Denture adhesives, also called denture adherents, are creams, powders, wafers or strips that are used to hold dentures firmly in place. The adhesive also helps form a seal that keeps food particles from sticking between the dentures and gums. Adhesive is applied to clean dentures, which are then positioned in the mouth and held in place for a few seconds, according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Olalekan Okunuga, DDS, FICOI, FAAIP, is a general dentist and the practice owner of this South Hill location. He earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree at University of Pacific in San Francisco and completed his post-graduate residency at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C. Based on many years of valuable dental experience, Dr. Okunuga and his staff are proud to offer professional, compassionate care to patients that visit this practice.
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA -- I had a great experience there, and I'd recommend them to anyone. I had 22 teeth extracted and immediate dentures placed all in the same day. The dentist there is a fireball and I really liked her. I liked all the staff really. In the morning they took the impressions and then sent me out to lunch with prescriptions to fill. A mild sedative, pain pills, and antibiotics. They told me to come back at 2 pm, take the sedative in the waiting room, and wait to be called. When I went back there, they had me take the first pain pill and then numbed me up and began the process. Wow.
Dentures are mainly made from acrylic due to the ease of material manipulation and likeness to intra-oral tissues, ie. gums. Most dentures made are fabricated from heat-cured acrylic polymethyl methacrylate and rubber-reinforced polymethyl methacrylate.[3] Coloring agents and synthetic fibers are added to obtain the tissue-like shade, and to mimic the small capillaries of the oral mucosa, respectively.[4] However, dentures made from acrylic can be fragile and fracture easily if the patient has trouble adapting neuromuscular control. This can be overcome by reinforcing the denture base with cobalt chromium (Co-Cr). They are often thinner (therefore more comfortable) and stronger (to prevent repeating fractures).
When you are missing one or more teeth, the bite pressures shift in your mouth. Other teeth may begin to move to compensate for the “gap” in your bite, and you may experience shrinking of both the soft tissues and the supporting bone near your missing teeth. This can alter your physical appearance and can lead to subsequent problems with your other teeth. A partial denture keeps the underlying structures of your mouth – your gums, jawbone, facial muscles, etc. – active and engaged. It helps prevent further shifting of the other teeth in your mouth, while giving you the confidence of having a beautiful, complete smile.
If you are considering dentures as a solution to missing teeth, the first step is to consult your dentist to determine the type of dentures you need and how much they will cost. Next, you may wish to ask your dentist what financing options he or she offers. In addition to offering financing plans specific to his or her office, your dentist may be affiliated with Compassionate Finance®. Compassionate Finance® operates much like a credit card. Once your application is approved, you may receive a credit line to help pay for the cost of your dental treatment. A Compassionate Finance® card offers you the freedom to select the type of dentures that suit your individual needs, and you don't have to feel restricted by what your insurance plan does and does not cover. Visit the Compassionate Finance® form or your dentist's office to learn more about Compassionate Finance® or to fill out an application.
Throughout the years, a key driver of our expansion (now more than 230 affiliated practice locations...and counting!) has been Affordable Care, a dental support organization that equips affiliated practice owners to meet their ever-growing patient needs. Affordable Care provides lab and business services through a nationwide network of on-site Affordable Dentures Dental Laboratories (ADDL) and extensive nonclinical support.
Should I Get Dental Implants?According to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, statistics show that nearly 70% of adults aged 35 to 44 years in the United States have at least one missing tooth due to an accident, tooth decay, gum disease, or dental fractures.Dental Implants or Dentures?But there’s no need to go through life with missing teeth. These days, many good alternatives are available. Dental implants and dentures are the most common options. Dentures are false teeth, and although their quality has improved, they’re not ideal for everyone. If not secured with denture adhesive, dentures might slip out of place while eating or speaking, which could be embarrassing, and partial dentures might promote infection and decay in other teeth if they aren’t fitted properly, which may increase the risk that you would need a tooth filling on the abutment (adjoining) tooth. That said, dentures may be the best choice for people whose gums and jaw are weak or unhealthy.Should I Get Dental Implants?If you are missing teeth and your gums and jaw are healthy, you may benefit from dental implants, which are replacement teeth that are implanted surgically into the jawbone. With good oral hygiene, dental implants can last for 20 years or more without the need for replacement. Dental implants are often a popular choice for people who have only one or two teeth missing, but they can be an alternative to dentures if you have several missing teeth. As long as your gums and jaw are healthy, two or more implants can serve as a base of support for several replacement teeth.
An overdenture is a removable dental prosthesis that covers and rests on one or more remaining tooth roots. A removable partial denture is a dental prosthesis that replaces some teeth and is built around existing natural teeth. Both the overdenture and the removable partial denture may be connected to the remaining tooth roots or remaining natural teeth with anchors made of metal or plastic. These connections improve stability and the retention of both prostheses.
