Most people think dentures are only meant for senior citizens. But dentures are, in fact, more common among middle-aged citizens than you may think. Per recent studies, millions of people across the U.S. wear partial or full dentures, and the number continues to increase.
The good news is tooth loss does not usually occur overnight. Dentures do not have to be an option if you practice proper home oral care and have routine dental checkups. Nevertheless, here are signs that you may soon need dentures for your future dental and oral health needs.
You Are Self-Conscious When You Smile
Dentures can be an ideal option to help you feel more confident about your smile if you are self-conscious whenever you smile because of very worn down or missing teeth. Denture teeth can enhance your smile by replacing broken or missing teeth. Most people who wear dentures say they smile much more often after having the dentures.
The dentures will be customized to resemble your original teeth. Or, based on how many teeth you are replacing, they can create a brand-new smile. You will feel better about your appearance with a complete set of teeth. After gums have healed after a tooth extraction, the dentist fits your dentures into your mouth.
Dentures are a cost-effective way of restoring confidence with your smile and enjoying your appearance again. However, just because dentures are an ideal option for missing teeth does not mean you should lose teeth today. Neglecting your teeth by failing to brush, floss, and regularly visit your dentist would make you lose them more quickly. Therefore, take more time to care for your teeth so that you keep them for an extended period.
You Frequently Have Indigestion
When people cannot chew their food properly, they usually swallow large pieces. Bigger pieces can be hard on your stomach and digestive system without proper chewing and grinding of food particles. A doctor or dentist can assist in determining if the problem teeth are the primary reason for your frequent indigestion.
If they are, dentures are an ideal treatment procedure for you. One of the reasons you may be incapable of biting down and chewing on particular foods leading to indigestion, is having several teeth missing. Dentures can replace the missing teeth and provide an increased biting area so you can bite and chew food more easily, reducing indigestion.
You Have Difficulty Eating Certain Foods
Difficulty eating given foods may result from missing teeth since particular foods need a lot of chewing. It can also be because of gum disease, cavities, or a cracked tooth. You can save your teeth if you detect the dental problem early enough. However, long-term issues can usually be solved using dentures.
Dentures can help correct biting and chewing problems. They can allow you to chew food properly by replacing the problem tooth and increasing the biting surface.
You Have a Single or Several Missing Teeth
Missing teeth, particularly at the front of your mouth, will impact your smile. If one of your front teeth is missing, you may avoid smiling, and your speech may also be affected.
Dental experts advise people with missing teeth to seek some kind of dental prosthesis to perfect their smile and help prevent too much pressure from being exerted on the remaining teeth. When you depend on using fewer teeth, the chances of losing even more teeth later are higher since the remaining teeth will shift into unoccupied spaces in the gumline or wear down prematurely. Dentures are a way of replacing and restoring your smile.
You Have Bleeding, Tender, Red, or Swollen Gums
If you bleed, have tender, swollen, or red gums, it could be due to your gums being infected or irritated. Often, irritated gums indicate early-stage periodontal disease, gingivitis, or any infection resulting from tooth decay. Severe periodontal disease and tooth decay can result in the need for a tooth extraction. Per statistics, periodontal disease is the cause of about 70 percent of tooth loss in adults and impacts three out of four persons at a given point in their lives.
Periodontal disease can usually be reversed or stopped if detected early with more attention to teeth cleaning at the dentist’s office and proper at-home dental care. But if left untreated, periodontal disease can lead to tooth and bone loss. After the infected teeth are extracted, the gums can heal, becoming healthy and pain-free again. Dentures can then fill the gaps left by their removal.
You Have Severe Toothaches
Severe toothaches can be an explicit indication that decay has advanced to the extent of attacking the nerve in the center of the root. Tooth decay can be treated with a simple filling if detected early enough. And if it has reached the advanced stage, teeth may have to be extracted, or dentures might be needed.
Painful toothaches may also be because of infected teeth and are a common cause of tooth extraction. Before extracting your teeth, your dental professional will discuss whether that is the ideal course of action for you and explain the available treatment options to replace an extracted tooth. Even if dentures are not a long-term option for your condition, the dentist can recommend another way of immediately replacing your tooth, even if it is only short-term until other options are completed.
You Have Loose and Shifting Teeth or Gaps In Your Teeth
Per dental health professionals, loose teeth are often an indication of advanced periodontal disease. In this case, extensive gum disease treatment may be required, or the teeth may have to be removed. You may also experience difficulty eating if you have loose teeth. Loose teeth usually have jawbone loss because of infection and may cause pain whenever you chew on them. Consequently, they have to be extracted.
Once you have extracted loose teeth, you can replace them with dentures. Dentures are more stable and make eating more comfortable. They will provide a larger chewing surface if you have several missing teeth. Also, dentures can provide additional support to lone-standing teeth with gaps on either side.
If you have loose teeth, you will find that chewing is more challenging and usually painful. You might also have difficulty speaking due to pain in the gums or jawbone. Dentures enable you to extract these painful teeth and replace them with denture teeth making talking and eating easier.
Regular Dental Checkups Are Not Part of Your Oral Health Routine
Dental professionals emphasize it is crucial to go for dental checkups every six months. These visits keep tooth decay and gum disease in check. They also enable your dentist to monitor any changes in your gums and teeth. More importantly, dental health issues are corrected more easily when still minor. However, once periodontal problems and cavities take over, teeth may have to be removed, which could quickly increase the chances of requiring dentures.
Age
Very few people make it through their whole life without tooth loss. As you age and lose teeth, your face begins to sag. Dentures can restore your face to a more youthful look.
You Have Sustained a Tooth Injury
Teeth can be knocked out during an accident, contact sports, or a fall, and commonly so. Grinding or clenching your teeth could ultimately wear them off and lead to tooth loss. The teeth can sometimes be saved, but this is not always the case. To protect your teeth, recall never to use them to cut off thread, loosen knots, chew on pencils or pens, crack ice cubes or nuts, or tear off clothes labels, lids, or tops.
Have you suffered a severe tooth injury? Do not worry. Dentures can easily and quickly restore your beautiful smile if you have had severe tooth damage due to an accident.
Bad Breath
At times eating food with a strong order can lead to bad breath. A simple brushing session of two minutes and rinsing your mouth with mouthwash can eliminate the scent. But if the odor persists, you might have to see a dentist. At times bad breath could be a sign of decayed teeth or gum disease.
When plaque accumulates around or on your teeth, it could develop into periodontal disease. Failing to brush the teeth thoroughly twice daily can lead to inflamed gums. Regular flossing also keeps your gums and teeth healthy. Even though bad breath is not necessarily a sign that you require dentures, it might be a sign that you must see a dental professional.
If You Have Taken Certain Medications for Long
Some popular medications, like blood pressure drugs, can destroy teeth by lowering the saliva’s protective effect in the mouth. Other medicines, like chemotherapy treatments, can affect teeth by weakening dental health and the immune system.
What Type of Dentures May You Need?
There are two types of dentures— full and partial dentures. The type of dentures you will require depends on various factors, like why you need the dentures in the first place. With this in mind, the following are reasons you require dentures of a given type.
Full Dentures
Full dentures replace all of your teeth. The following are reasons you may need full dentures:
- You have lost many teeth, and the remaining ones are in bad shape. In this case, you can extract the remaining teeth and replace them with a complete set of dentures.
- You have lost all your teeth. You may consider implants, although if they do not fall within your budget, the cost may be among the reasons for going for dentures. Complete dentures are less costly than dental implants, and they will fit properly and enable you to enjoy your favorite foods again.
Partial Dentures
Usually, partial dentures do not replace all of your teeth. Rather, they are designed to fill the gaps where teeth are missing. The reasons for requiring partial dentures include:
- You have lost less than half your teeth because of mouth trauma. Unluckily, accidents happen during sporting events, in the place of work, and at times just during everyday activities. Again, you could consider implants, although most insurance companies do not pay for them. However, they usually pay for at least part of the partial denture cost.
- You have lost less than half of your teeth because of decay, and your dental health is sufficiently good that you do not expect to lose more teeth anytime soon. When your dentist fits you with partial dentures, there will be no empty spaces for the remaining teeth to crowd into, and the teeth will last longer than if you had opted not to have partial dentures.
What Next After Having Dentures?
After having your dentures fitted, you must care for them just as you did your original teeth for them to last longer.
- Brush them every day to remove plaque and food particles. Brushing also prevents the staining of the dentures.
- Rinse the dentures before you brush them to eliminate any loose debris or food
- Use a nonabrasive cleanser and soft-bristled toothbrush to brush the denture surfaces, so they are not scratched.
- While brushing, thoroughly clean the mouth, including your cheeks, palate, tongue, and gums, to eliminate plaque. This reduces the risk of bad breath and oral irritation.
- When not wearing the dentures, store them safely covered in water, so they do not warp.
Occasionally, persons who wear dentures might use adhesives, which take several forms, from powders to creams, wafers/pads, liquids, and strips. If you must use any form of adhesive, read all the instructions carefully. Your dental professional can suggest appropriate adhesives and cleansers.
If you have questions regarding your appliances or if they become damaged or stop fitting correctly, consult your dental professional. Also, ensure to schedule routine dental check-ups. Your dentist will examine your mouth to determine whether the dentures fit and work well.
Find Reliable Dental Services Near Me
Damaged or missing teeth need not hold you back anymore. Dentures offer a cost-effective, attractive, and comfortable way of restoring your perfect smile, regaining self-confidence, and restoring your bite function. You can also improve your oral and general health with restored bite function. At Washington Dental, we offer professional services if you wish to undergo the denture placement procedure in Carson Dentist, Los Angeles, Lomita Dentist, or Torrance, CA. Before we perform the procedure, we will explain everything you need to know about dentures, including their benefits and how to finance your treatment during our consultation.
