Dentures – Rowley, MA
A Lifelike Solution to Replace Missing Teeth
Losing permanent teeth can detract from your daily quality of life in several ways. Tasks that were once second nature, like eating, speaking, and grinning confidently, become much more challenging with gaps in your grin.
Fortunately, our team at J. Peter St. Clair, DMD, PC have a lifelike solution to replace missing teeth. Regardless of how many you lost, we can provide customized dentures to restore your smile’s appearance and functionality. Continue reading to learn more about these versatile prosthetics, and feel free to contact us for additional information.
Why Choose J. Peter St. Clair, DMD, PC for Dentures?
- Dentist with Decades of Experience
- Durable, Customizable Materials
- In-House Memberships & Flexible Financing Available
Who is a Good Candidate for Dentures?
Potentially, anyone who has lost adult teeth can benefit from having dentures, but that doesn’t make them the best treatment for every circumstance. Before proceeding, you must consult one of our providers to ensure it’s the best option for your unique situation.
They’ll examine your mouth to ensure no pre-existing problems, like gum disease, interfere with your results. They’ll also check your jawbone density to verify whether it’s strong enough to support your new teeth.
Types of Dentures
Whether you’ve lost a few teeth sporadically throughout your mouth or entire arches have gone missing, our team can provide natural-looking dentures to fill the empty spaces in your smile. After we’ve examined your dental condition, we’ll recommend one of the following options based on our findings:
Partial Dentures
Patients who have a few missing teeth can potentially benefit from partial dentures. These restorations typically have an acrylic base housing the correct number of ceramic pontics (artificial teeth) to fill in the gaps. They usually include metal clips that anchor to healthy teeth in your mouth to remain in place.
Full Dentures
This option is intended to replace your entire arch to refurbish your grin completely. They usually have a gum-colored acrylic base that creates a firm suction against the gums over the bony ridges in your mouth, so you must have healthy connective tissues. The durable porcelain teeth are color-matched to your natural shade for realistic results.
Implant Dentures
Patients who struggle with ill-fitting restorations or who want a more permanent solution might do better with implant dentures. This is the only method that involves surgically placing anywhere from four to eight titanium rods into your jawbone. Eventually, your jaw fuses with the metal so they become permanent fixtures that hold your prosthetics in place.
The Benefits of Dentures
There are several advantages to getting dentures in Rowley, such as:
- Boosted confidence. You’ll have a beautifully restored smile so you look and feel like the best version of yourself.
- Customizable materials. Our team personalizes your new teeth at every stage of creation so they’re uniquely yours.
- Improved bite force. You can chew more easily to enjoy a wider selection of wholesome foods to support your oral and overall health.
- Enhanced enunciation. With dentures in place, you can overcome any lisping or slurring that might have developed after tooth loss, so you can be clearly understood.
- Cost-effective. This option tends to be less expensive than alternatives like dental bridges and dental implants.
Dentures FAQs
Do Dentures Break Easily?
Dentures are made from durable ceramic, acrylic, and/or resin materials that allow them to last for several years before needing replacement if they receive proper care, but they can fail early if they are improperly cleaned, handled, or maintained. For example, a patient can damage their dentures with aggressive chewing habits or by neglecting to soak them when not wearing them, which can dry them out and cause them to warp. Dentures are sometimes broken due to being dropped when they are removed or reinserted for hygiene purposes. To prevent this, many people begin their denture hygiene sessions by placing folded towels across their bathroom countertops to create cushions in case they drop their appliance. Dentures can also wear out due to the stress of repeated use over time.
We may be able to repair or adjust your denture at our office in Rowley depending on the nature and severity of the damage. Chipped or cracked teeth can usually be fixed with composite resin, and a poorly fitting denture may simply need to be relined. However, a denture that cannot be fixed will have to be replaced.
Can Dentures Lose Their Fit Over Time?
After you get used to wearing them, your new dentures should fit amazingly well and feel incredibly comfortable and lifelike. However, your appliance may lose its fit over time due to wear and tear and the changing shape of the mouth. The erosion caused by chewing may eventually lead to misalignments of the artificial teeth, and the jawbones will continue to atrophy after tooth loss due to lack of stimulation. In many cases, a poorly fitting denture can be adjusted or realigned at our office in Rowley, and it may be possible to help it fit better until your appointment by applying a commercial denture adhesive. However, Dr. St. Clair will eventually have to replace an aging or damaged denture completely.
Can I Sleep While Wearing My Dentures?
Wearing dentures for days without any breaks is associated with a host of nasty problems like bad breath, gum irritation, oral infections, accelerated jawbone erosion, and pneumonia. To prevent this, it is necessary to go without wearing your dentures for at least eight hours daily so your mouth has adequate time to rest and clean itself. Most patients remove their dentures before bed so they can put them back in soon after they wake up. If you aren’t currently wearing your dentures, be sure to soak them in a vessel filled with cool or lukewarm water or an approved soaking solution to prevent them from drying out and warping.
