Dentures have evolved from ancient Etruscan and Egyptian gold-bound animal and human teeth through 18th-century porcelain and vulcanized rubber bases to today’s advanced, digitally crafted, custom-fitted prosthetics that employ biocompatible materials.
Unlike historic dentures, modern dentures are constructed from a molded or 3D-printed acrylic resin base with porcelain teeth attached to it. Thanks to advances in dentistry, modern dentures are more comfortable, discreet, and natural-looking than ever before.
Despite the modifications and improvements that dentures have undergone over the years, their primary purpose remains unaltered: to replace some or all missing teeth, restore chewing and speaking abilities, and enhance facial aesthetics. More than 5.6 million Canadians wear dentures today, making them a popular choice for oral rehabilitation and smile makeovers. This article explores the various types of dentures along with their indications, benefits, and drawbacks. Read on for what you need to know about dentures and whether they may be suitable for you. This article also highlights the latest dental technology at Blanc Dentaire used for denture fabrication that can help you achieve your oral health goals better than ever before.
Also known as fake or false teeth, contemporary dentures come in complete and partial forms and are custom-made for each patient to fit their oral anatomy, ensuring a perfect fit. Complete dentures replace all missing teeth and rest on the patient’s gums, while partial dentures suit the needs of those with only some missing teeth. Thus, a partial denture rests on and is supported by the remaining teeth and gums.
Conventional full dentures are removable, which means they have to be taken out every night before going to sleep. This is an advantage as it allows for easy cleaning of the prosthesis and the teeth and allows the soft tissues underneath to rest.
Nowadays, dentures are made from very biocompatible materials that don’t irritate the oral tissues and are strong enough to endure chewing forces. The base or framework of complete or partial dentures is typically fabricated from a material such as acrylic resin, nylon, porcelain, resin, or metal, and the false teeth are usually crafted from acrylic resin or porcelain.
Implant-supported dentures are dentures supported by dental implants. They are attached to the abutments that sit atop two or six implants affixed to your jaw.
Both complete and partial dentures can be implant-supported and can be made as fixed or removable prostheses.
Generally speaking, dentures replace missing teeth, help you chew and speak easily, and address the aesthetic concerns caused by tooth loss. Anyone who has lost one or more teeth can relate to the difficulties that arise as a consequence and can benefit greatly from dentures.
Dentures come in various forms, each with the purpose of addressing different dental problems, from a few missing teeth to complete edentulism.
Usually, when you think of dentures, the first thing that likely comes to mind is conventional or traditional full-arch dentures with a gum-colored base and fake teeth attached to them.
A complete denture replaces a full arch of missing teeth, either upper or lower, and rests on top of your gums. For the upper arch, a complete denture majorly relies on the roof of your mouth (palate) for support, whereas for the lower arch, it seeks support and stability from the ridge of the lower jawbone.
At Blanc Dentaire, we utilize state-of-the-art dental technology to provide you with comfortable, aesthetic, and long-lasting dentures that you can wear with ease and confidence for years to come. When we offer replacement options for missing teeth, we go to the nth degree of quality and use products from reputable denture manufacturers to deliver only the very best to our patients.
Traditionally, denture fabrication options were limited to heat-cured or self-cured materials but have recently undergone rapid advancement and now include CAD/CAM milled and 3D-printed dentures, which are discussed in detail below.
These dentures are milled from a disc of high-quality biocompatible PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) material in a single and efficient milling process. 3D printing streamlines the process by circumventing the need to attach denture teeth to the denture base, one of the steps in making traditional dentures.
At our practice, we invest heavily in the latest dental technology and machinery to provide you with smooth, time-efficient, and long-lasting solutions. The CAD and CAM software and milling machines all work in tandem, utilizing the PMMA material to produce high-precision dentures of the finest quality. Ivoclar dentures are milled in one single uninterrupted milling cycle using a powerful milling machine following a comprehensive digital scanning and designing process. Once the denture design is approved and finalized, it is sent to a special software, which directs the milling machine to perform a series of highly coordinated movements. When they have been milled on the spot, they only require some polishing before they’re ready to be inserted into your mouth.
In addition to being highly efficient and hassle-free, Ivoclar dentures allow for a great degree of customization. They come in a wide variety of tooth shapes, colors, and materials, allowing us to create beautiful smiles that cater to your needs, complement your unique facial proportions, and align with your personal preferences.
The PMMA material used to craft these dentures exhibits excellent strength and fracture resistance.
We use Ivoclar dentures at our practice as they provide various benefits, including:
3D printed or digital dentures are custom-made prosthetic devices fabricated using advanced 3D printing technology. Integrating digitalized modeling, computational optimization, and 3D printing procedures has emerged as a novel approach to denture design and fabrication.
Unlike traditional dentures, which rely on tedious, often messy, and inconvenient manual impressions and molds, digital dentures are crafted from digital scans of your mouth. A 3D-printed denture uses additive technology to create a denture following the digital design of the denture on special software. This 3D printing technology for dentures not only creates the denture base but also the denture teeth. These 3D-printed teeth are made from a monolithic methacrylate-based photopolymerized resin that is only processed and cured (solidified) through 3D printing.
The denture teeth and denture base are 3D printed separately from the same material. Then, the printed teeth are glued or bonded to the printed denture base using a special light-cured bonding agent.
Traditional or conventional dentures are made after all your teeth have been removed and the gums have started to heal. They are ready to be placed in your mouth about eight to twelve weeks after tooth extractions. Until then, your dentist can provide you with immediate dentures so you can speak and chew normally during that time.
Partial dentures fill in the spaces created by missing teeth and also prevent the neighboring teeth from shifting to fill the missing spaces.
A fixed partial denture is permanently attached to the teeth surrounding an empty space. The teeth on which the denture rests are known as abutment teeth. The quality of the abutment teeth and the surrounding jawbone determine the success of the restoration.
The abutments usually require some preparation to become able to support the denture. This usually involves root canal treatment. Studies show that up to 15% of abutment teeth for a fixed restoration require root canal treatment compared to a lower percentage of 3% to 6% of non-abutment teeth with crown preparations.
Fixed partial dentures are the treatment of choice for replacing missing teeth in the back of the mouth.
The teeth adjacent to the missing tooth are prepared, and dental crowns are seated on top. These crowns are connected to the missing tooth (pontic). This restoration involving three teeth or more can be fabricated within 1 to 2 weeks, fulfilling the criteria of normal crown contour, comfort, function, esthetics, and speech.
The risk of abutment teeth of fixed partial dentures suffering tooth decay is unusually high. Studies show that the risk for these teeth is over 20% in contrast to the 1% risk for a crown over a period of five years. Many patients don’t clean around the artificial teeth in a fixed partial denture with a floss or a floss threader. This encourages bacterial accumulation and plaque formation in those areas. This gives rise to problems in the abutment teeth that can be attributed to the trauma induced to the teeth during tooth preparation. These include:
A removable partial denture comprises a metal framework made of cobalt-chromium, a pink-colored plastic (acrylic) base, and artificial teeth. It sits on the gum line and is attached to the abutment teeth via claps and the framework. Precision attachments that slide into pits prepared in the abutment teeth can also replace metal clasps, depending on your personal preferences and tooth anatomy.
It is comparatively cheaper, less aesthetic, and can provide only a limited amount of functionality compared to other types of dentures. The metal clasps can make them look rather unappealing to some patients, so if aesthetics matter to you, be sure to discuss your options with your dentist. Cast partial dentures also need to be removed every night for a thorough cleaning and for the supporting soft tissues to rest.
If you fail to maintain good oral hygiene, wearing a removable partial denture may cause the formation of ulcers, soft tissue trauma, and bone loss in the areas where you are missing teeth. The denture itself or its clasps are prone to breakage if excess unstable forces are applied to it.
Although cast partial dentures are quite heavy in weight, they are exceptionally durable, long-lasting, and offer a great fit.
Titanium partial dentures offer a host of exceptional features, making them a popular choice for those seeking a durable and comfortable dental solution. These dentures are renowned for their lightweight and strong construction, providing a comfortable fit without compromising on strength.
One of their standout features is the absence of palatal coverage, which enhances comfort and allows for a more natural feel and taste. Additionally, titanium is biocompatible, reducing the risk of allergic reactions and ensuring long-term safety.
Its superior strength also means the denture framework can be made thinner and more discreet, making it more aesthetically pleasing and improving the overall wear experience. Learn more about titanium partial dentures.
Acrylic partial dentures are often used as temporary dentures that will eventually be replaced with more permanent restoration. They consist of replacement teeth attached to gum-colored acrylic bases, usually without any metal components. However, depending on your specific needs, wrought wire clasps may be incorporated into the acrylic base to help secure the denture to the abutment teeth.
Immediate dentures are placed right after tooth removal, so you don’t have to be toothless during the healing period while your conventional dentures are being prepared. These dentures sit directly on your gum line.
Acrylic partial dentures are ideal for patients with progressive periodontal disease who are at an increased risk of losing more teeth over time. These patients require dentures that are easily modifiable so the lost teeth can be added to the denture with time without having to get new dentures made frequently.
The only downside to immediate dentures is that they might require a lot of adjustments to fit properly while you wait for your traditional dentures. This is because your jawbone and gums change shape and shrink after tooth removal, and thus, your denture may not be very comfortable during the recovery period.
Acrylic partial dentures provide a moderate level of comfort, aesthetics, and durability and are quite heavy in weight. However, they are easily repairable and relinable in case they get damaged or become loose.
As conventional dentures sit atop your gums, they rely solely on suction to hold them in place. For this reason, they can often slip or move when eating, making them very uncomfortable and forcing you to rely on goopy adhesives to improve denture retention. You have to learn to chew differently with dentures, and they also significantly reduce your chewing efficiency. Implant-retained and implant-supported dentures offer a practical solution for these problems as they look and feel much like your natural teeth.
Snap-in dentures are removable dentures that are held in place by dental implants screwed into the jawbone. These dentures have connectors underneath their plate that latch onto or clip to their corresponding dental implant in the mouth. You can remove snap-in dentures yourself with ease to clean them before putting them back in.
Snap-in dentures are more stable and comfortable to wear than conventional dentures. They allow for better chewing and speech, offer superior aesthetics, and, as they are attached to dental implants, prevent bone loss in the jaw.
To get a snap-in denture, you’ll need to get 2-4 dental implants first and then wait for them to heal completely before receiving the denture. It takes anywhere from two to six months for the bone to grow around and fuse with the implants, a process known as osseointegration. Learn more about the implant procedure. Once the implants have healed and integrated with the jawbone, connecting devices are attached to them to hold the denture in place. A complete denture is then fabricated and fixed onto the attachments.
Snap-in dentures are a good option for people who want to replace the majority of their teeth without the negative consequences of traditional dentures. They are a comparatively permanent solution for tooth loss compared to conventional dentures, allowing patients to eat, speak, chew, and smile with confidence. However, implant-retained dentures need to be taken out each night to be thoroughly cleaned. You can use a soft-bristled brush and a water flosser to clean the underlying gums.
Unlike implant-retained dentures, implant-supported dentures are fixed and can only be removed by a dentist or a prosthodontist. These dentures are attached to 6-8 dental implants for complete support and stability, as opposed to only 2–4 implants for implant-retained dentures. For this reason, you can enjoy harder-to-chew foods with implant-supported dentures without worrying about the prosthesis moving or tilting.
The All-on-4 is an example of an implant-supported denture that typically rests on 4 or 6 abutments attached to dental implants fixated in the jawbone. It consists of a full-arch bridge supported by the implants. Most often, All-on-4 dentures are fixed, meaning they don’t have to be removed for cleaning and remain stable during chewing.
Implant-supported dentures do not require additional maintenance than what is normally required for your natural teeth. This includes brushing twice a day and flossing to clean between the teeth. However, they are more costly than implant-retained dentures and require a more lengthy implant placement procedure.
The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) now covers complete dentures (standard and temporary dentures), complete overdentures, and partial dentures. If you are considering getting a denture as a tooth replacement option, we encourage you to get in touch with our team and let us guide you through the process. You can also talk to our dentists and discuss all anticipated costs beforehand to understand the total amount you will be billed and other questions you might have.
The CAD-CAM technology has represents a significant leap forward in dental care and has enabled us to provide you with dentures of exceptional quality and fit. At Blanc Dentaire, Dr Dan Munteanu and his team are proud to offer you the latest techniques available at their practice in Montreal, QC.
Contact us today or by calling at (514)-933-3368 or (514)-564-4554. We look forward to assisting you take the best care of your dental health.
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