False teeth: they serve as replacement for missing teeth. Losing your natural teeth can be plain embarrassing, and may make you feel less confident every time you speak. Besides, you may find yourself struggling to chew your favourite foods and it can affect other aspects of your oral health.
The good news is, missing natural teeth can be replaced by false teeth. It is a great way to salvage your smile and improve the stability of your mouth. Dentures and dental implant retained dentures now make it possible to replace missing teeth without great difficulty.
Dentures
A denture is a custom-made removable frame holding one or more false teeth. They are made in a dental laboratory, based on impressions taken from the mouth. Apart from replacing missing teeth, dentures provide support for facial muscles and prevent them from sagging. There are two main types of dentures, the full denture and the partial denture.
Full dentures
A full denture is a flesh-coloured acrylic base that fits over the gum. Full denture can be fitted immediately after the remaining teeth have been removed or it can wait until gum tissues have healed. Dentures fitted immediately must be relined after a few months because the denture becomes lose as the bone supporting the teeth begins to reshape as it heals.
Partial Dentures
With partial dentures, the false teeth are supported by a metal or plastic frame which clips onto natural teeth on each side of the space originally occupied by the missing teeth. Occasionally, dental crowns are placed on natural teeth on each side of the gap. The crowns serve as anchor for a metal framework which supports the set of false teeth.
Dentures Retained by Dental Implants
Dentures retained by dental implants are more permanent. Implants are titanium posts surgically positioned into the jaw bone in the space previously occupied by the missing teeth so that false teeth can be mounted on them. The advantages of implants serving as anchor for false teeth are that they don't come lose easily and they don't have to be anchored to other teeth like dentures. You however need to have healthy gums and adequate bone to support the implant.
In view of the permanent nature of implants, they require more elaborate preparations before they can be fitted. Radiological examinations such as mouth x-rays and computer tomography may be carried out to determine the thickness and integrity of the jaw bone.
Sinus lifts or bone grafts could be required to reinforce weak jaw bones prior to implant placement. Dental implants are sustainable anchors for false teeth because the natural jaw bone grows and fuses with the implant to support the false teeth.
