It’s never a nice experience when you lose a tooth or multiple teeth. It doesn’t matter if you’ve damaged or lost a tooth by walking into a door or tripping over a loose tile; whether an elbow hit you playing football or your teeth have simply decayed over a long period and fallen out because of age. At N7 Dental in Holloway, we see the distress tooth loss causes every day, whether you’re 17 or 70.

We know missing teeth causes the facial muscles to sag and can lead to faces looking older than they should. Tooth loss also affects the way we eat, speak and smile so it’s no wonder your confidence can be negatively affected if you suffer this kind of damage to your teeth.

The good news is there’s a tried and tested, cost-effective dental treatment we offer at N7 Dental. Dentures are a popular and affordable solution to teeth loss.  

 What are Dentures?

Dentures are a set of artificial teeth replacements for missing teeth, custom made according to the individual patient’s needs. Dentures can be worn/removed anytime. Because they’re custom made, they fit well in the mouth and allow for as normal eating, speaking and maintain good oral health, as possible. They also mean you keep your smile intact. Though dentures can’t replicate the feeling of natural teeth, they do provide excellent comfort. Dentures are specifically designed to be worn during the day and removed at night, so your precious sleep won’t be affected.

 Types of Dentures

Primarily, there are 2 types of Dentures – Complete (Full) Dentures and Partial Dentures. Complete Dentures are required in cases where there is a complete loss of teeth. Partial Dentures are required when only a few teeth need replacing.

Complete (Full) Dentures

Full Dentures can be further classified into 2 categories known as Conventional Full Dentures and Immediate Full Dentures. 

Conventional Full Dentures are used when all teeth have been lost or when the remaining damaged teeth have been removed and the tissue has fully healed. Healing may take some time and dental patients usually have to be without teeth during the healing period. 

A lot of our patients at N7Dental are, unsurprisingly, not keen to be without any teeth even for a short period. We also have a solution for these dental patients in the form of Immediate Full Dentures. Immediate Full Dentures are prepared in advance so by the time the final teeth are removed, the dentures are ready for fitting. As soon as the final teeth are removed, Immediate Full Dentures are placed. 

Both types of dentures are custom designed to fit your mouth and we can also visually match your remaining teeth. 

Both these treatments have their pros and cons and we’re on hand to fully discuss your options. 

Pros:

• Conventional Full Dentures
  • They’re placed after the tissue and gums have fully healed so they fit well and with hardly any discomfort.
    
• Immediate Full Dentures
  • These are made in advance after we take accurate measurements of your mouth and are fitted immediately as soon as the final teeth are removed. This means there’s no time when our patients have to live without teeth.

Cons:

Conventional Full Dentures

Placed after the tissues and gum have fully healed so there’s a period of a few weeks or months of having to live without teeth.

Immediate Full Dentures

As they are made in advance and used immediately after the final teeth are removed, they may take some time to adjust properly during the tissue and gum healing period. They may get loose at times and may require re-alignment.

Partial Dentures

Removable Partial Dentures are used when only a few teeth require replacement. Partial Dentures are replacement teeth which are attached to a pink or gum coloured plastic base and further connected to the teeth with clasps and a metal framework. Partial Dentures are designed to not only work as replacement teeth but also to prevent any nearby teeth from changing position. As an alternative to this, a more natural-looking appliance called Precision attachments are used instead of clasps.

What are Dentures made of?

Most dentures are made using high-grade acrylic resins which make them strong and they usually last between 5-7 years before new dentures are required.

Porcelain is also used, usually for full dentures as they give a more natural look.

Caring for Dentures

• Dentures are quite strong but not as strong as natural teeth. They can easily break or crack if proper care is not taken. 
• They need to be cleaned daily using water to clean any food particles stuck in-between the teeth and gums.
• A mild toothbrush should be used to clean the dentures.
• Mild soap can be applied or specialist denture cleaning fluid can also be used although we recommend reading instructions before use.
• Never use any other materials like toothpaste or hard toothbrushes or anything with pointed edges to clean dentures. They are easily broken or damaged.
• Before replacing your dentures make sure to properly clean your mouth using fluoride toothpaste and a soft toothbrush.
• At night/when sleeping, remove the dentures and soak them in warm water to avoid any dryness in them.
• While removing the dentures or wearing them, make sure that they do not fall to the ground as they can get cracks or break easily
  

If you are facing a tooth loss problem or if you’re considering dentures, you can get further information by calling N7 Dental Care on 020 7609 1122 or by calling Holloway Dental Care on 020 7700 7005.