Dentures

Sometimes, people believe that their dental problems will be over if they have their teeth removed and get dentures. But, as denture wearers will tell you, getting dentures often marks the beginning of many new and different problems.

it's tough to chew with dentures. In fact, it can take you up to five times longer to chew your food when you have dentures. Some people say they have no problem chewing with dentures, but these are the few, extremely lucky ones. It's more likely that these people have been without their natural teeth for so long, they've forgotten what it's like.


Dentures wind up being very expensive. The cost associated with extracting all your teeth, preparing your mouth, creating the dentures, relining them in a few months, and re-making them as often as every three years really adds up.

When you have dentures, over time the bone in your jaw recedes, causing your denture to become loose and floppy. This is particularly true for your lower jaw, because the base for the denture is smaller to begin with; the bone in the lower jaw is also much less stable. As the bone recedes, your nose gets closer to your chin, and your lips collapse. This causes your face to age before its time.

Upper dentures cover most of the taste buds on the roof of your mouth, so it's much harder for you to taste and enjoy your food. Your nutrition may suffer as a result.

Eventually, the ridge of bone on your lower jaw becomes very flat, and there's practically nothing to hold the denture in place. Worse yet, nerves can become exposed in this area, so when you bite down, it hurts! As you age, and the problem worsens, your jaw can hurt and even go numb every time you eat. The soft tissues and bone in your mouth were never meant to have plastic rubbing against them continually, so sore spots will develop.

As you can see, doing whatever you can to save your natural teeth will keep you looking and feeling better, and will allow you to enjoy your food more. We'll be happy to develop and discuss a personalized treatment plan that maximizes your chances of keeping your natural teeth for a lifetime.

There are three general types of dentures

Complete Dentures (discussed above)

• Immediate Dentures
• Overdenture