What To Do With The Broken Denture - Denture Repair
Even though dentures are fabricated from extremely durable materials, they will break, wear out, a tooth will come out, or their fit will change. Then its time for denture repair.
Accidents happen, dogs still like to chew on plates of the dental kind, and trash compacters have never taken kindly to dentures. In fact, it is frequently not a matter of "if," but rather a matter of "when" a denture will become broken, lost, or damaged beyond repair.
One can be assured that a problem will happen when least expected, and immediate, usually important, plans definitely will be altered unless a person is prepared.
Damaged Denture - How to Expect the Unexpected and Be Prepared
A short-term use duplicate denture will bridge the gap while a regular denture is being repaired, renovated, or replaced. Sometimes this type of denture is referred to as an "embarrassment denture" because it helps a person avoid the embarrassment of being without teeth in an emergency or during planned denture maintenance.
While this type of denture may be made at any time from an existing functional denture, it generally is fabricated immediately after a new denture is made. The embarrassment denture is neither as accurate nor as esthetic and durable as the original, but it is adequate and only meant for short-term use. The cost is generally considerably less than the original denture.
Such an interim prosthesis may be relined annually and adjusted in advance to fit the current changing shape of an individual's jaws, and therefore be ready to use at a moment's notice.
However, some individuals choose to have their embarrassment denture relined and adjusted only when they need the short-term denture. Following this latter course means that they will have to wait to wear their interim denture until an appointment can be scheduled with a dentist to complete the reline and any adjustments. But a reline for an embarrassment denture can be done in the dentist's office during a single appointment so a patient may leave with it refitted in the mouth.
In either case, a person would not be without a prosthesis while their regular denture is being worked on.
The Embarrassment Denture Facilitates Planned Periodic Maintenance
All dentures need to be periodically relined to accommodate the constant change in shape of a person's jaws. There are also times when the plastic body of a denture needs to be changed due to deterioration, or the entire denture replaced because of wear or poor fit from changing mouth conditions that can no longer be remedied by relining.
While relines can be completed in one appointment office visit, more durable relines may require that a dentist keep a denture for several days. Replacing the plastic body of a denture (called a rebase) takes several days and making a replacement denture takes several weeks.
It becomes easy to see how an embarrassment denture would solve being without one's regular denture for a period of time, even for planned maintenance, while getting on with one's life.
by Joseph J. Massad, D.D.S.
+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.
New Complete Dentures
Every patient is eager to see what their new dentures (or false teeth) look like, and for good reason. But how can you judge if it's really going to be grand?
Coco Chanel, the world-renowned fashion designer, once said that if you notice a lady's clothes, she's poorly dressed; if you notice the lady instead, she's impeccably dressed. That same philosophy can help prosthodontics wearers to assess for themselves what looks right.
During the wax try-in appointment, when you're "fine-tuning" your replacement teeth, you may be tempted to peer at them while holding them in your hands, or evaluate what you see in the mirror through bifocals. While this "view" will give you an idea of the construction of your new denture, it's not how other people will see it.
What goes into creating good complete dentures?
Your prosthodontist can create a rugged or delicate, masculine or feminine, assertive or passive, youthful or mature look. Youthfulness can be achieved by a curved smile line, showing the two front teeth more than those on each side, and having a darker translucent edge on those front teeth. False teeth can be brought down where they are more visible and placed further forward to plump out a thin upper lip. If teeth are arranged evenly in a flat line, it makes a person look older.
Any of these qualities can be realized in a new denture, but they won't show while it is in your hand. A good denturist invests time and all his care to make your denture look best, in your mouth, where it belongs. Look at your dentures in the mirror from a conversational distance, while you talk or smile. And if your friends don't notice it, your prosthodontist has done a good job.
+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.