Dentures – Goodyear, AZ
Get the Gaps in Your Smile Filled
When you suffer from tooth loss, it’s easy to feel down in the dumps. After all, the condition harms both your looks and your oral health. It’ll inevitably lower your quality of life if left unaddressed. Still, you don’t have to let missing teeth get the better of you. Dentures can quickly and effectively restore your full smile! At Dr. Hong’s office, these prosthetics will make your grin gorgeous again. To learn their features, just keep reading or book a consultation with us.
Who is a Good Candidate for Dentures?
As you’d expect, ideal denture candidates feel the effects of missing teeth. They will, for instance, feel too embarrassed to smile in front of others. Similarly, these prospects often struggle to eat or even speak properly.
Even so, the best way to confirm candidacy is by seeing Dr. Hong in person. He’ll assess your oral health to see if dentures suit you. If he approves, he and the rest of our team will draft a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
All that said, not every patient who’s missing teeth may want dentures. Another procedure – a dental bridge, perhaps - could be better for those lacking only a tooth or two.
Types of Dentures
As part of the consultation, Dr. Hong will help you learn how denture treatment works. In particular, he’ll see which kind of denture best meets your needs. You can thus expect him to suggest one of the three types below:
Partial Dentures
A partial denture only replaces a few pearly whites. Given that fact, it clasps onto surrounding teeth to secure itself. Some of your chompers must thus be shaped to handle this restoration.
All partial dentures consist of artificial teeth and acrylic, gum-colored bases. Due to filling tooth gaps, they help prevent other teeth from tilting.
Full Dentures
A full denture, per its name, replaces an entire arch of teeth. Unlike a partial one, it stays in place with natural suction instead of clasps.
The components of full dentures don’t differ much from partials. They, too, include gum-colored bases. However, a full denture is known for sitting snugly on the gums.
Implant Dentures
If you’d prefer a more stable and permanent option, you should consider implant dentures.
In contrast to other types, implant dentures attach to dental implants — posts surgically placed into the jawbone. These implant posts slowly fuse with your jaw, working to maintain its bone tissue. As such, they’re permanent, don’t slip, and keep your jawbone strong.
The Benefits of Dentures
Should you get dentures, you’d receive a great many benefits. The most common of these are:
- Lifelike Results – Today’s dentures look very natural due to advanced technology. Therefore, they’ll make your smile look beautiful and blend with it seamlessly.
- A Confident Attitude – By filling your smile gaps and filling in your cheeks, dentures help you feel confident in your looks.
- Easier Eating – Dentures act as substitute teeth, so they’ll help you chew and eat food more easily.
- Long-Lasting Effects – If you give them proper care, dentures can last for many years at a time.
Understanding the Cost of Dentures
Dentures are one of the most affordable methods of replacing teeth, but the customized nature of the treatment means that it can be hard to determine what yours will cost until we meet you. When you come to us for a consultation, we’ll provide you with a complete estimate for what your new smile will cost, as well as options that may make it more affordable. Here’s what you should know about the price of dentures until then.
Factors that Affect the Cost of Dentures
The cost of dentures depends on several key factors. First, any preparation needed before the dentures, like extractions, can increase costs. Second, the type of acrylic used for the denture base affects pricing; higher-quality materials tend to match your gum color better and last longer. Finally, the replacement teeth, made of acrylic or porcelain, should be durable and realistic. Cheaper dentures may use lower-quality materials, which can compromise their appearance and longevity. It's crucial to invest in quality since these will be in your mouth daily!
Are Implant Dentures More Expensive?
Yes, implant dentures are generally more expensive than traditional ones. This is because implant dentures require surgery to place dental implants, which act as anchors for the dentures. The process involves higher material costs (such as titanium implants), additional procedures (like bone grafting if necessary), and longer treatment time. However, implant dentures tend to be more stable, comfortable, and long-lasting compared to traditional dentures. While the upfront cost is higher, they can offer a more natural feel and better overall functionality in the long run.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dentures?
We are a fee-for-service practice, meaning that we are not in-network with any particular insurance plan. However, dentures are typically well within the realm of what dental insurance will cover, and if you’re interested in being reimbursed for the services you receive from us, we’ll be happy to help you file any necessary paperwork.
Other Options for Making Dentures Affordable
Ideally, we want all of our patients to have a complete smile. That’s why we do what we can to connect you with services that may make the care you receive from us more affordable.
We frequently work with the financing firm CareCredit, which can allow you to split the cost of your dentures across several monthly payments. Patients who qualify may even be able to take advantage of low-to-no interest financing terms.
If you have any questions about how you can make the services you receive from us more affordable, reach out to us for a consultation today!
Denture FAQs
Do Dentures Break Easily?
While dentures are incredibly durable, they are not indestructible. While a set can last between five and seven years with proper care and hygiene, an accident such as dropping a denture while cleaning, removing, or inserting the appliance can cause it to break. Dentures can also become broken or fractured due to a poor fit or tiny defects in their bases such as notches or scratches. Even if you give your dentures excellent care, they can still become worn down over time due to the stress of repeated use.
Can Dentures Become Ill-Fitting?
Since each set of dentures is customized to fit the patient’s mouth exactly, your appliance should fit incredibly well when you first get them. However, dentures can lose their fit over time because of wear and tear or the changing shape of the patient’s mouth due to the atrophy of the jawbone that occurs after tooth loss. A poorly-fitting pair of dentures can lead to a range of oral health issues such as sore and swollen gums, bad breath, bleeding gum tissue, and difficulty speaking. If your dentures aren’t fitting as well as they used to, contact our office in Goodyear so we can adjust or reline them so they fit properly again or replace them if necessary. Many patients find that denture adhesives help them keep their teeth in place between adjustments.
Can I Reline My Dentures Myself?
The rise of social media has led to the promotion of do-it-yourself denture relining methods. There are many videos that demonstrate how you can supposedly adjust your appliance on your own, and some stores even sell at-home denture reline kits. Unfortunately, it’s a terrible idea to reline your own dentures. Only a qualified dentist has the training to repair an ill-fitting restoration, and attempting to do the job yourself can cause injuries or further damage to your dentures. While there are many reasons why you should never attempt denture repair at home, one of them is that it is incredibly difficult to see what you’re doing when adjusting your own appliance. DIY relining can also lead to issues like pain, difficulty chewing, and toxic materials like superglue being placed in the mouth.
Can I Sleep with My Dentures?
When you first get your dentures, you may be told to keep the appliance in your mouth for a full twenty-four hours including when sleeping, but after that, we recommend removing them and setting them to soak every night before bed. Dentures restrict blood flow to your gums, which can lead to soft tissue irritation and bone loss in the jaw if you wear your appliance continuously for days on end. Removing your dentures for at least eight hours a day gives your mouth the time it needs to relax and clean itself. The space between your gums and your dentures is also the moist, warm, dark, sheltered place that harmful oral bacteria need to thrive and multiply rapidly, and continuous denture use is associated with a higher risks of plaque accumulation, gum disease, and pneumonia.