Missing teeth can do more damage than to just your ego. With bone loss, sagging facial muscles and moving teeth possible, it is denturesimportant to both your oral and general health to fill in your gaps. With help from your Holland, MI dentist, Dr. Todd Brower at Ottawa Smiles Dental, you can learn what it takes to renew your smile with dentures.

Are there different kinds of dentures? 
Dentures come in several forms. Some of the most common dentures include:

  • Immediate dentures: Immediate dentures benefit patients who require extractions before wearing their dentures. The molds used to make the dentures are taken before the extractions, allowing the denture to be prepared and ready to wear the day of the extraction. This saves the patient from having to go without teeth for a time while the dental laboratory customizes the dentures.
  • Implant supported dentures: These dentures take advantage of dental implant technology. Small posts implanted into the bone below the gum line anchor the denture in place. Like other types of dentures, this style of denture is removable.
  • Partial dentures: For patients who have one or more healthy natural teeth remaining, partial dentures use those teeth as anchors to hold the denture in place. The denture slides over the healthy teeth and fits around them.
  • Complete dentures: Complete dentures benefit patients with no remaining natural teeth on either the top or bottom arch. For those patients missing all of their teeth, a set of complete dentures replaces both arches.

How do I know if dentures are right for me? 
When a tooth is missing, the bone underneath becomes less stimulated, resulting in bone loss. The gap left behind also causes the surrounding teeth to compensate for the missing tooth by moving into its spot. If you are missing more than one or two teeth, you would probably benefit from dentures, which prevent these things from happening. For patients missing only one or two teeth with many remaining healthy teeth, a bridge or single dental implant is a better option than dentures.

How are dentures made? 
Your Holland dentist begins the denture process by determining which style of denture is best for you. A mold of the teeth helps the dental laboratory design and create the denture itself. The dentures are color-matched to your surrounding teeth and designed to look as life-like as possible.

For more information on dentures, please contact Dr. Todd A. Brower, DDS at Ottawa Smiles Dental in Holland, MI. Call (616) 399-3600 to schedule your appointment today!