Do you know how many people are missing at least one complete row of teeth in the United States?
Would you say 10 million? 20 million?
According to the American College of Prosthodontists, more than 35 million Americans are missing one or both rows of teeth.
Most of those patients receive some kind of dentures to restore the appearance of their smiles and at least some of their ability to bite and chew food.
If you or someone you love could use dentures, Davenport Dental Group can help. We have two dentist offices in Laredo, TX, where we can help you or your loved one find the right dentures to meet your needs.
A Quick History Of Teeth Replacement
Human beings have been losing teeth as long as there have been humans. As such, people have tried using a number of things as substitutes for natural teeth for a long time.
Going back to 700 B.C., the Etruscans (who lived in what is now northern Italy) used animal teeth to create a kind of dentures. Teeth removed from deceased humans were used for a similar process into the 1800s.
In the 1700s, people also used ivory as a tooth replacement. In spite of what you may have heard about our first president, George Washington, having wooden teeth, his dentures were actually made of ivory taken from a hippopotamus.
Later, people started to craft dentures from porcelain, and today, the ceramic materials we use for dentures look more like real teeth than ever before.
Why You May Want Dentures
Losing teeth is never an easier thing, not matter the reason.
However, replacing lost teeth can be beneficial from a psychological standpoint and for functional reasons.
People who have lost teeth sometimes feel embarrassed by how their smiles look. Dentures can help them regain their confidence so they feel more comfortable spending time with family and friends or going out in public.
We probably don’t need to explain why losing teeth can make eating more difficult. Having a replacement for those teeth may not restore your ability to eat whatever you want, but you will be able to eat more than you could without any teeth.
What Kind Of Dentures Are Right For You?
The kind of dentures you need may depend on a number of factors. Our dentist will be happy to go into greater detail than we can here about the advantages each kind of dentures can provide.
Here is a quick overview of the dentures that are the available for you:
➤ Partial Dentures
Are you missing a few teeth? Then you may want to consider a partial denture.
Partial dentures are made with a plastic base that fits into your mouth and attaches to your remaining teeth. The replacement teeth are bonded to the base so they will fill in the gap or gaps in your smile when the dentures are in position.
Partial dentures are an alternative to a dental bridge.
➤ Full Dentures
This is often the first option people consider when they lose a whole row of teeth. Full dentures can restore about 25 percent of your original bite force, according to multiple studies. You may not want to bob for apples, but with time and patience, you can learn to eat several things with dentures.
As we mentioned earlier, modern dental materials are more visually similar to teeth than ever, so a set of full dentures can give you a natural-looking smile.
➤ Implant-Supported Dentures
Full dentures have limits, and one of those limits is security. They can and will come loose from time to time.
Dental implants can alleviate that problem. Implants are replacements for the roots of your missing teeth.
After you have healed from having them placed we can affix a bar attachment to the implants to keep your dentures securely in place. This allows more power to your bite, too, which means you will be able to eat more of the foods that you love.
➤ Implant-Retained Dentures
These are similar to implant-supported dentures. The main difference is that these implants have ball attachments on the ends.
These attachments can be used to hold your dentures in place. This makes it easier for you to eat and virtually eliminates the odds that your dentures will slip out of position while you are speaking.
Please Contact Us If You Have Any Questions
The dentists in our Laredo, TX, practice would be happy to answer any questions you may have about dentures.
You can schedule a consultation at Davenport Dental Group by calling the Junction Drive office at 956-242-6745, calling the Winfield office at 956-517-2695, or by filling out our online contact form.