk of the lower denture slipping out of place and allow for better chewing and clearer speech.

A partial denture is called a bridge because it bridges the gap between the remaining teeth. A partial set of dentures can be fixed in the mouth by fitting crowns on the teeth on either side of the missing tooth or teeth, and filling the space with false teeth made to look just like the ones next to them. A bridge typically begins with a strong metal framework, but a plastic bridge can be used in the event of an emergency. A removable partial denture can be used by patients who do not have adjacent teeth to act as support for the bridge.