Dentures – Rio Rancho, NM
Enjoy a Complete Smile Once Again
Tooth loss is no joke. If you’re missing one or more teeth, it can negatively affect your overall quality of life. Not only can it make you feel self-conscious, but having gaps in your smile can make it difficult to perform simple everyday tasks. Luckily, you can enjoy a full grin once again with dentures! It’s an effective solution Dr. Ranjbaran offers to patients in Rio Rancho, helping them compensate for tooth loss. To learn more about this method of tooth replacement, continue reading or give our office a call today!
Who’s a Good Candidate for Dentures?
These days, almost any adult with missing teeth can qualify for dentures. The severity of your tooth loss doesn’t affect your treatment candidacy; a patient could lack all their teeth and still get care. With all that said, you should still consult our dentist in Rio Rancho to confirm the matter for sure. We’ll even share the details on what might help you qualify for treatment. To that end, keep reading to learn the qualities of a good dentures’ candidate.
Effects of Missing Teeth
Before anything else, remember to consider the effects of missing teeth. Doing so helps you see how treatment can (or can’t) benefit your mouth.
Tooth loss itself can stem from a wide range of causes. In one case, a person may lose a few teeth due to cavities or pulp-related infections. Someone else’s tooth might fall out from gum disease – a condition that weakens the gum and jaw tissues holding your pearly whites. Yet another person may even get teeth knocked out, whether from injuries or accidents.
The effects of tooth loss, meanwhile, are stable and harsh. The most apparent one is how lacking teeth makes smiling, speaking, and eating much more difficult. That said, smile gaps can also make teeth tilt, erode your jawbone, and serve as breeding grounds for harmful bacteria. Failing to restore missing teeth will thus cause serious problems that deserve immediate help.
What Qualifies You for Dentures?
As stated before, almost any adult with missing teeth can get dentures; qualifying for them doesn’t involve strict requirements. You’ll just want to note three points about candidacy.
For starters, dentures only work for patients with good oral health. They require strong gum and jaw tissues to remain stable, and having weak gums or jawbones will cause the prosthetics to slip. The only exceptions to this rule are slightly sensitive or decayed teeth; dentures can replace these.
Second is that the number of teeth lost affects which dentures you need. For instance, a patient who’s only missing a few will most benefit from a partial model. Others may require a full denture if they’ve lost all the teeth along an arch.
Thirdly (and lastly), finances often play a role in denture treatment. The fact remains that dentures cost much less than other tooth replacements like dental bridges or dental implants. As such, they’re ideal for patients with limited funds.
Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options
You needn’t worry if you don’t initially qualify for dentures. Here at Southwest Dental, we offer several other tooth replacements you could try. These include the following:
- Dental Bridges – A dental bridge is a fixed restoration, one that typically consists of two dental crowns fused to a pontic (i.e., an artificial tooth). Dentists must thus alter nearby natural teeth (i.e., abutments) to place the device, which can “restore” up to four adjacent teeth at once.
- Dental Implants – Unlike other options, dental implants are small titanium posts set in the jaw’s empty sockets. They fuse with the jawbone over time, serving as highly secure prosthetic teeth.
Types of Dentures
The first step on your journey towards a newly rebuilt smile is a consultation with Dr. Ranjbaran. At your appointment, he’ll explain the different types of dentures you’re able to choose from. Based on your specific needs, he’ll recommend one of the following options:
Partial Dentures
Do you only need to replace a few teeth? If so, you may benefit from partial dentures. These are attached to your remaining teeth via a clasp. The gum-colored base and custom prosthetic teeth work together to seamlessly complete your smile.
Full Dentures
If you’re missing an entire row of teeth, then full dentures may be ideal for you. Unlike partials, this option is held in place with natural suction, denture adhesive, or a mixture of both. When in place, no one will even notice you have dental work in your mouth!
Implant Dentures
Patients wanting a more stable and durable option can opt for implant dentures! It combines the benefits of traditional dentures and state-of-the-art dental implants to make one highly effective solution. What’s unique about this method is that your customized restoration is attached to a titanium post that is surgically inserted into the jawbone.
The Benefits of Dentures
Some people with complete smiles probably take it for granted. When you are missing several teeth, daily tasks like smiling, speaking, and eating all become more difficult. Fortunately, dentures can come to the rescue as a tooth replacement option for patients missing a few to all of their teeth because they can improve one’s quality of life. If you are facing the adversity of tooth loss, read on to learn the potential benefits from a denture dentist in Rio Rancho.
Psychological Benefits
When you are interacting with people, dentures can reduce your anxiety about your ability to chew food, and talk clearly, as well as regarding how you look. Having your smile restored in appearance and function is naturally a boost to your self-esteem. When you dwell too much on your tooth loss, it makes sense you might be less inclined to partake in social activities. People without teeth often have a tough time accepting their tooth loss, which isn’t a bad thing if you are motivated to do something about it. But those who try to live with it run a higher risk of battling depression.
Clearer Enunciation
As you might know from experience, missing even a few teeth can make it more challenging to speak clearly. After all, your tongue and lips need proper positioning for word pronunciation. When your tongue doesn’t touch your teeth, some words are extremely difficult to articulate so others understand you. Fortunately, dentures fill the role your natural teeth once played so that you can enunciate more clearly. With a bit of practice during a short adjustment period and you’ll be speaking with ease once again.
Improves Nutrition
As you are well aware, a lot of nutritious foods – vegetables, fruits, and healthy proteins, for example – can be somewhat difficult to chew. When you don’t chew sufficiently due to tooth loss, your body suffers later on from malnutrition and indigestion. On the other hand, dentures will enable you to include a wider array of healthy foods in your personal menu and ensure you chew them thoroughly. Looking to the rest of your life, you simply can’t afford to deprive yourself of essential nutrients when the benefits of dentures in Rio Rancho could be a game-changer for your overall health.
Preserves Oral Health
When a person is missing some teeth, their adjacent natural teeth can start to shift out of place in an attempt to fill the gap. To potentially avoid jawbone resorption and further tooth loss, dentures can play a crucial role to stabilize your smile. Also consider they can bear some of the load when you are chewing, thereby reducing the wear and tear on your natural teeth.
Expands Opportunity
Think about when you first meet someone. Their smile, or lack thereof, is likely one of the easiest aspects to recall. When it comes to one’s professional life – pursuing job interviews, promotions, or sales – a complete smile goes a long way to help you fulfill the goal of a great first impression. A 2019 study released by the American Association of Public Health Dentistry revealed that the probability of being employed was negatively associated with poor oral health. Factor in your personal life with dating and friendships and it’s easy to see how regaining a full smile with dentures in Rio Rancho can be a life-changing decision!