The Importance Of Cosmetic Dentures

We all want a bright and healthy smile. From magazines to websites to the silver screen, we’re surrounded by images of pearly white, straight teeth all the time. This is difficult for many to achieve and maintain with a full set of teeth. For those who have started to lose their teeth, be it to damage, disease, or old age, there’s only one real option left to them: cosmetic dentures.

What Are Cosmetic Dentures?

Many people have an image in their mind when they hear the word dentures. Typically they imagine an elderly person’s fake teeth floating in a jar of water by the bedside table. These were devices that were too uncomfortable to be worn full time and had a tendency to be ill-fitting.

Modern cosmetic dentures are very, very far from

Yet it’s important to note that this has much more to do with the fact they’ve lived longer and are more likely to have lost teeth along the way.

The reality is that dentures are for anyone who needs them. Teeth can be lost for any number of reasons. Poor dental hygiene is certainly one of them, but so is disease. Certain illnesses and the medications to treat them can adversely affect the health of your teeth and compromise them. Severe accidents such as motor vehicle collisions can also necessitate a full mouth restoration with cosmetic dentures.

Cosmetic dentures are intended to restore the look and function of your teeth after they’ve gone. Whether you’re in your twenties or nineties, cosmetic dentures may well be the treatment you need for a problem you have.

What Types Of Cosmetic Dentures Are There?

Today there are many brands and types of cosmetic dentures out there, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Some cost a little extra, but look more realistic. Some are simpler, but cheaper and still custom-fitted.

Broadly speaking there are three types of cosmetic denture:

Full Dentures

Full dentures are when you replace the entire arch of teeth with a denture. This might be all of your upper or lower

They’re easily the most stable of the options, and a full arch of teeth can be supported by as few as four implants.

How Long Does the Process Take?

Regardless of which version you go with, cosmetic dentures can be a fairly time-consuming process. For any type of denture there are several consultations and a planning phase where detailed notes and designs are made. This ensures that when your dentures go in, they look and fit as best as possible without needing a lot of extra modification.

Partial dentures are the least time-consuming because there’s very little waiting time. Teeth are extracted and the denture is manufactured and set in place. It still takes a few weeks in total.

Full Dentures

Our mouths change over the course of our lives. Our teeth are never completely set in place; they’re always slightly pliable. This is how orthodontics works, by applying gentle pressure to move the teeth in a precise manner.

What this means is that when all of your teeth are removed, your jaw continues to reshape itself as well. The dentist will often have to wait a few months after extracting teeth to allow the jaw and gum to settle before placing the cosmetic