Losing your tooth due to physical injury, severe tooth decay, or progressive gum disease can be devastating. It will be difficult to bite or chew food, and your smile's appearance may change. Luckily, there are options you may consider to regain your beautiful smile and restore your teeth's functionality.
Modern dentures can fill in for your missing natural teeth, assisting your mouth to function normally. This means you will bite, chew, smile, and talk easily. Before getting your oral prostheses, it's essential to understand a few things about them. Here is what you should know before seeking denture services.
Some Preparations Are Needed
Before your dentist can provide dentures, they will need to perform some evaluations. For instance, they will need to take jawbone and gum x-rays to confirm if the gum and bone tissues can hold the device in place. Sometimes a patient may have too little or too much tissue or remove a tooth. If this is the case, the dentist will perform a preliminary oral surgery to prepare the mouth for the device.
There Are Various Types of Dentures
Whether you need dentures to replace one or several teeth, you will get something that suits your needs. The dentist may provide a partial denture for those who need to replace a few teeth. This device is removable, and it comes with a metal framework and an acrylic base that promotes its attachment to the gums and surrounding teeth.
Complete dentures will be ideal if you need to replace many teeth because they cover the lower and upper gums. So, the type of dentures you get will depend on your unique requirements.
You'll Need to Take a Soft Diet
Although dentures are excellent replacements for missing teeth, you will need time to get used to them. This means that you will feel different while eating or talking initially. One way to adjust to dentures is to make some diet changes.
Sticking to soft and non-sticky foods will lessen the initial frustration. Such foods are easier to chew, and once you are accustomed to the dentures, you may gradually transition to the regular diet.
Oral Hygiene Should Be a Priority
Losing teeth and getting some oral prostheses doesn't mean that you cannot stick to your usual oral care routine. So, whether you got partial or complete dentures, you will need to prioritize oral hygiene. The general rule of thumb is to clean your natural teeth and the artificial teeth twice a day so your mouth doesn't become a bacteria breeding ground.
Artificial teeth also offer ideal surfaces for odour-causing germs, so use the recommended tools and procedures to clean them. A soft-bristled brush or tongue scraper is perfect for cleaning soft tissues in the mouth.
To learn more, contact a dentist in your area.
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