Partial Vs. Full Dentures. What’s The Difference Between Them?

If you’ve lost teeth, you are looking for a solution to restore your smile and oral function. There are several options to replace lost teeth, such as dental implants. While they are considered the most superior and natural-looking results, they can be lengthy and expensive. If you’ve lost several teeth, you may be a good candidate for dentures.

A denture is a removable replacement device for missing teeth and surrounding tissues. Generally, there are two types of dentures: complete and partial dentures. Complete dentures are for patients who have lost all their natural teeth. On the other hand, partial dentures are suitable for patients who’ve lost some of their natural teeth.

Generally, dentures are customized for your mouth structure to ensure maximum comfort and efficiency. They mimic your natural teeth’ size, color, and shape to ensure aesthetically appealing results. Since dentures are removable, you can remove them if necessary. Let’s have a deeper look at the most common types of dentures.

Types of Dentures

• Full Dentures
  Full dentures, also known as complete and traditional dentures, are recommended when a patient is missing all their natural teeth. The teeth can be missing from either jaw. Usually, full dentures have two types: immediate and conventional dentures. The dentist places conventional dentures within 8-12 weeks after tooth extraction. It allows the gums to heal first. While less invasive, some individuals may not be willing to wait that long without teeth.

You can replace immediate dentures after tooth extraction. You may need to adjust dentures to accommodate a patient’s gum and mouth structure change after healing. Temporary dentures may be temporary as you wait for the permanent dentures.

Partial dentures

Partial dentures are ideal for replacing a few missing teeth in a row because they clasp to the neighboring teeth for support. They are attached to a gum-colored plastic base to give a natural appearance. Like complete dentures, partial dentures are removable. If you don’t like removable partial dentures, you can consider fixed partial dentures, also known as dental bridges. Dental crowns support the bridge, placing them on either side of the missing teeth.
Alternatively, an implant-supported denture is another option worth checking out. The dental implant attached to the jawbone supports the denture. These dentures are for when no healthy teeth support the denture, but the jawbone is sufficient to place a dental implant.

Why Do You Need Partial and Full Dentures?

If you’ve lost teeth or have several damaged teeth that you can’t save, you should visit a dentist near you for dentures. If you’re wondering why you should use dentures to replace missing teeth, here are some benefits.

• Improved facial appearance

When you lose more than one of your permanent teeth, your appearance can be affected in numerous ways. The empty sockets can make you look less attractive and unhealthy. Similarly, missing teeth will cause your facial muscles to collapse and sag, causing wrinkles and making you look older. Dentures replace missing teeth and lift your facial muscles, significantly improving your appearance.

• Improved self-confidence

Missing teeth can ruin your smile by causing sunken cheeks, facial sagging, premature aging, wrinkles, and more. It can make you feel self-conscious to open your mouth to speak, eat, and laugh in public. Dentures can replace your lost teeth and restore your appearance. Consequently, this helps you regain confidence in your smile.

• Improved oral functions

There’s more to worry about when you lose several teeth than just your appearance. Missing teeth can negatively affect chewing, brushing, and pronouncing certain words. It can severely affect your nutritional needs and quality of life. Using dentures to replace these teeth will restore your bite and speech functions, allowing you to eat and speak normally.

• Prevent teeth misalignments

When you lose a tooth, the adjacent teeth on both sides of the gap tend to lean towards the space with time. It can lead to teeth misalignments and other secondary problems such as oral infections and bite issues. Replacing lost teeth with dentures closes the empty sockets, preventing the remaining natural teeth from shifting out of place.

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Are you looking for full dentures & partials in Dallas, TX? Contact Trinity Dental Loft to speak with our cosmetic dentist in Dallas.