Dentures – Kingwood, TX

Effects of Missing Teeth

Losing one or more of your pearly whites can affect much more than your smile and ability to chew and speak. Many times, those struggling with tooth loss may also experience significantly reduced self-confidence, which can cause them to have feelings of sorrow and depression. You may even begin to avoid engaging in social interactions or activities to prevent showing your smile. Furthermore, without treating tooth loss, you can end up experiencing other complications with your oral and overall health, including worn tooth enamel, malnutrition, and indigestion.

What Qualifies You for Dentures?

Other than missing one, several, or all of your teeth, you will likely be eligible for dentures if you’re free of any underlying problems, both for your oral and overall health. Our team will need to first ensure that you don’t have any growing issues such as gum disease, decay, or infection. Leaving this unchecked before receiving your dentures can lead to more complications down the road. We will be sure to discuss your situation in detail during your initial consultation, such as your medical and dental history, so that you know what to expect with your treatment.

Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options

Although dentures are an incredibly reliable and versatile option for replacing missing teeth, they aren’t the only solution available. Other than traditional prosthetics, our team can provide you with alternative tooth replacements, including:

• Dental Bridges: A dental bridge is typically designed to replace one to three missing teeth in a row. It consists of two dental crowns (which will be placed atop the healthy abutment teeth) that will be connected via pontics to fill the gap in your smile.
• Dental Implants: Instead of resting atop the gums or using your natural teeth for support, dental implants can be embedded directly into your jawbone to serve as brand-new tooth roots. Once osseointegration is completed, your new bridge or denture can be attached to the metal posts, and you’ll be able to enjoy extremely stable results that can potentially last decades to a lifetime with proper care.

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What are Dentures Made Of?

While the base of the dentures – the part that supports the artificial teeth – can be made out of a variety of materials, acrylic tends to be the most popular option. Not only can it be customized to closely resemble your gums, but it’s also relatively easy to repair. In certain situations, nylon might be used instead of acrylic.

As for the artificial teeth of the denture, porcelain is often highly recommended. It has a very natural appearance, to the point that it even mimics the way that real tooth enamel reflects light. And of course, it is highly durable, which is definitely important considering how often you will be using your dentures to bite and chew your food.

The Denture Creation Process

In order to determine the correct shape and size for your dentures, our team will need to capture impressions of your upper and lower gums. Using said impressions, we’ll create a model of your mouth, which will then be sent to a dental laboratory.

The technicians at the lab will begin the process of making your dentures. A wax version of your gumline will be created, and the artificial teeth will be carefully inserted into the appropriate positions. After the necessary adjustments have been made, the wax dentures will be sent to us so that we can confirm that they fit properly.

Once the wax dentures have been returned to the dental lab, they will be placed into a flask. The technicians will add plaster to the flask to help the dentures maintain their shape. Then they will expose the flask to hot water, causing the wax portions of the dentures to melt away.  After that, acrylic will be injected into the flask so that it can act as the new base for the prosthesis.

The completed dentures will be taken out of the flask. If there’s any leftover plaster, it will be removed with an ultrasonic bath. Unneeded acrylic material will be carefully trimmed away. Then, after a final polishing, the dentures will be sent to our office one last time. At that point, all that’s left to do is schedule your final fitting appointment so that you can receive your new teeth!

Adjusting to Your New Dentures

You may experience some discomfort when you first start wearing your dentures. This is completely normal, and it should fade once your mouth has had time to adjust. Eating soft foods and performing facial exercises can often help while you’re still getting used to your new teeth. Please let us know if the discomfort doesn’t seem to be going away; it may be necessary for us to adjust your dentures.

Psychological Benefits

The changes to your reflection, as well as your abilities, can leave you feeling self-conscious about your oral condition. Gaps in your grin can hinder your ability to pronounce certain words or chew your food thoroughly. As a result, you might become anxious, depressed, or avoid spending time with others to avoid potential judgment.

With this lifelike restoration in place, you’ll regain your sense of self. You’ll be able to eat, converse, and grin much more normally to enjoy a more active social life.

Clearer Enunciation

Your teeth play a critical role in forming certain sounds and words because your tongue presses against them in specific ways to enunciate them. When some go missing, you could develop a lisp or other changes to your speech patterns that make it harder to be clearly understood.

It can take about a month for your tongue, lips, and supporting muscles in your mouth to adjust to functioning with dentures. However, once they do, you’ll be able to communicate with much more clarity.

Improves Nutrition

Many foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and other necessary nutrients are hard to eat without a full set of teeth. For example, raw fruits, vegetables, and chewy meats all require a powerful bite force to grind thoroughly enough to be digested.

Missing teeth can often lead to gastrointestinal issues or malnutrition if you cannot chew sufficiently or stick to a softer diet. Your prosthetics allow you to enjoy various foods to support your dental and overall well-being.

Preserves Oral Health

If you have natural teeth remaining, they’re prone to drifting out of alignment to fill in any empty spaces. This can harm them because it prematurely wears down your enamel, leaving them vulnerable to decay, disease, or injuries.

Wearing dentures ensures that your teeth stay in their rightful places to safeguard your smile.

Expands Opportunities

One of the first things people notice about you is the quality of your smile. You’ll want to look your very best to leave a lasting impression during important occasions like job interviews or presentations. In fact, one study in 2019 found that the probability of being employed is negatively associated with poor oral health. The better your teeth look and feel, the more likely you will succeed.

Factors That Affect the Cost of Dentures

When calculating the pricing of dentures, we consider several things, including how many teeth are being replaced. Also, depending on the type of denture, as well as the materials used, dentures can vary in cost. If you require preliminary work, such as extraction or gum disease treatment, these types of procedures will increase your overall cost. If you’d like a more detailed breakdown of the cost, we will be happy to supply you with the transparent information you want.

Are Implant Dentures More Expensive?

Most of the time, implant dentures do cost more than traditional dentures. But, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for! With normal dentures, you replace only the visible portion of your missing dentition, whereas implant dentures compensate for the entire tooth—including the root. These prosthetic tooth roots keep the jawbone stimulated and healthy, which prolongs the lifespan of the dentures on the surface. As a result, a patient who has implant dentures may spend more upfront, but they may not have to replace their dentures for multiple decades, saving them significant money in the long term.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dentures?

Overall, dental insurance plans do cover part of the cost of dentures. In fact, more often than not, the cost is cut in half because of insurance. When you come in for your appointment, we can check your policy’s coverage and let you know what it will contribute and how much you’ll be expected to pay out-of-pocket.

Other Options for Making Dentures Affordable

With or without dental insurance, the price of dentures may not be feasible to pay all at once. Or perhaps it just would be more financially comfortable to pay for them over time. CareCredit is a well-reputed national financing company that divides your out-of-pocket total into smaller monthly installments. We can help you in the application process and answer any questions you may have.

How Long Will You Have to Wait to Get Dentures After Your Teeth Are Pulled?

If you’re undergoing extractions, you’ll have to wait about six to eight weeks after your procedure to receive your dentures. While two months may sound like a long time, it’s necessary to give your gums sufficient healing time. It’s also worth noting that the exact amount of time you’ll need to wait after having your teeth pulled will vary depending on the type of denture you receive.

Immediate dentures can be placed on the same day as tooth extractions, but they will need to be replaced earlier than anticipated because the shape of your jawbone will change as you heal. If you’re getting implant dentures, you will need to wait about three to six months for the titanium posts to fuse with the surrounding bone tissue.

Can I Sleep with My Dentures?

Initially, you’ll be asked to wear your dentures for an entire 24 hours, including sleep. However, after that adjustment period you should be taking your prosthetics out every evening. Wearing dentures restricts the circulation in your gums, potentially leading to soft tissue irritation and speeding up ridge resorption. By taking out your dentures regularly, you can give your gums a chance to recover and get the nutrients they need at night. In addition, sleeping with dentures has been found to be associated with a higher risk of pneumonia and poor oral hygiene.

Is It Hard to Talk with Dentures?

When you first get dentures in Kingwood, you may have difficulty speaking and pronouncing certain words. That’s mainly because you’re so used to speaking with natural teeth. Luckily, the more you practice, the faster you’ll adjust to your new prosthetics. You can speed up the process by reading aloud, repeating difficult-to-pronounce words, and having more conversations with loved ones. If needed, you can use denture adhesive for extra stability.

Will Dentures Change the Shape of My Face?

Missing teeth can cause your facial muscles to sag, giving your face a sunken appearance. By getting dentures in Kingwood, you’ll provide support to the facial muscles that have collapsed, improving your appearance. They’ll allow you to maintain a youthful appearance for years to come! Keep in mind that ill-fitting dentures may not give your facial muscles proper support, which is why you need to make sure each restoration fits perfectly in your mouth.