Partial Dentures – DuPont, WA

Effects of Missing Teeth

Teeth can go missing for a variety of reasons, including due to dental decay or injuries, oral health problems, or even as a result of undergoing certain medical treatments. In any case, once these permanent teeth are no longer in your mouth, you’re bound to suffer the effects of having holes in your grin. Not only can missing teeth lead to a higher risk of developing secondary dental health concerns, like gum disease, but it can also lead to jawbone deterioration, difficulty eating and speaking, lower confidence, and cause your cheeks to appear hollow or saggy.

Are You a Good Candidate for Partials?

Partial dentures are designed to replace several missing teeth throughout an arch and are a great solution for patients who find themselves with this type of tooth loss. At your initial consultation with our experienced team, we will speak with you about all of your options, including traditional partials and dental implants, allowing you to make an informed decision that’s best for you.

Alternative Tooth Replacement Options

If you don’t feel that partial dentures can fit all of your needs, then you may want to consider these alternative tooth replacement solutions:

• Dental Bridges: Dental bridges are designed to replace consecutive missing teeth and have the ability to restore anywhere between one and four teeth in a row.
• Dental Implants: Dental implants can be combined with dental bridges and crowns to replace multiple missing teeth throughout the smile. They have the ability to restore both the root and visible structure of teeth as well as prevent jawbone deterioration over time, as they are surgically placed below the gums and into the jawbone to provide a solid foundation for the restoration.

If you believe that one of these other services may work best for you, our team would be happy to discuss the pros and cons with you at your consultation! Just be sure to let us know what option you feel would best meet your goals.

What are Partial Dentures Made Of?

Partial dentures have three distinct layers:

• The Base: This is typically crafted from either metal, plastic or gum-colored resin and custom-molded to fit like a puzzle piece between existing teeth using clasps, allowing it to be held firmly within the mouth using your surrounding existing teeth.
• The Gums: This is crafted from gum-colored acrylic and designed to hold the prosthetic teeth within the partial denture.
• The Replacement Teeth: Your replacement teeth can be made from a variety of materials, including ceramic, porcelain, or resin. Their shades are customized to match the appearance of surrounding teeth, making the partial dentures appear like a natural extension of your mouth.

The Denture Creation Process

After your dentist in DuPont sends your impressions and dental shades over to the laboratory, dental technicians will get to work crafting your partial denture in the following stages:

• Creating a Wax Mold: A wax mold is created to act as a draft of your partial denture, allowing you to try it on to check for an even bite and good fit.
• Sculpting & Creation: Once the wax rendition of your partials is confirmed to fit, the lab technicians will then create a cast of the prosthetic using permanent materials. This step also includes adding the clasps, connectors, and rests to the base of the denture that will hold it in place between your existing teeth.
• Test for Proper Fit: The partial dentures will be polished and adjusted before they’re sent back to our office for a final fit test.
• Final Adjustments & Care Instructions: If necessary, the partial dentures will be sent back to the laboratory for final adjustments to be made to ensure a perfect fit. Then, our team will instruct you on how to care for your new restoration so you can enjoy it for years to come.

Adjusting to Your New Partial Dentures

Your first week with your partial dentures can feel strange and uncomfortable as you’re getting used to them. It’s important to be patient during this adjustment period. At first, they may make your gums feel sore, and it can feel strange to talk and eat. However, after a couple of weeks, they will begin to feel like a natural extension of your smile, and you’ll come to appreciate all of the day-to-day benefits they offer!

Budget-Friendly Tooth Replacement

Traditional partial dentures are one of the most cost-effective treatments to replace multiple missing teeth within your mouth. They’ve been around for ages and over the years, more lifelike materials have been utilized to help achieve breathtaking results. In fact, in many cases, dental insurance plans will cover at least a portion of the cost of partials.

Boosted Confidence

An incomplete smile, whether you’re missing some or all of your teeth, can cause you to want to hide your smile instead of letting it show. With time, this shame and embarrassment surrounding your appearance can impact your psychological wellbeing and change your social habits. However, by restoring your teeth with partial dentures, you can smile with greater confidence again.

Eat a Wider Variety of Foods

Chewing can be difficult without a full set of teeth, drastically limiting the types of food that you can eat with ease. With time, you may find that you’re not able to consume as many key nutrients as your body needs to function best. With a complete arch of teeth, you’ll find it much easier to eat the foods your body wants and needs!

Speak More Clearly

Since your teeth have been missing, have you noticed that you slur your words or have developed a lisp? Your tongue and air can get caught in the spaces between your teeth, making something as simple as speaking much harder.

Short Adjustment Period

One of the greatest benefits of partial dentures in DuPont is they’re relatively easy for patients to adjust to! Unlike with dental implants, you won’t have to go through lengthy healing periods or spend ages getting used to having them in your mouth. They’ll restore your smile’s natural beauty and function, and because they’re removable, they’ll be incredibly easy to clean.

Maintain Your Smile’s Alignment

A long-term benefit of replacing missing teeth with a partial denture is maintaining the alignment of your existing teeth. Without anything to hold your teeth in place, they’ll begin to shift out of place to fill the spaces in your arch, leading to misalignment and an increased risk of dental health problems like cavities. Your partial dentures will act as space maintainers to restore and maintain your smile’s existing health and alignment.

Factors that Affect the Cost of Partial Dentures

When scheduling a consultation with a member of our team, we will perform a thorough examination of your oral cavity to determine if you are a qualified candidate for partial dentures. If so, we will consider various factors that will make up your overall cost estimate. These may include:

• The number of teeth that need to be replaced
• The materials used to create your partial denture
• The location of your dentist’s office
• Whether you plan to use dental insurance to cover a portion of the cost

Are Implant Dentures More Expensive?

Yes, implant dentures are indeed more expensive; however, if you compare how much you will spend on a traditional partial versus one that is supported by dental implants, you can quickly see why the latter are worth the investment. Held into place by two titanium posts that mimic the natural roots of teeth, they fuse with the jawbone to build a durable foundation for the implant partial. And because they can remain in place for 30+ years, you do not need to worry about adjustments and replacements along the way.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Partial Dentures?

Fortunately, most dental insurance companies offer coverage for partial dentures, which means you can expect your out-of-pocket expenses to be less. In most cases, dental insurance companies will pay around 50% of the total cost since it is often deemed a major restorative service. Our team will work with you and your insurance company to help you get the most out of your benefits.

Other Options for Making Partial Dentures Affordable

If you need assistance paying the remaining balance after filing with insurance, you can apply for flexible financing through CareCredit. This third-party company makes it easy to avoid the high expense of initial costs and instead, allows you to pay out your treatment over several months. And with no surprise fees and low-to-no-interest payment plans, it is a great way to stay within budget.

How long will you have to wait to get dentures after your teeth are pulled?

The average wait time is usually 6-8 weeks; however, this is dependent on the type of denture you will receive. While some patients may receive them sooner or much later than 8 weeks, your smile will need to be thoroughly evaluated by our team of professionals before we can determine if you’re a candidate for dentures and how long it will take after tooth extraction.

Your mouth must heal after tooth removal, but there are different options you might qualify for, such as immediate (same-day) dentures. If this is possible, you will have your new teeth placed on the same day as your removal procedure. This allows you to eat and speak after treatment. However, it’s also likely that you’ll need to have your denture relined over time, as our team will be unable to check the fit before it is put into place.

If you’re receiving implant dentures, it is essential that you wait 4-6 months to allow your implant posts to fuse with your jawbone before receiving your customized denture.

Can I sleep with my dentures?

You are strongly advised not to sleep with your dentures in. The reasons are many, including:

• The soft oral tissues of the mouth must have time to recover. By keeping your dentures out at night, they can retrieve valuable nutrients needed.
• Bacteria can form underneath the denture and cause pneumonia
• Your gums require circulation. When refusing to take out your dentures at night, they can cause additional irritation and ride resorption.

When taking them out at night, let them soak in a denture cleaner.

Will it hurt to get dentures?

If the reason for your dentures is that you’ll need to have several teeth extracted, you can expect to experience some soreness and discomfort following your procedure. Although this pain will begin to go away after a few days, you’ll need to follow any instructions provided to you by your denture dentist in Ware.

Once you receive your customized dentures, however, you can begin to enjoy your new teeth immediately. There will be some minor soreness initially, and you’ll likely enter into an adjustment phase that requires you to rethink how you eat and speak. All of this is temporary, though, as long as you adopt positive and helpful habits (i.e., speak slowly and eat softer foods at first).

What can’t you eat with dentures?

Dentures allow you to resume eating some of your favorite foods, but if you want to avoid any potential damage or accidental removal, it’s best if you avoid the following food options:

• Anything sticky (i.e., peanut butter, gummy candy, gum)
• Anything hard (i.e., corn on the cob, raw carrots or celery, nuts)
• Dense and tough meats
• Small foods like sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, shelled nuts