Cosmetic Dentures

Benefits of Cosmetic Dentures

• Realistic look and comfortable fit – the artificial teeth shade is selected to match the remaining natural teeth (if any) and your skin colour for a more realistic look. Advanced technology in modern dentures increases the denture fit to increase your comfort.
• Facial support – Dentures support your cheeks to prevent sagging and maintain face shape.
• Better speech – Speech problems caused by gaps and missing teeth are reduced.
• Protects dental health – Remaining natural teeth (if any) aren’t overused or put through excess wear.
• Enhanced chewing ability – Dentures restore your chewing ability, which may have been compromised due to the loss of multiple teeth. This improvement enhances your gastrointestinal health and facilitates food digestion.
• Improved confidence – Dentures will improve your smile and give you a nice boost in confidence.
• Easy to maintain – Dentures can be safely removed for regular cleaning and brushing.
• Adjustable – Cosmetic dentures can be easily adjusted, and they can accept additions to increase their support through relining and rebasing solutions.
• Reasonable cost – Cosmetic dentures are affordable compared to other teeth replacement solutions.

Problems and Limitations Associated with Cosmetic Dentures

Cosmetic dentures rely primarily on the suction between the denture fitting surface and the underlying gum tissue covering the bone, aided by a thin film of saliva, for retention. When masticatory forces are applied to the dentures, they are directly transmitted to the underlying gums and bone, resulting in a series of events that create the main disadvantages of cosmetic dentures. The problems associated with cosmetic dentures include:

1. Slippage and bone loss: With function, the transferred forces will cause bone resorption and eventually slippage of dentures.

2. Initial discomfort and speech difficulty:During the first few days of function, you may experience minor discomfort and trouble pronouncing some letters until your muscles are adapted for function in the presence of the new dentures.

3. Soft tissue soreness:Denture slippage due to a lack of retention may lead to soreness of the soft tissue around and below the denture.

4. Limitation of food choices:Some foods, such as hard and sticky foods, may be off the table for denture wearers to avoid denture slippage.

5. Frequent need for relining and adjustments: As a result of bone loss, your dentures may require frequent relining to compensate for bone loss and enhance denture retention.

6. Easy breakage: Denture bases are brittle. Any accidental fall or impact force on the denture may lead to fracture.

7. Loosening of neighboring supporting teeth: Partial dentures require a thorough treatment planning to create the most suitable design for the clasps that encircle the neighboring teeth. Improper design may lead to looseness of the supporting teeth.

Fabrication of Cosmetic Dentures at Dulwich Dental Office

Dulwich Dental Office offers premium cosmetic dentures in London to help patients restore their full aesthetic and functional ability. Our prosthodontic experts have completed countless missing teeth restorations using complete dentures.
The process is quite simple and easy. After a thorough examination, all that is required is an impression. Based on the impression, the cosmetic denture is fabricated.
An initial try-on visit is necessary to ensure everything is accurate, followed by a final visit for delivery and instructions.
During the first few days of use, you may experience slight discomfort. If this discomfort persists or an ulcer develops, visit our experts to determine if there is a pressure point that requires slight adjustment and relief.

Recent Innovations in Cosmetic Dentures

Flexible dentures

Flexible dentures are a recent innovation that aims to overcome the problems associated with conventional cosmetic dentures.
They are constructed from a thermoplastic material that gives a touch of flexibility to the denture, increasing its retention. This helps decrease denture slippage and soft tissue soreness.
It also offers a more aesthetically pleasing restoration because the material is transparent, which allows for the reflection of the colour of the underlying soft tissue.
They are more expensive than conventional dentures, cannot be repaired if fractured, and are of limited use in complete denture fabrication.

Implant-supported dentures

Implant-supported dentures are a recent technique aiming to enhance denture stabilisation. Dental implants are inserted into the jawbone, acting as a foundation for the final restoration. This reduces the stresses on the underlying gum and bone, stimulates the jaw bone, prevents bone resorption, and increases the denture retention. The number of required implants varies from case to case. Consult our dental implant experts to learn more.

Care and Maintenance of Cosmetic Dentures

Being removable, this facilitates the cleaning of dentures, the neighbouring teeth, if any, and the underlying soft tissues.
It is essential to clean the soft tissue beneath your dentures after every meal to avoid fungal infection. Additionally, you should remove your dentures before sleep to allow the tissue to breathe.
Whenever your dentures are not in your mouth, soak them in water or a special cleansing solution. Leaving dentures to dry may create craze lines and cracks, eventually leading to denture fracture.
To clean your dentures, follow these care instructions:

1. Place a towel on the bathroom floor and fill the sink with water to decrease the impact on dentures if they accidentally fall during cleaning.
2. Handle your denture carefully and never hold it from the clasps, as they may break.
3. Never use hot water as it may damage your dentures.
4. Use a soft-bristle toothbrush and avoid using abrasive toothpaste, as it may cause scratching of the denture.
5. After cleaning, store your dentures in their special containers until you wear them next time.

Denture bases require replacement after 5-7 years, even if they look fine, because the acrylic material is subjected to high wear and tear during mastication, causing material fatigue. It is essential to maintain regular check-up visits to ensure the integrity of your dentures and to detect any early signs of fatigue.

Broken Dentures: We Got Your Back

It is not uncommon to experience a broken denture. This can occur due to:

Material fatigue if the denture has been used for over 5-7 years.

The denture is left to dry, which leads to cracking.

The denture is subjected to heat.

Accidental drop.

Dulwich Dental Office experts are always there to help. If you experience a broken denture, schedule an emergency visit to our experts to help you with our premium denture repair solutions. Emergency visits are available during and after office hours, even during holidays and weekends.

Alternatives to Cosmetic Dentures

Other teeth replacement options include:

Dental implants

Dental implants are metal fixtures that resemble the natural root of the tooth, embedded inside the jawbone to act as an anchor for the final restoration. Nowadays, they are considered the number one solution for restoring a missing tooth due to their durability and the ability to produce a naturally looking restoration. Whether a single or multiple missing teeth, dental implants can restore any number of missing teeth.
The ideal plan is to restore every missing tooth with a dental implant. However, since this approach is more invasive and costly, a complete arch of missing teeth can be restored using the All-On-4 or All-On-6 dental implant technique, where the denture is supported over 4 or 6 implants strategically embedded in the jawbone.

Dental bridges

These are tooth-supported restorative solutions. The neighboring teeth from both sides of an edentulous area are prepared to receive dental crowns. These crowns provide an attachment for the artificial tooth used to replace a missing one. The dental bridges have limitations concerning the number of missing teeth they can restore.