Denture Treatment
Dentures are false teeth made to replace teeth you have lost. Dentures can be complete or partial. Complete dentures cover your entire upper or lower jaw. Partials replace one or a few teeth.
Advances in dentistry have made many improvements in dentures. They are more natural looking and comfortable than they used to be. But they still may feel strange at first. In the beginning, your dentist may want to see you often to make sure the dentures fit. Over time, your mouth will change and your dentures may need to be adjusted or replaced. Be sure to let your dentist handle these adjustments.
1. Dentures cost can vary greatly. A set (upper and lower)) of economy dentures can cost as low as $400.00 . A dentist who specializes in high end dentures may charge as much as $4000.00 . Even the best dental insurance may only cover 50% of charges, and up to a maximum of @ $1800. Fees are determined based on amount of treatment time, not on the cost of “making a denture” .
2. After teeth have been extracted, time is needed for the soft tissues to heal. For a majority of patients, 6 months will be needed to have sufficient healing to start denture treatment. During this time, a patient may be able to wear a temporary denture. Upper temporary dentures work fairly well, but a temporar y lower denture can be very difficult until significant healing has occurred. Any temporary denture usually needs” soft lining materials” and numerous adjustments during the healing process. Often denture treatment is started several weeks after surgery because most people are not able to wait 6 months to start. This is ok, just remember that the earlier denture treatment is
started before 6 months healing , the more adjustments and follow up care will be needed during the first year.
3. After tooth extractions, using a less expensive temporary denture for the first year is a practical solution. Don’t spend the money for a more expensive denture until 1 year after extractions. It can take 9-12 months to get complete healing of soft tissue and bone. A initial temporary denture endures many stresses and wears out easy,Yet it can serve as a good “spare” later.
4. Learning to eat with dentures can be challenging. Most people will not be able to eat with a lower denture until significant healing has taken place. The lower bone and soft tissue must heal enough to withstand the pressure forces of a lower denture during eating. Upper dentures usually have sufficient suction for retention. Lower dentures
seldom have enough suctions to stay in place. Often denture wearers WILL need adhesives for their lower dentures, this is normal. Today, the solution for loose lower dentures is to place dental implants, usually 2-4 screw like devices Into the lower jaw to hold in the lower denture. A denture implant in the jawbone is like using a dry wall olly to attach a heavy picture frame to drywall! Without implants or adhesives, a lower denture can be like learning to Use roller skates or ice skates. A lot of biting forces have to be balanced over a narrow lower jaw bone.
5. Denture teeth come in different forms and prices. Economy dentures usually have economy teeth. Economy denture teeth wear down easily, but 2-4 years of use may be expected. Higher quality denture teeth may last 10+ Years without significant wear. Choose cheep denture teeth for temporary dentures, and higher quality denture teeth for your second set fo dentures. Remember that denture teeth that are too white will look fake or artificial.The most popular and best tooth shade for most patients is “Shade 69”.
6. Dentures require routine maintenance. The fit of dentures is constantly changing. Dentures will become loose And unstable unstable with wear. A well fitting denture should be checked for proper fit at least once a year.
Dentures will periodically need the tissue side “resurfaced”. There procedures are called relinning or rebaseing.
A reline is adding denture material to the undersurface to correct for looseness due to soft tissue wear. This can be done several different ways. A rebase is when you replace all of the denture material, a good way to overhaul an existing denture. Relining/rebaseing procedures can cost between 25% to 30% of the cost of a new denture.
As with temporary dentures, there are also temporary lining materials that are used
7. Dentist want their patients to be satisfied with care, but no dentist can guarantee that denture treatment will be successful. Dentist typically can not refund their time spent providing “denture treatment”, if all reasonable Patients need to understand all denture treatment policies before starting treatment. Patients need to ask their dentist about cost of follow up care, extent of treatment, and how denture treatment satisfaction issues will be handled.
