DENTURES – ORMOND BEACH, FL

Types of Dentures

Gum disease, injury, tooth decay, or the way you bite your teeth together can all cause a loss of your natural teeth. However, the Brown & Nawrocki Restorative and Cosmetic Dentistry team can put the smile back on your face with custom made partial or full dentures to restore your missing teeth. With the latest denture techniques, technologies, and materials, we can now make your replacement teeth comfortable and natural looking and functioning. If you’re ready to find out more, call Brown & Nawrocki Restorative and Cosmetic Dentistry to schedule a denture consultation in our state-of-the-art Ormond Beach dental office. We’ll help you to recreate your flawless smile.

There are a number of different types of dentures, and we will partner with you to determine which form you need to repair your smile. With your new dentures, speaking and eating may feel different at first, but these regular activities will resume normally once you are accustomed to your new teeth. During your tooth replacement consultation, we’ll review your available treatment options, and help you to find the best restoration solution to meet your needs. The most common denture tooth replacement options include the following:

• Partial dentures with their metal framework replace multiple consecutive or nonconsecutive missing teeth. They are supported through clasps that attach them to surrounding healthy teeth.
• Complete dentures are used when it’s necessary to replace all of the teeth on the upper, lower, or both arches. Because there are no healthy teeth to provide support, dentures are molded to fit against the gums. The close fit creates suction that holds a properly fitted denture in place.
• For improved denture stability, we may recommend implant dentures that restore the roots of the lost teeth providing close-to-natural function, ensuring the optimal level of oral health.
• Immediate dentures allow patients to never be without a smile, even immediately after needed tooth extractions. These dentures are crafted in advance of preparatory tooth extractions and/or dental implant placement, and they’re typically replaced with a custom restoration once the soft tissue has fully healed.

The Benefits of Dentures

Psychological Benefits

If you don’t have any teeth, it can be a challenging thing to accept. This can ultimately result in negative effects on self-esteem and self-confidence, leading to a higher risk of sadness and depression. When you restore your smile with dentures, you can enjoy an increase in confidence, reducing your anxieties about your appearance, speech articulation, chewing ability, and more!

Clearer Enunciation

Having gaps in your smile can make it more difficult to make certain sounds and say different words. To be able to perform your words, your lips and tongue need to be positioned in a certain way. When you have gaps in your smile, your tongue is unable to sit against your teeth, making some words nearly impossible to say.

Improves Nutrition

Many nutrient-dense foods that your body requires are tough in texture. This includes healthy proteins, fruits, and vegetables. If you’re unable to chew your food properly due to tooth loss, this can negatively impact your eating habits, ultimately resulting in indigestion and malnutrition. With dentures, you can chew your food more easily, allowing you to enjoy a more expansive diet.

Preserves Oral Health

If you still have some healthy remaining teeth, dentures can help to keep them in good health. By filling in the gaps with a partial denture, you can prevent the surrounding teeth from shifting around. Dentures also help to support some of the weight of regular chewing, limiting the wear and tear of the existing teeth.

Expands Opportunities

Making a good impression is key when you are attending interviews, negotiating sales, and attending social gatherings. Because your smile is one of the key things that people notice about you, having a healthy, complete one will do nothing but help you. In fact, studies have found that the probability of being employed is negatively associated with poor dental health.

Effects of Missing Teeth

Thinking about getting dentures in Ormond Beach? It's incredibly important to understand the causes and consequences of tooth loss. This will help reinforce how prosthetic teeth can enhance your smile.

Tooth loss can occur at any age due to several factors. Decay, for instance, may lead to the natural loss or replacement of a tooth. On the other hand, gum disease can deteriorate the bone and tissue supporting your teeth. Dental injuries resulting from accidents can result in knocked-out teeth.

Regardless of the cause, the effects of tooth loss are generally consistent. Patients with missing teeth often experience difficulties in speaking, eating, and smiling. Failing to address these gaps can lead to deterioration of the jaw, potentially causing facial collapse and further tooth loss.

What Qualifies You for Dentures?

Most patients qualify for dentures primarily due to tooth loss. However, there are other important factors to consider. One such factor is oral health. Dentures not only replace missing teeth but can also address decayed ones. Keep in mind that healthy gum and jaw tissues are essential for successful treatment as they provide necessary support for dentures.

The extent of your tooth loss is another relevant consideration. Depending on the number of missing teeth, you may require either partial or full dentures. Partial dentures are suitable for replacing a few missing teeth, while full dentures are preferable when all teeth along an arch are absent.

Financial considerations are also crucial. Dentures are generally more affordable than other methods of tooth replacement, making them a suitable option for those on a budget. Therefore, if cost is a concern, dentures may be a suitable choice for you.

Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options

If dentures aren't suitable for you, don't worry – there are other options to consider:

• Dental Bridges – A dental bridge is a fixed restoration consisting of crowns fused to a pontic. It relies on surrounding teeth for support, making it ideal for patients missing one or a few teeth.
• Dental Implants – Unlike dentures or bridges, dental implants are prosthetic teeth surgically placed into your jawbone. Made of titanium, they gradually fuse with your jaw, providing secure and permanent replacement teeth. While more costly than alternatives, their durability and stability make them a valuable investment.

Learn More About Dental Bridges

Learn More About Dental Implants

Tips for New Denture Wearers

When you first get fitted for a partial or full denture, you may experience some difficulty adjusting to your new smile. Keep the following tips in mind to quickly improve your comfort and the function of your denture:

• Practice eating foods, introducing first soft foods then increasingly more difficult to chew foods
• Practice talking with your dentures in place by reading aloud to get used to the feel of your denture as you say specific words and phrases
• Even if your denture feels uncomfortable at first, you should continue to wear it whenever you’re awake to get used to the form and function
• Take your dentures out during sleep to rest your jaw joints and soft tissue to avoid discomfort
• Make sure to carefully clean your dentures on a daily basis

What Are Dentures Made Of?

Dentures consist of two main parts:

• The base of dentures is usually made of acrylic. In partial dentures, the base is accompanied by small metal or acrylic clips to help the artificial teeth stay in place. In some cases, nylon is used in place of acrylic.
• The teeth of dentures may be made of acrylic or porcelain. Usually, acrylic is the material of choice for individuals who still have some of their natural teeth, whereas porcelain is more popular among people who are completely edentulous (missing all of their teeth).

The Denture Creation Process

Here is a basic summary of the steps it takes to create high-quality dentures:

• We start by taking detailed impressions of your mouth, which are then used to create a plaster model of your smile. We may also need to take some measurements of your jaw.
• The plaster cast is sent to a dental laboratory, which creates a wax version of your gumline and uses a machine called an articulator to place artificial teeth into the wax.
• The laboratory sends the wax model to us, and you visit us for a fitting. We continue to coordinate with the dental laboratory to make sure that your new dentures will fit you well and function optimally. The lab technicians fabricate the dentures out of top-quality materials.
• Once your prosthetic is ready, you come in for one more fitting. We make any necessary final adjustments before we send you home with your restored smile.

Adjusting to Your New Dentures

It can take a bit of time to become accustomed to wearing new dentures. For many patients, the adjustment process takes a month or longer. In the meantime, you might find that your prosthetic feels a bit uncomfortable or that it is more challenging than usual to speak and eat. After a while, though, such issues should disappear; eventually, your dentures should actually improve the quality of your life and oral function. If you encounter any serious issues or concerns with your new teeth, call our office so we can assist you.

Understanding the Cost of Dentures

Dentures are highly customized oral appliances designed to make your smile whole and functional again. However, there’s never a one-size-fits-all approach taken at Brown & Nawrocki Restorative and Cosmetic Dentistry. That means the cost of your dentures in Ormond Beach can vary based on a few key factors. These are broken down below in more detail, so you can get a better idea of what to expect ahead of your appointment.

Factors That Affect the Cost of Dentures

The best way to determine how much your denture will cost is to schedule an in-person consultation at our dental office. However, there are a few key factors you should keep in mind as well. These factors include:

• Preparatory treatments needed before a denture can be placed (i.e. tooth extraction, gum disease treatment, treatment for tooth decay, etc.)
• Types of acrylic utilized to form the base (which is designed to not only remain durable, but match the color of your existing gum tissue)
• The materials used to create the replacement teeth (ceramic is often more expensive than acrylic)

Keep in mind that the cheapest denture is not the best option when you want your denture to last for as long as possible.

Are Implant Dentures More Expensive?

Since dental implants require surgery and multiple months of healing to receive, they are more expensive to pair with dentures than if you received dentures on their own. However, the difference that implants make is truly night and day. Not only do they make your denture feel more natural, but they no longer shift out of place, boost your confidence thanks to their natural appearance, and improve your biting force so you can eat the foods you want. In addition, traditional dentures require replacement every five to seven years on average, while dental implants typically last 30 years and longer.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dentures?

Since dentures are typically considered a major restorative procedure, they do typically receive up to 50% dental insurance coverage (however, this depends on the plan you use.) Our dental team is happy to help you confirm the specific benefits you’ll receive before your treatment begins, so you aren’t caught by surprise when it comes time to pay for treatment. Keep in mind that getting a dedicated denture is always better than trying to live with either an incomplete smile or no teeth at all.

Other Options for Making Dentures Affordable

If you do not currently use dental insurance or you’ve determined that your plan is not offering as much coverage as you had hoped, there are other options available to you that can make your future denture affordable. For example, our office is happy to provide both CareCredit and Wells Fargo Health Advantage. These third-party financing options allow you to pay for care over the course of several months with little-to-zero interest attached. If you are a new patient, you can receive a one-time $100 gift certificate that can be put towards your initial visit. Want to learn more about financing options to make your dental care affordable? Schedule a consultation with us today!