Fun fact: around 700 BC the Etruscans of Northern Italy made dentures out of human or animal teeth. Even way back when, people did not like missing teeth and did what they could to replace them!
Dentures are removable false teeth which are worn to replace missing teeth. With a flesh-colored acrylic (or nylon or metal) base that fits over your gums, the upper denture covers the roof of your mouth while a lower denture is shaped like a horseshoe in order to accommodate the tongue. Dentures are custom-made.
People wear dentures in order to fill in gaps left by missing teeth. The dentures, then, help them to both chew and speak better than if they didn’t have them. Besides having a “full set” to replace all of a person’s upper or lower teeth, people can get partials, which replace just one or two missing teeth.
Partials are typically plastic/nylon/metal plates with attached false teeth. They’re made to clip onto your natural teeth using clasps to stay in place. Partials can be unclipped and removed as needed, and they’re typically made to blend in with their surroundings well so that observers would hardly notice they’re there.
At Crowley Family Dental, people come into the office to have impressions taken if they’re interested in dentures/partials. The process is akin to trying on clothing before you buy it. The dentist wants to make sure what you end up getting is a perfect fit!
Once a person has their dentures or partial(s), it may take some time getting used to wearing them. This is normal. Oftentimes, people remove their dentures at night in order to give their gums some rest. To prevent them from drying out, dentures are generally kept in water or a special solution overnight.
If you have a missing tooth or several missing teeth, consider meeting with the team at Crowley Family Dental to discuss options to improve your smile via dentures or partials.