Dentures Waco
Reliable Prosthetics Personalized for Your Smile
Is your smile suffering because of tooth loss? Missing teeth cause a variety of problems. Your speech may not be as clear, and eating may become more difficult. Your self-esteem might take a hit as well simply because you know people see the gap in your smile. Thankfully, it's possible to have a full, healthy smile again through restorative dental care. At Heart of Texas Smiles General & Cosmetic Dentistry, we offer custom-made partial dentures and full dentures in Waco to help patients like you restore what you' ve lost. Give us a call today to find out how we can help.
Why Choose Heart of Texas Smiles General & Cosmetic Dentistry for Dentures?
- Implant Dentures for Patients Who Prefer Permanent Solution
- Custom Prosthetics Built for Comfort, Function & Aesthetics
- Dental Insurance PPO Plans Are Welcome
Who's a Good Candidate for Dentures?
If you’ve lost some or all your adult teeth, you can potentially benefit from having dentures. However, that doesn’t make them the right solution for everyone’s unique circumstances. You’ll need to have a consultation with one of our dentists to ensure that this type of restoration is the best option for you. If we find that you’re not currently a viable candidate, don’t worry! In many instances, you may need additional procedures to get your mouth healthy enough to support your prosthetics.
Continue reading below to learn more about who dentures can help, and feel free to contact us for more information.
Effects of Missing Teeth
There are several potential causes behind your missing teeth, like tooth decay or physical injury, but gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. When these connective tissues become infected, they start to recede. As they pull away from your teeth, more of the vulnerable roots are exposed, and they can become loose or fall out.
Missing teeth make tasks like eating, speaking, and smiling much more challenging. On top of that, without a root in place to stimulate new bone growth every time you bite down or chew, your jawbone begins to deteriorate. In time, it can become too thin and frail to support your remaining teeth. Having dentures can restore both your smile’s appearance and its functionality.
What Qualifies You for Dentures?
Dentures aren’t necessarily right for everyone. Our team looks for the following characteristics when determining whether this is the best treatment option for you:
- Significant tooth loss. They are a versatile solution that can replace a few or all your teeth with a single prosthetic.
- Tooth sensitivity. They can act as a buffer between your teeth and any overly hot or cold foods and drinks that trigger an unpleasant sensation.
- Severe decay. Other restorations, like dental bridges, require healthy teeth to be an anchor in your mouth. If yours are overly damaged or decayed, dentures may be a better fit.
- Commitment to oral hygiene. You’ll need to keep your mouth and artificial teeth clean to avoid gum disease and other issues, so it’s essential to practice daily dental hygiene at home.
Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options
If our team determines that you’re not a good candidate for dentures, there’s still hope. There are other ways to rebuild your grin, such as:
- Dental bridges. These are used to replace one or several missing teeth in a row. They have a dental crown on both ends that are bonded over the healthy teeth on each side of the gap in your smile.
- Dental implants. These artificial teeth are the only ones that are surgically inserted into your jawbone, and so they offer unique advantages. They’re often more expensive but offer additional strength and resilience.
Types of Dentures
During your consultation for dentures, we’ ll assess your unique dental needs to determine which of the following options works best for you:
Partial Dentures
Partial dentures are more simply referred to as partials. They feature multiple teeth that are mounted across a gum-colored base. These replacement teeth may not be consecutively arranged, but rather spread across the base to fit like a puzzle piece between existing teeth. In most cases, partials are secured with clips or brackets and can be taken out for easy cleaning.
Full Dentures
As with a partial, full dentures feature multiple teeth attached to a gum-colored base. But in this case, the restoration is designed to replace all of the teeth along your upper or lower arch instead of just a few teeth. Full dentures can be closed or open palate and are usually held in place by natural suction, muscle strength in your cheeks, and over-the-counter denture adhesive.
Implant Dentures
If you' d like to consider a more secure alternative, you can ask about your implant-supported options. Dental implants are titanium posts that are surgically placed at strategic points along the jaw. Depending on the type of implant denture you will have, you will need between two to six dental implants. After surgery, these implants will fuse with your jawbone via a process called osseointegration. It’ s what will provide a secure foundation for implant dentures and partials. Since they act like prosthetic tooth roots, patients receiving dental implants can look forward to natural-looking results. Moreover, because dentures are secured to the implants, they will not shift or fall out the way removable dentures can.
The Benefits of Dentures
Dentures are one of the most popular solutions for replacing missing teeth – and for good reason. Here are some of the incredible benefits you can enjoy with this method of tooth replacement:
- Restored, fully functioning bite
- Cost-effective solution that’ s well worth the investment
- Entirely customized for each patient
- Long-lasting results (over ten years with proper dental care)
- Easy cleaning and lower maintenance
- Preservation of a youthful face shape
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