"You dont have to brush your teeth - just the ones you want to keep."
- Author unknown.
In spite of proper care, teeth do get damaged and need replacement. Reasons can vary from accidents to disease to old age. However, the affected person need not be severely disadvantaged. There are several solutions available depending on the patients condition . Dentures, which are prosthetic devices constructed to replace missing teeth, are usually used as a last resort if the patient is not found suitable for other methods of teeth replacement such as crowns or implants.
Living without teeth is extremely difficult . Its only when a tooth (or teeth) is lost that its importance in everyday life is realized. In addition to the obvious use of eating, a full set of teeth improves appearance and allows for better speech. Consequently , dentures can help patients by considerably improving:
1. Mastication - Better chewing leads to better digestion, and consequently, better health .
2. Pronunciation - Pronunciation of words, especially those containing sibilants or fricatives, is affected by missing teeth and can be addressed by dentures.
3. Attraction - Loss of teeth can adversely affect appearance, even leading to sunken cheeks. Dentures can address these problems, leading to improved confidence .
All dentures can be divided into two broad categories - fixed and removable - with different subcategories of their own.
Fixed dentures
A fixed denture is fixed inside the mouth using the support of adjacent teeth and cannot be removed by the patient. A fixed denture can be be either full or partial .
Full dentures resemble all teeth in a single arch (i.e. the maxillary (upper) or mandibular (lower) arch). They can be of following types:
> Standard dentures - they are used to replace all the teeth in a single arch and take at least four appointments to be installed in a patient.
> Immediate dentures - they are emergency replacement made before the natural teeth are extracted. After extraction , this prefabricated immediate denture is placed over the bleeding gums.
> Copper-silicon (Cu-Si) dentures - they are used to replace only some of the teeth with the healthy natural teeth allowed to abut through holes, resulting in considerably increased stability.
> Implant retained dentures - they are used in conjunction with titanium implants to provide stability to the dentures.
Fixed partial dentures are also known as "crown and bridge" arrangements. They are used to replace one or a small number of missing teeth. They are made from crowns that are fitted on the remaining teeth to act as abutments and pontics made from materials to resemble natural teeth. Bridges usually look more natural than removable dentures and are more expensive .
Removable dentures
Removable dentures are of the partial kind. They include artificial teeth and gums crafted on a metal framework holding the dentures in place with metal clasps or other attachments. It is referred to as removable because patients can remove and reinsert them when required without professional help . On the other hand, a "fixed" denture can and should be removed only by a qualified professional.
