Dentures – Pittsburgh, PA
Rebuilding Smiles with High-Quality Solutions
Losing even a single tooth can make everyday life challenging. If you’re missing most or all of your pearly whites, you probably have difficulties speaking clearly, chewing tough foods, and smiling with confidence. Luckily, you don’t have to suffer through these consequences forever! At Warwick Dentistry, Dr. Joyce and Dr. Jack Warwick offer lifelike, comfortable dentures in Pittsburgh, PA to help you complete your smile. If you’re ready to enjoy a personalized tooth loss solution, please call our office to find out more!
Why Choose Warwick Dentistry for Dentures?
- Two Dentists with 30+ Years of Experience Each
- State-of-the-Art Dental Technology Used
- Implant Dentures Placed In-House
Who’s a Good Candidate for Dentures?
Whether you’re missing several teeth or an entire arch, the vast majority of adults who are dealing with tooth loss make good candidates for dentures. To make sure you’re eligible for one of these custom-made prosthetics, our dentists will closely examine your mouth and discuss the current state of your oral health. If we detect any problems, such as gum disease or decay in your remaining teeth, we’ll devise a treatment plan to ensure your new smile will be as healthy and beautiful as possible.
Effects of Missing Teeth
A person can lose their teeth because of several reasons, the most common ones being complications like gum disease, tooth decay, and physical trauma. Whatever the cause, there are a wide range of consequences if you don’t address tooth loss. Not only will you experience aesthetic issues that can decrease your self-confidence, but you’ll also have difficulties in speaking and chewing. Since the jawbone can begin to deteriorate from a lack of stimulation from tooth roots, you might also experience facial sagging or a more aged appearance. Without treatment, tooth loss can significantly impact your oral health and overall quality of life. This is what makes dentures an incredibly valuable solution, as it can quickly and conveniently improve your overall well-being.
What Qualifies You for Dentures?
If you’re fully matured and have lost some or all of your teeth, then you’re most likely a good candidate for dentures. They can be specifically customized to match your specific needs, as you can either get a partial, full, or implant denture based on your situation. That said, our team will first have to ensure that you have good oral health before moving forward with your treatment, such as strong and healthy gum tissue and adequate jawbone density. Any underlying complications will need to be addressed beforehand so that you won’t have to worry about any issues arising without your knowledge. Once we’ve confirmed that you’re in great shape, we can move forward with your treatment plan.
Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options
If dentures aren’t a viable option for you, it doesn’t mean you’ll be out of options for replacing missing teeth. Our team offers a couple more solutions for restoring your bite, including:
- Dental bridges: These restorations are designed to “bridge” the gap in your smile by placing two dental crowns atop healthy teeth on either side of the space, which are connected via pontics (artificial teeth). These abutment teeth will need to be prepared first by removing a tiny portion of the enamel to allow the crowns to fit perfectly. The results can last around a decade before needing to be replaced.
- Dental implants: Our team can embed titanium posts into your jawbone so that your crown, bridge, or denture can be secured. This solution requires that you have strong and sufficient jawbone density to support the implants. Though the upfront cost is higher than traditional dentures, you can expect to enjoy your results for several decades to a lifetime with minimal care.
Types of Dentures
Because dental technology has come so far in the past few decades, today’s dentures look more realistic and restore more biting and chewing function than ever before. Your dentist in Pittsburgh will recommend one of the following types of dentures based on your specific needs and preferences.
Full Dentures
As its name suggests, a full denture is designed to replace a whole arch of teeth at the same time. A row of custom-made teeth is attached to a pink base that sits on top of the gums and stays in place via natural suction and possibly a small amount of denture adhesive. Full dentures are removable so that you can easily clean them.
Partial Dentures
Patients who still have some healthy teeth remaining may benefit from a partial denture. Like full dentures, partials are removeable and consist of a gum-colored acrylic base and several artificial teeth. The main difference is that a partial fills the gaps in your grin using a metal clasp that is attached behind your real teeth. Others shouldn’t be able to tell which teeth are natural and which are the denture!
Implant Dentures
For added security and a longer lifespan, full or partial dentures can be anchored onto dental implants that are surgically placed in the jaw. These biocompatible posts stimulate the jawbone from the inside, preventing the bone loss that often occurs after teeth go missing. They also keep your prosthetic firmly in place at all times. They can be removable or fixed in placed depending on your preferences.
How Dentures Are Made
Experiencing life with a full set of teeth is one of the best feelings, especially when you can look in the mirror and see dentures that look natural, feel comfortable, and make eating and speaking easy and enjoyable. But if you want to truly appreciate the time and effort required to rebuild your smile, it’s important to learn exactly how these prosthetics are made. Keep reading to learn more about the process.
What Are Dentures Made Of?
There are two parts to every denture – the base and the artificial teeth. No matter if you need a full or partial denture, you can expect these to be the building blocks of your new smile.
- Denture Base: Commonly crafted from resin, acrylic, or nylon, the denture base serves as the initial component lab technicians will build to support the artificial teeth. It is generally designed to match your natural gum color, and partials will incorporate a metal framework so that it can be held in place.
- Artificial Teeth: No matter how many replacement teeth are needed, lab technicians will carefully craft each one to ensure it meets the specifications provided by our dental team. These are made out of resin or porcelain and sit atop the denture base to create a complete smile when put into place.
The Denture Creation Process
The denture creation process can take several weeks. This is because there is some back and forth between the lab and our dental office to ensure that your finalized denture fits correctly and comfortably.
You can expect the following steps to occur when receiving custom dentures:
- We will take an impression of your gums and measurements of your jawbone before a plaster mold is made.
- We will then send the mold to a local laboratory, where technicians will create a wax replica of your gumline before setting each artificial tooth in place. They will be held in place with wax and returned to our office for the first fitting.
- If the dentures are approved, we will send them back to the lab. Technicians will then boil the dentures before inserting them into a flask and adding plaster.
- The flask is then placed in hot water so that the wax will melt. Holes will be drilled in the teeth before acrylic is injected, replacing the wax.
- After removing the plaster from the denture, they are placed in an ultrasonic bath before the excess acrylic is trimmed off.
- The denture will be given a final polish before it is returned for the final time to our dental office.
Adjusting to Your New Dentures
There will likely be some minor discomfort when initially receiving and wearing your dentures; however, this will dissipate over time. Adjusting to your new dentures requires eating soft foods, practicing hard-to-say words and sounds, and making sure you stay on top of your oral hygiene routine. In no time at all, you’ll find that you sound, look, and use your teeth like normal.
The Benefits of Dentures
The loss of many teeth can make activities of daily living like eating, speaking, and smiling much more difficult. Luckily, dentures have changed the lives of millions of patients by replacing several, many, or all of their teeth with functional and beautifully lifelike restorations. Here’s a brief guide to the many benefits dentures can provide, but please contact our office in Pittsburgh if you’d like to learn more.
Psychological Benefits
It can be quite difficult to accept tooth loss, and many people who are missing all of their teeth experience issues like diminished confidence, less willingness to socialize, and depression. Restoring your smile’s function and appearance with dentures can improve your self-image so you can smile confidently and engage socially while reducing anxieties related to appearance, the way you speak, and your chewing ability.
Clearer Enunciation
Tooth loss can make speaking much more difficult since the teeth play a crucial part in how the mouth forms words. Being unable to touch your tongue to your teeth can make some words incredibly difficult to pronounce, and this makes some people less willing to express their opinions around others. Since dentures act in the place of the lost teeth, they can allow a patient to speak clearly after tooth loss, and it only takes about a month to get used to wearing them so that talking feels perfectly natural.
Improves Nutrition
Many foods that are rich in nutrients such as snappy raw fruits and veggies, fibrous and marbled fresh meats, and crunchy nuts can be quite difficult to chew after tooth loss, which makes it more likely for people with missing teeth to experience issues like indigestion or malnutrition. By restoring a significant amount of your chewing ability, dentures can allow you to enjoy a more expansive and nutritious diet so you can take more pleasure in eating and achieve better overall health.
Preserves Oral Health
Tooth loss can lead to a range of oral health problems such as the remaining teeth sliding out of alignment, injuries to the exposed gum tissue, and uneven dental wear. By replacing the lost teeth, dentures can prevent these issues so patients can enjoy better oral health, and keeping these appliances clean and in working order only requires an easy daily maintenance regimen.
Expands Opportunities
Investing in dentures can give you a significant edge over your competition in the professional world. Your smile plays a crucial role in how you make first impressions, and, according to a 2019 study, tooth loss is associated with a greater likelihood of unemployment. Having a smile you can be proud to show off can make it much easier to socialize, introduce yourself, close sales, ace a job interview, or land a juicy promotion.
Denture FAQs
Do you want to know more before committing to dentures in Pittsburgh? Our expert team has rounded up some of the most common questions about dentures and answered them below. From the average age for dentures to whether you can still kiss while wearing false teeth, we hope you find this information useful! To learn even more and determine if you are a good candidate for this type of dental restoration, schedule an initial consultation with Dr. Warwick.
What Is the Average Age for Dentures?
Although tooth loss is not inevitable, it does become far more common the older you get. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, around 66% of adults between the ages of 40 and 64 are missing at least one tooth, compared to only 33% of adults aged 20-39. So, you are more likely to need partial or full dentures if you are over the age of 40. However, people of all ages can potentially benefit from dentures if they are missing multiple teeth.
Will Dentures Change the Shape of My Face?
When you lose teeth, your facial muscles will eventually begin to sag. This can give your face an aged, sunken appearance. Dentures can improve the shape of your face by supporting collapsed facial muscles. However, ill-fitting dentures may not give your facial muscles the proper support. That’s why it’s important to choose an experienced denture dentist in Pittsburgh who can design a restoration that fits perfectly in your mouth.
Is It Hard to Talk with Dentures?
When you first get dentures, it may take some time to adjust to speaking with your new artificial teeth. This length of this adjustment process varies from person to person. However, the more you practice, the faster you will get used to speaking with dentures! Reading a book or newspaper out loud to yourself and repeating difficult-to-pronounce words is a good exercise. You can also try speaking slower than you normally do, as fast speech may come out muffled if you’re not used to talking with dentures. If your dentures seem to be shifting when you speak, try biting down and swallowing before you begin to talk. This will help ensure your false teeth are in the proper position. Denture adhesive can also help give your new teeth extra stability while you are still adjusting to them.
Can You Kiss with Dentures?
Dentures in Pittsburgh don’t have to mean the end of romance! It’s completely possible to kiss while wearing dentures – it just may take time to get used to how it feels. Since dentures don’t contain any nerves like real teeth do, you have to be cautious to avoid kissing anyone too hard or bumping your dentures against your partner’s teeth. Kissing gently is the way to go when you’re wearing dentures.
Can I Use Regular Toothpaste to Clean My Dentures?
Cleaning your dentures daily is very important, but you shouldn’t use toothpaste to do it. Instead, brush your false teeth with hand soap, mild dishwashing liquid, or specialized denture cleaner. Toothpaste is abrasive and can leave microscopic scratches on the surface of dentures. Over time, it can leave your false teeth seriously damaged. For the same reason, you should only use a soft-bristled toothbrush to clean your dentures.