Dentures & Partials For Deer Park

Psychological Benefits

Tooth loss can lead to difficulties in your everyday life that many people struggle to accept. It affects everything from how you look to your ability to eat, speak, and smile easily. If you’re overly worried about how others might perceive your current condition, you could develop anxiety or avoid interacting socially.

Fortunately, dentures are a versatile solution that simultaneously enhances your grin’s appearance and functionality. With your prosthetics in place, you can boost your confidence and peace of mind because you’ll look and feel like your best self.

Clearer Enunciation

Your teeth play an essential role in your ability to form certain sounds and words. Gaps in your smile can cause a lisp or other challenges in your speech patterns that make it difficult to be clearly understood. Dentures act as artificial teeth so that you can relearn how to speak more easily again. It can often take about a month for your mouth to grow accustomed to working around them, but then, you’ll be able to enjoy smoother conversations with family and friends.

Improves Nutrition

A full set of teeth is required to grind up your food enough to be swallowed and digested properly, so when some fall out, it can detract from your health. For instance, many healthy meats, fruits, and veggies are chewy in texture or hard to bite. You could become malnourished trying to avoid them because they’re challenging to chomp into or mash up sufficiently. Having dentures restores much of your chewing power so you can enjoy a wide range of ingredients to give your body the nutrients it needs to function at its peak.

Preserves Oral Health

If you have any teeth remaining, they’re likely to shift out of place to attempt to fill in the gaps left behind. This can wear them down in ways that weren’t intended, which leaves them more prone to injury, decay, and disease.

Rebuilding your grin with dentures ensures that any remaining teeth stay put and aren’t exposed to unnecessary or uneven pressure.

Expands Opportunities

Making a good first impression is key to having success on the job, and if you have missing teeth, you might be remembered for the wrong reasons. Others might assume that you don’t know how to take care of yourself or don’t care about hygiene which can leave a negative impression. In fact, according to a scientific study in 2019, the probability of being employed was negatively associated with poor oral health. That means restoring your smile with dentures can potentially lead to better opportunities in life.

Effects of Missing Teeth

Missing teeth become more common as we age due to factors such as tooth decay, gum disease, and facial injury. Some patients see this as a fact of life and choose to live with missing teeth, but there are many consequences of doing so, such as:

• Facial sagging due to reduced or deteriorating bone density.
• Speech impediments because of missing teeth necessary for tongue placement and air control.
• Chewing and digestive issues like indigestion and acid reflux.
• Decreased mental health and lowered self-esteem.

What Are the Qualities of a Great Candidate for Dentures?

When we examine patients during their initial consultations, we’re looking for several things that could indicate a necessity for denture prosthetics, including:

• Extensive decay or damage to their teeth.
• Healthy gums free from gingivitis or more serious gum disease.
• A sufficiently dense jawbone that can support denture prosthetics.
• A commitment to oral health and adherence to treatment guidelines.
• A need for an affordable tooth-loss solution due to financial constraints.

Ultimately, we want to ensure that no matter how many teeth you’ve lost or what your budget is that you’ll see success with dentures!

Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options

Not every patient with missing teeth needs or wants dentures. Sometimes they find that alternative methods of tooth replacement such as dental bridges or implants are better for their needs.

• Dental Bridges: A bridge is constructed to fit over two healthy teeth on either side of a gap in your smile. The teeth are carefully shaped to support crowns which are fused to one or two false teeth called pontics.
• Dental Implants: These are the gold standard in tooth replacement. However, they’re also the most costly of the three treatments. With dental implants, titanium fixtures shaped like small screws are implanted into your jawbone to serve as anchors for various restorations.

Learn More About Dental Bridges

Learn More About Dental Implants

Factors That Affect the Cost of Dentures

There isn’t a flat fee for dentures because every situation differs. After examining your mouth and learning more about your preferences, your denture dentist in Deer Park will create an individualized strategy to replace your missing teeth. Although no two treatment plans are identical, you can expect your estimate to include:

• Preparatory Procedures: Some patients need a little prep-work before getting their new set of teeth, like gum disease treatment or tooth extractions.
• Type of Denture: There are multiple methods of treating tooth loss, depending on how many teeth you have lost, such as traditional prosthetics or implant-supported solutions.
• Materials: Discount materials can be of low quality, so you can pay more in terms of comfort and the lifespan of your denture. It’s better to focus on quality when choosing materials for your dentures in Deer Park.

Don’t worry, you’ll know exactly what you will have to pay before committing to anything, so you won’t be surprised by any sudden expenses.

Are Implant Dentures More Expensive?

Implant dentures can cost more initially; however, they are the most affordable option long-term. Unlike traditional dentures that need replacing every few years, dental implants can last for decades. You’ll never have to budget for replacements with the right maintenance. Not to mention, dental implants preserve your jawbone to improve your oral health. You can save even more down the road by avoiding many issues stemming from tooth loss. Not to mention, you can’t put a price on the confidence you’ll gain with your stunning new smile.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dentures?

Dentures are considered a major service by most dental insurance companies. Therefore, they are typically covered by about 50% after meeting your annual deductible. You can also use your insurance benefits to lower the cost of specific steps in your treatment plan, like the consultation, gum disease therapy, or tooth extractions. A member of our team will handle all the paperwork to maximize your coverage.

Other Options for Making Dentures Affordable

Our office accepts many payment methods to keep dentures affordable for people from all walks of life. Besides using your dental insurance, other options include:

• Traditional Payments: We accept cash, checks, and credit cards.
• Third-Party Financing: Pay for your dentures using monthly installments through a third-party financing company, like CareCredit.

We offer the solutions you need to rehabilitate your smile, even if money is tight. If you have questions about your dental insurance, payment options, or you’re ready to schedule your consultation for dentures, contact our office today.

Removable Dentures

Remove After Eating

After a delicious meal, you may want to just sit back and relax. Before you do, though, you should head to a nearby sink and use cool or lukewarm water to quickly rinse off your dentures. By getting into this habit, you can get rid of any leftover food as soon as possible. The longer you leave food particles on your dentures, the more likely they are to lead to plaque buildup, which is always bad news if you’re trying to keep your mouth healthy.

Clean Your Restoration

You should set aside time once a day to clean your dentures. The best time is usually in the evening right before you go to bed. Always follow these steps:

• Carefully take your dentures out of your mouth.
• Brush them carefully with unscented hand soap and a soft-bristled toothbrush. (Never use toothpaste; it’s too abrasive and could cause permanent damage to your dentures.)
• Rinse off the hand soap (or whatever cleaning material you used).
• If you aren’t going to put your dentures back in your mouth immediately after cleaning, keep them soaking in a container filled with denture-cleansing solution.

Keep Your Dentures Safe

Since your dentures will play such an important role in your everyday life, you need to be very careful when handling them. Put a towel under your mouth before you take your dentures out; you never want to risk dropping them on the floor.

Dentures always need to be kept out of reach of pets or very young children who don’t realize why they shouldn’t pick them up. Always make sure that your dentures are being stored in a truly safe place.

Remove Dentures When You Sleep

Dentures can irritate your gums if you wear them for too long. Furthermore, wearing them to bed has been linked to a higher risk of pneumonia. For the sake of your oral and overall health, you should take your dentures out before bedtime.

Notice Changes

Dentures are designed with your specific mouth in mind, so if they’re shifting around or making clicking noises, it might mean that they don’t fit as well as they used to. And of course, it’s obviously cause for concern if any of your artificial teeth are broken. Contact us immediately if you’ve noticed anything different about your dentures lately.

Can I sleep with my dentures?

Your dentist will instruct you to wear your dentures for 24 hours after receiving your new set of teeth. After the first night, you will need to remove them before going to bed. Although no one wants to be caught without their teeth, your health and the lifespan of your prosthetic rely on nightly removal. Your mouth is the perfect environment for bacteria because it is dark and moist. Taking your denture out before bed allows you to clean it and your mouth to avoid infections. Your denture will also restrict blood circulation to your gums. If the soft tissues aren't given a break, sores, irritation, or infection can occur. Clean your denture and place it in a nightly solution to remove bacteria while allowing your gums to get the nutrients they need. Keeping your denture clean will also lengthen its lifespan to get the most out of your investment.

Do I use regular toothpaste to clean my denture?

Dentures can't get cavities, but you don't want to throw away your toothbrush. Your denture dentist in Deer Park recommends brushing your dentures after every meal, but don't use regular toothpaste. Abrasive dental products can scratch your dentures, which can tarnish the appearance of your pearly whites and weaken your prosthetic. Food particles and bacteria can get trapped in the small crevasses, shortening the lifespan of your new teeth and causing unpleasant odors. Your dentist will recommend using a soft-bristled toothbrush and a mild hand soap. Besides brushing, soak your denture in an overnight cleaning solution. This will keep your denture moist when it isn't in your mouth and kill any bacteria left behind by your toothbrush. You can also purchase OTC cleaning kits for denture wearers.

Can I eat steak with dentures?

It is entirely possible to eat steak with dentures, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea. Tough meats and chewing foods will put more wear and tear on your dentures, so you might need replacements sooner. The prolonged chewing can lead to gum pain and inflammation. It can even make your jaw hurt. Your dentist will recommend eating chewy meats in moderation. Cut them into small pieces to make them easier to chew. You may also want to consider a denture adhesive for added stability.

Does an upper denture always cover the palate?

An upper denture doesn't always have to cover the upper palate. There are several styles to choose from, like those with a horseshoe shape. They look like a denture used for the lower arch or along with dental implants. Your dentist will explain all your options to find the perfect denture for your smile.