My mother is seventy-five years old. She had been suffering from dental issues for so long. She has undergone four root canal treatments till now. But still, she is suffering from toothache and most of them are decayed. I am having the thought of dentures for her. I have scheduled an appointment for denture procedures but I have no idea about the treatment.
Anyone had an experience with dentures?
It would be great if I get some views about it.
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1 Answer
Dentures:
In general, there are two kinds of removable denture: Complete and Partial, indicating whether the denture replaces all or only some of the teeth.
Purposes:
- Restore or improve masticatory function (eating)
- Restore or improve phonetics (speech)
- Restore or improve esthetics (smile and appearance)
Keep in mind that the patient will need time to adjust to the dentures and that most dentures don't behave like the original teeth.
Design:
Their physical design which will determine the following:
- stability (whether it uses extensions, clasps around teeth or attaches itself to implants to prevent it from moving side to side)
- retention (whether it uses suction, clasps around remaining teeth or attaches itself to implants to prevent it from getting out of place vertically)
- support (whether it rests on the gums, has rests to support itself on teeth or attaches itself to implants to resists vertical chewing forces)
Procedure:
The number of appointments depends on the work that needs to be done before making the denture. For example, The dentist will have to plan out the treatment, do filling, extractions or other surgeries (ex: place implants). As for the dentures, it takes at the very least a few separate appointments depending on the treatment plan to get the right shape of the denture as well as the position of the teeth.
Further reading:
For further information on dentures, one should first understand the functioning of complete dentures:
Sharry, John J. 1968. Complete denture prosthodontics. New York: Blakiston Division, McGraw-Hill.
