As a modern dental patient, you have many possibilities for restoring and enhancing your smile. For example, if you need a tooth replacement, you can decide between a bridge, dental implants, and dentures. Each of these options has a variety of potential configurations.
Looking to dentures specifically, you can find three main kinds: full dentures, partial dentures, and implant-supported dentures. Here’s a little more information about each to help you decide which is right for you.
Full Dentures
Are you missing a whole arch of teeth or most of your teeth? Full dentures are an effective, affordable option because they’re a dental prosthesis that replaces a full arch at once. In some cases, if a person only has a couple of teeth left it’s possible to extract those remaining teeth to make room for a full denture, particularly if their remaining teeth aren’t in great condition. Every day, these dentures will need to be attached to the gums with a strong dental adhesive.
Partial Dentures
Partial dentures, on the other hand, are a good choice for people who are missing just a few teeth. These dentures have clasps or connectors that attach around the natural teeth you have left or dental crowns placed over your natural teeth while filling in the various spaces left by missing teeth.
Implant-Supported Dentures
Instead of resting on top of your gums or attaching to other teeth, implant-supported dentures are snapped in place onto dental implants, which are metal rods surgically inserted into your jawbone. To be a candidate for this kind of denture, you need to have good overall oral health and sufficient bone structure to support the implants.
Schedule Your Consultation!
Even if you’re not quite sure what kind of tooth replacement makes the most sense for your smile needs, we invite you to book a consultation at Southwest Smiles in Austin, TX. Our office provides full and partial dentures and would be a delighted to evaluate your case and offer our professional recommendation. Please contact us today to set up a visit with our team!
Dentures images from Authority Dental under CC 2.0