Dental bridges, sometimes called fixed partial dentures, act as a restorative bridge across a gap made by missing teeth. They are made to be permanent by cementing or bonding an artificial tooth (called a pontic) to natural teeth, teeth prepared with crowns, or implants next to the space. The teeth prepared on either side will act as supports for the false teeth between them. Depending on what your dentist suggests, the artificial teeth can be created using gold, alloys, or porcelain.
I have both upper and lower dentures, but the uppers, which are newer, are very white compared to the bottoms. It will cost me a lot (like $500) to replace them, but I want them to match. Can I whiten my dentures?Answer: It is not possible to whiten dentures like natural teeth because dentures are made of plastic. To minimize staining, properly clean your dentures daily to remove food and plaque bacteria. Brushing with a denture brush or soft toothbrush will prevent dentures from becoming permanently stained and will keep your mouth healthy. Moisten the brush and apply a nonabrasive denture paste (regular toothpaste is too abrasive) or use liquid soap. Brush every surface, inside and out, scrubbing gently. A variety of over-the-counter denture-cleanser products may be safely used (by following the manufacturer’s instructions) to remove some stains. You may also consider soaking your dentures in a cup of water with a teaspoon of household bleach, but be sure to rinse them off well before putting them back in your mouth. When cleaning your dentures, be careful not to drop them as they can break. You should clean your dentures over a sink that is filled with water or has a washcloth in place to prevent the dentures from breaking should you drop them while cleaning. More stubborn stains may require removal by your dentist or prosthodontist, a specialist in denture care and maintenance. To locate a prosthodontist near you, visit www.gotoapro.org. Response provided by the American College of Prosthodontists. Back to top
By establishing two implanted attachments to the lower jaw, an overdenture is able to sit securely in place to instantly increase retention, stability, and comfort. This is especially important in lower-jaw, full-denture situations where traditional dentures tend to have less adhesion due to a limited foundation and the tongue muscle dislodging the prosthetic teeth.
No consensus has been reached regarding the best occlusal scheme for making complete dentures. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review was to compare bilateral balanced occlusion (BBO) with other occlusal schemes (canine guidance, lingualised occlusion and zero degree) in complete dentures. The schemes were compared in terms of quality of life/satisfaction and masticatory performance. Two independent reviewers performed a comprehensive search of studies published in or before October 2017 using the PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and Cochrane Library databases. The search was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The focused question was: "In conventional complete denture, is BBO better than lingualised occlusion, canine guidance and zero degree in terms of quality of life, patient satisfaction and masticatory performance/muscle activity?" Seventeen studies were selected for analysis. In total, there were 492 patients with a mean age of 64.78 years and a mean follow-up duration of 2.96 months (range: 1-6 months). All studies compared BBO with the other occlusal schemes. Eleven studies evaluated the influence of the occlusal scheme designs on quality of life and satisfaction, and 8 studies evaluated masticatory performance and muscle activity between BBO and the other occlusion schemes. The present systematic review indicated that BBO does not confer better quality of life/satisfaction or masticatory performance and muscle activity. Thus, lingualised occlusion can be considered a predictable occlusal scheme for complete dentures in terms of quality of life/satisfaction and masticatory performance, while canine guidance can be used to reduce muscular activity.
The fabrication of a set of complete dentures is a challenge for any dentist/denturist. There are many axioms in the production of dentures that must be understood; ignorance of one axiom can lead to failure of the denture. In the vast majority of cases, complete dentures should be comfortable soon after insertion, although almost always at least two adjustment visits are necessary to remove the cause of sore spots. One of the most critical aspects of dentures is that the impression of the denture must be perfectly made and used with perfect technique to make an accurate model of the patient's edentulous (toothless) gums. The dentist or denturist must use a process called border molding to ensure that the denture flanges are properly extended. An array of problems may occur if the final impression of the denture is not made properly. It takes considerable patience and experience for a dentist to know how to make a denture, and for this reason it may be in the patient's best interest to seek a specialist, either a prosthodontist or denturist, to make the denture. A denturist is a trained and licensed professional who sees patients in need of dentures, partials, relines or repairs. A denturist not only takes the impression, but makes the entire denture in his or her own laboratory. The denturist then schedules a date for the delivery of the finished dentures to the patient. A general dentist may do a good job making dentures, but only if he or she is meticulous and experienced. Many dentists no longer make dentures themselves. but instead take an impression of the patients' mouth and then either send the impressions to a dental laboratory, which could be anywhere in the world, or send the patient to a denturist. Once the laboratory receives dental impressions of the patient's mouth, the laboratory creates plaster molds from them. The laboratory uses the molds to create the wax rims used to register the patient's bite. These wax rims are returned to the dentist, who uses them to register the patient's bite. The dentist may assist the patient in choosing the correct size of teeth for the dentures, or simply make the selection himself. Once bite registration is completed and the teeth are selected for the dentures, the wax rim is usually returned to the dental laboratory in order to have the denture teeth set into the wax. Once the teeth are set into the wax rim, the result is a prefinished denture that looks almost like the finished product. This prefinished denture is usually returned to the dentist's office and the patient usually has a chance to approve the setup (for immediate or standard dentures) or to try the denture before it is finished. After approval by the patient, the dentist returns the pre-denture to the laboratory for final processing. The finished denture is then returned to the dentist's office for delivery to the patient.
Before I close, I'd like to add a word on fees as well. I almost hesitate to call this an affordable dental office, simply because they obviously put care first. All dental offices should do what this office does and provide options, but few do. It's that commitment to patient care and letting you choose what's right for you that makes them more affordable, versus the offices that cut corners to save you a buck. That's a major difference worth noting. They also have an on-site lab, which saves costs as well.
Our dentist may recommend complete or partial dentures to restore your smile if you are missing multiple teeth; dentures can improve your ability to properly speak and eat, restore your natural facial volume, and enhance the overall beauty of your smile. Your dentures will be custom made to fit your smile comfortably, aesthetically, and securely. We invite you to call or visit us soon to learn more about how dentures can improve your smile!
I had a really great experience with Affordable Dentures and Implants. My mom has always been afraid of dentists and didn't take care of her teeth. She also had a stroke a few years back which has created a few more barriers to treatment. It's difficult to explain to anyone who doesn't personally know a stroke survivor, but she gets antsy pretty quickly and can be a bit difficult to work with at times. She's also physically handicapped and can't use her left side, plus is having trouble transferring from her wheelchair to other seats, getting into a helpful position, and following directions, so it's a bit of a unique situation. She underwent major oral surgery in this office- multiple extractions and bone augmentation- in order to get dentures. This is something we've seen a couple different dentists for, but she has always refused treatment because she didn't like something about the office or wanted to be put to sleep in a hospital, which was out of our budget. Given her limitations and dental anxiety, I wasn't sure what to expect this time around, but I couldn't have been happier with how this office behaved. The front office has been great in terms of explaining processes, scheduling, and billing. I've also had to coordinate paratransit to get my mom to the office, and they've worked with me on times to make sure everything lines up right. Something you can probably only appreciate if you've been in a similar situation. They've also worked with us on fixing issues and missed appointments due to unforeseeable circumstances. Not only did they not scold us for missing an appointment, but they worked with me to resolve the problem that caused it- my mom's assisted living facility biffed it and didn't give her pain medicine after her surgery. :/ But, like I said, this office came through and helped- always making her care the top priority. As far as back office goes, Carlos the assistant has the patience of a saint. Seriously. We had to do a full series of x-rays because my mom couldn't stand up for the pano. My mom had trouble holding still and repeatedly failed to follow instructions. Carlos never stopped smiling and encouraging her. He had a lot of positive energy and kept joking with her throughout, which I know went a long way to making her feel good about the office. He did the same during the other visits, but the x-rays I'm sure were the biggest challenge. Jennifer assisted with the surgery. She was incredibly kind, gentle, and thoughtful. She was always doing what she could to keep my mom comfortable and looking out for her. She even went and grabbed my mom a pillow to make sure she was comfortable. Dr. Athari has an amazing sense of calm about him. He walked us through everything and talked to us throughout the procedure. My mom needed frequent breaks during the surgery and he always gave her the time she needed to regroup. He was very gentle and mindful with her throughout the procedure, and I'm certain that's what got my mom through it without issue. I cannot stress how difficult this process could have been considering the amount of care needed and the limitations of the patient. However, these folks rolled with everything we threw at them and never missed a beat. Always helpful, knowledgeable, kind, and gentle. If I had to find one negative about the office, it would be the wait times. On our first visit, one woman in the waiting room said she'd been waiting 30+ minutes. It took a day to get a call back to schedule. We waited a little while in the office too. However, when you consider that they're working with people like the person I brought in, and that it's totally impossible to predict the needs and behaviors of some of the patients who go in there, it's totally understandable. I have no doubt they took a little longer because they were treating someone else exactly as they treated us- with patience and understanding. That's worth waiting for. So, if you do go, be prepared for some short delays, but also know why those delays happen. Overall, they work like a well-oiled machine. We got to meet the whole team, including their on-site lab techs. Every single person met us with a smile and kind words. I cannot thank Dr. Athari enough for creating an environment like this. Before I close, I'd like to add a word on fees as well. I almost hesitate to call this an affordable dental office, simply because they obviously put care first. All dental offices should do what this office does and provide options, but few do. It's that commitment to patient care and letting you choose what's right for you that makes them more affordable, versus the offices that cut corners to save you a buck. That's a major difference worth noting. They also have an on-site lab, which saves costs as well. Anyway, again, sending a huge thank-you to Dr. Athari and his staff. You guys are beyond awesome.
I also am so afraid that my heart doctor may be upset because I was so desperate to have my tooth pulled that I put the dental assistant on my cellphone with my doctor's nurse and she talked really nasty to her. She told my doctor "No dentist worth his weight would accept that fax". Then the dentist told me that he has never had a problem with a heart doctor giving him the note he needed and that they were just after money because they said I would have to have a cardiac evaluation. I told him that I really liked my heart doctor.
When you lose a tooth, the nearby teeth may tilt or drift into the empty space. The teeth in the other jaw may also shift up or down toward the space. This can affect your bite and place more stress on your teeth and jaws. You may find it harder to clean teeth that have shifted, which can lead to tooth decay and gum disease. That is why it is important to replace missing teeth.
When I arrived for my appointment, they said I did not have an appointment and they had no fax from a doctor. They did tell me that they would fit me in but later they acted as though I was telling them a lie, or that I called a different office which according to my cellphone, I had the correct place. The dentist talked to me like I was dirt. I was just trying to tell him that I had this conversation with the lady at that office and then I heard the woman's voice and recognized it as the lady that I spoke with on the phone. I did point at her and say that it was her that I had talked to and she yelled at me not to point at her.
Sometimes, a Dallas dentist is not fully capable of dealing with the specialized needs of certain clients. That is where Dallas Dentures & Implants can help. We are a professional and courteous clinic that provides all types of prosthetic and aesthetic dental improvement. We specialize in this sort of work and are able to offer services from doctors who are experts in their field at a reasonable prices.
After six months you receive the final denture, which locks into place, making it a long-lasting smile solution that will restore not just your smile, but a higher quality of life. From there, you’ll worry no more about smiling, eating or speaking, meaning you can focus on simply maintaining good oral hygiene to ensure the dentures last for many years to come.
Problems with dentures may arise because patients are not used to having something in their mouth that is not food. The brain senses the appliance and interprets it as 'food', sending messages to the salivary glands to produce more saliva and to secrete it at a higher rate. This usually only happens in the first 12 to 24 hours, after which the salivary glands return to their normal output. New dentures can also be the cause of sore spots as they compress the denture-bearing soft tissues (mucosa). A few denture adjustments in the days following insertion of the dentures can take care of this problem. Gagging is another problem encountered by a minority of patients. At times, this may be due to a denture that is too loose, too thick or extended too far posteriorly onto the soft palate. At times, gagging may also be attributed to psychological denial of the denture. Psychological gagging is the most difficult to treat since it is out of the dentist's control. In such cases, an implant-supported palateless denture may have to be constructed. Sometimes there could be a gingivitis infection under the completed dentures, caused by the accumulation of dental plaque. One of the most common problems for wearers of new upper complete denture is a loss of taste sensations.
