Dentures – Lincoln, NE
Gain Confidence in Your Smile Again
Advanced gum disease, tooth decay, and accident or injury can all result in tooth loss. Missing teeth can cause your remaining teeth to shift out of position and misalign, which can be unsightly and lead to problems with biting and chewing food. Dentures can keep your natural teeth aligned and provide shape and tone to your cheeks and jaw to prevent a sunken or drawn appearance.
When you come to us for your tooth replacement needs, you’ll benefit from our caring, experienced, and attentive team. We can create dentures that help you regain confidence and function. Make an appointment today to restore your smile with a quality set of custom full or partial dentures in Lincoln!
Why Choose Williamsburg Dental for Dentures?
- Implant Dentures Offered In-House
- Custom Restorations and Treatment Plan for Each Patient
- Compassionate, Experienced Dental Team
Who’s a Good Candidate for Dentures?
One of the reasons dentures are still popular for tooth replacement is that most people who have suffered tooth loss can get them. These custom prosthetics are made to substitute for two or more missing teeth in basically any combination, and eligibility is much less strict than with other options. At Williamsburg Dental, we will work with you, no matter the current condition of your smile, and create a treatment plan that is designed to perfectly replace gaps with natural-looking teeth.
Effects of Missing Teeth
As discussed above, leaving holes in your smile isn’t just a cosmetic issue. Any remaining teeth can drift out of alignment, making biting and chewing even more difficult. Plus, if you have gaps, you probably have experienced the speech challenges that missing teeth can present. Replacing them can help you not only better define your facial shape, but it can also give you more confidence, make eating much easier, and help you communicate more clearly.
What Qualifies You for Dentures?
Before we provide you with new dentures, you need to be in good oral health. This means that if you have any unresolved issues like gum disease or decayed teeth, we will first address these problems. Otherwise, basically anyone who is missing two or more teeth qualifies for dentures!
Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options
Although dentures have been around for centuries, they aren’t your only option for replacement. In fact, depending on how many teeth you are missing and where they are within the arches, you may wish to consider other, more modern alternatives, namely:
- Dental bridges: This kind of dental prosthetic attaches to two healthy teeth that surround the gap and works best for one to three missing teeth. It is not removeable, but a bridge provides the same reliable stability that a traditional crown does.
- Dental implants: Instead of relying on suction to hold your denture in place, implants are embedded in the jawbone like natural teeth. As a result, dentures can be anchored in place, offering nearly the same biting strength as you had before tooth loss.
Types of Dentures
At Williamsburg Dental, your comfort is our top priority. We believe that your new dentures should look and feel as close to your natural teeth as possible. These dental prosthetic teeth are attached to gum-colored base and are made to blend in seamlessly. We understand the importance of properly fitted dentures for your self-confidence, which is why we take the time to customize dentures to your unique needs and mouth.
Partial Dentures
If you have some natural teeth remaining, we can create a partial denture to fill in the rest. Think of it as putting in the missing puzzle piece in your smile! This restoration typically attaches to the natural teeth via clasps.
Full Dentures
Even if you’ve lost all your natural teeth, a complete smile is within your reach. As the name implies, full dentures are used for patients who are missing a entire arch of teeth. These replacements are fabricated to fit snugly over your gums; in fact, they primarily use suction to stay in place.
Implant Dentures
Would you like to take your dentures to the next level? Instead of having dentures that merely sit on top of the gums, you can secure your dentures to implants, which are embedded in the jawbone. As a result, you achieve much more stability, more biting strength, and a more natural look.
How Dentures Are Made
Modern dentures are nothing like your grandparents’ tooth replacements, whose loose dentures were the norm. Like most of our treatments here at Williamsburg Dental, dentures are not a one-size-fits-all product. The process of making dentures requires time and attention to detail so that it fits your unique mouth. Understanding a little bit more about how they are created can help you appreciate your dentures even more!
What Are Dentures Made Of?
Every denture, no matter what type, consists of two materials: one for the gum-colored base and one for the teeth.
- Base: This part of the denture supports the teeth and allows for multiple teeth to be replaced with just one appliance. Usually, the base is made of acrylic or resin, which can be colored to mimic real gum tissue. Full dentures most often use acrylic for the base because it resembles gums the best. For partial dentures, metal clasps are added to the base for additional stability.
- Teeth: The artificial teeth are typically made out of porcelain or resin. As the stronger of the two materials, porcelain is usually preferred, but either one offers a natural appearance.
The Denture Creation Process
Making dentures always starts out with a consultation and taking care of any preliminary treatment, such as gum disease therapy, tooth extraction, or implant placement. Once these procedures are taken care of, we take impressions of your upper and lower arches and send them to our trusted dental lab. From the impressions, the lab technicians make a plaster mold and wax makeup of your mouth. False teeth are fabricated and attached to the wax dentures using a machine called an articulator.
You will then be called into our office for a denture fitting, where the wax dentures will be inserted into your mouth. We will make note of any adjustments that need to be made and send these changes to the lab. If necessary, we may have another fitting appointment.
Otherwise, the lab moves on to the next stage of fabrication, where the wax is replaced with acrylic through a painstaking process. Finally, your dentures are polished so they have the same sheen as a natural smile and sent back to us to do a final fitting with you.
Adjusting to Your New Dentures
Although modern dentures are supposed to fit comfortably and feel fairly natural, they may initially be uncomfortable. After all, you’re going from missing teeth to having a complete smile again! Give your mouth some time to adjust to your dentures because the discomfort should be temporary. If you continue to struggle with your dentures, definitely let us know so we can make further adjustments and make your smile feel as natural as possible.
The Benefits of Dentures
There’s a reason why dentures are still a top choice for tooth replacement—they’re affordable, and they work! Modern dentures in Lincoln are more realistic and fit better than ever before. Over time, tooth loss can cause changes in your facial structure, making you appear older, faster. Wearing properly-fitted dentures can prevent this by giving your cheeks shape and definition. For those with many missing teeth, dentures can also make it easier to eat, chew, and talk.
Psychological Benefits
Although the physical challenges of tooth loss alone can be difficult to grapple with, many patients struggle more with the psychological toll. Missing teeth can lead to a host of mental health problems, including depression, anxiety over what others think, and self-consciousness. On the other hand, replacing those missing teeth and completing their smile can help a person feel whole again. Seeing the confident look on our patients’ faces when they finally receive their dentures is so rewarding for us!
Clearer Enunciation
If you’ve gone any period of time sans dentures, you know how challenging talking can be. When you try to form certain sounds without dentures, such as t, d, v, s, and th, they come out sounding off, muffled, and unclear. Other times, you may be able to communicate, but talking without teeth draws unwanted attention to your mouth. However, properly fitting dentures allow you to pronounce sounds correctly—without distracting your listeners from what you are saying.
Improves Nutrition
When you have few or no teeth, your options for food drop drastically. Although you can cook fresh vegetables to make them soft, this process often removes or degrades many of the valuable nutrients. Also, teeth enable you to break down your food into more easily digestible bits. As a result, many people who need dentures can suffer from indigestion or poor nutrition because they aren’t able to bite and chew their food properly. Dentures can make eating much more beneficial for your body and allow you to have more variety in your diet.
Preserves Oral Health
As soon as a tooth is removed, the jawbone starts to become resorbed into the body. It not only becomes weaker because of the loss, but it also creates a gap that any remaining teeth will try to compensate for by shifting. Dentures can keep the healthy teeth you still have in position. Also, if you choose to attach your dentures to implants, your replacement teeth can reverse jawbone resorption and give you an even healthier mouth again.
Expands Opportunities
Regardless of your age or stage of life, there are always opportunities for growth, progression, and connection. If you are trying to get a job or meet someone new, having a complete, attractive smile can help you not only have confidence in yourself but also encourage others to have confidence in you too. In fact, studies have found that people with poor oral health tend to have a harder time finding employment. In contrast, those with a great smile are viewed as being more trustworthy and successful.
Understanding the Cost of Dentures
At first glance, you may think that all dentures should come at the same price for everyone. However, not all dentures are the same. During your consultation at one of our Williamsburg Dental locations, we can discuss your needs and goals and then create a personalized plan for your dentures. At that point, our team can gladly provide an idea of the cost involved. Below is information that can help you learn about the cost of this restorative treatment.
Factors that Affect the Cost of Dentures
Each set of dentures is customized to each unique patient. As a result, the cost often varies from person to person. The total price you pay for your dentures depends on several factors, including the following:
- Whether you need preliminary work done (e.g., gum disease therapy, tooth extraction) before getting dentures.
- Number and location of teeth being replaced.
- Whether you are attaching your dentures to implants.
As you can see, with all these variables, it is difficult to even give you an estimated cost without first examining your mouth. Once we’ve completed your evaluation, we can then determine how much your dentures will be.
Are Implant Dentures More Expensive?
In general, implant-retained dentures tend to cost more upfront. However, in addition to the dentures themselves, you also get implants, which act like tooth roots. As a result, the jawbone remains strong, preserving your more youthful-looking profile. Perhaps more importantly, a healthy jawbone means that you won’t have to replace or even adjust your dentures nearly as often. In fact, your dentures may last for more than 20 years with implants!
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dentures?
In most cases, insurance benefits include at least part of the cost of dentures. Your coverage will depend on your specific plan, and our team can walk you through the entire process and handle the claim forms for you. That way, you don’t have to try to decipher your policy on your own. We’ll help you look for ways to maximize your coverage so that your out-of-pocket expenses are kept as low as possible.
Other Options for Making Dentures Affordable
Dental insurance isn’t the only way you can avoid paying full price for your dentures here at Williamsburg Dental. We also offer savings plans to our valued patients who don’t have insurance! For a low annual fee, you not only get the preventive care you need to maintain your oral health, but you also get a 25 percent discount on restorative work, including dentures.
In addition, Williamsburg Dental goes the extra mile to help you manage your out-of-pocket costs. We make it easy to apply for affordable financing through CareCredit. In fact, if you qualify, you could have no interest at all, giving you additional savings!
Dentures Aftercare
Once you receive your dentures, it doesn’t mean you’re completely done with visiting the dentist or caring for your teeth. In fact, you need to continue doing these things to keep your smile in the best condition possible. Our team at Williamsburg Dental will monitor your mouth looking for any signs of trouble and make sure your smile stays functional and beautiful at the same time.
Removable Dentures
Remove After Eating
When you have finished a meal, bits of food can remain in between the dentition in your dentures. If you allow these bits to stay there, your replacement teeth can appear less than perfect, to say the least. In addition, the bacteria in your mouth can break down these remnants into plaque, which can inflame your gums. When you rinse your dentures, do not use hot water because it can warp the plastic. Warm water will suffice.
Clean Your Restoration
Throughout the day, you need to clean your dentures to keep plaque to a minimum. Your dentures will not become decayed like real teeth, but you are still susceptible to gum disease. Keeping your dentures clean can lower your risk of this inflammation-causing condition that endangers not only your smile but your overall health as well. When cleaning your dentures, use a soft-bristled toothbrush and a dab or mild dish soap. Do not use regular toothpaste, which can cause abrasions on your dentures.
Keep Your Dentures Safe
Having false teeth may give you a false sense of security. Although your dental prosthetic is strong, you need to make sure you are careful with your replacement teeth by not biting or chewing on hard substances like ice or pencils. Also, be cautious especially when you first get dentures because you may accidentally bite your tongue or cheek, causing unintentional damage.
Remove Dentures When You Sleep
Did you know that your mouth produces less saliva when you sleep? With less moisture in your mouth, your dentures can dry out and even warp a little. During these nighttime hours, it’s best to take out your dentures and put them in a glass or cup of water. Many denture wearers even place a cleanser in the water with their prosthetic to take care of additional bacteria they may have missed during the day.
Notice Changes
Over time, your dentures may not fit as snugly as they did when you first got them. This occurs because the jawbone is continually changing. To keep up with these changes, you should be coming to your regular dental checkups and tell us about any shifts you notice. We can adjust your dentures so that they always feel comfortable and secure in your mouth.
All-on-4 Dentures
Even if you aren’t able to remove your prosthetic teeth because they are permanently attached to implants, daily care is essential. Otherwise, gum disease can set in and degrade your jawbone, leading to implant failure. In addition to at-home maintenance, it’s especially important to come to our office regularly for checkups and cleanings so we can diagnose and fix any problem as early as possible, preserving your restored smile.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dentures
Replacing missing teeth is an important decision, which shouldn’t be made without serious consideration. As a result, you may have questions about dentures in Crete before you choose which type is right for you. We welcome your inquiries! We’ve even taken the time to respond to some common questions below. If you have others, we can discuss them together at your consultation.
Why Do Teeth Need to Be Replaced?
Missing teeth are more than just a cosmetic concern. When you don’t have strong teeth, you aren’t able to bite or chew food as easily. As a result, you may have to eat softer foods, which tend to be less healthy and nutritious. This can lead to a poor quality of life and even a shorter life expectancy, according to scientific studies. If you still have natural teeth left, you may think you can function without filling in the gaps. However, remaining teeth can shift, causing your bite to change and potentially damaging these otherwise healthy teeth. That’s why we recommend replacement for anyone who has lost a permanent tooth.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dentures?
In general, dental insurance policies do cover part of the cost of dentures. This means you can save quite a bit of money on replacing your missing teeth. However, it’s important to note that while the denture itself is usually covered, implants and the implant procedure are not. When we meet with you to discuss your denture options, we can look through your insurance plan and let you know what is and is not included. Whether you have insurance or not, you can always take advantage of flexible financing as well to make the cost more manageable.
How Long Do Dentures Last?
It depends. A large determining factor is how well you maintain your dentures. With the appropriate care, traditional dentures typically need to be replaced about every five to seven years with more frequent, smaller adjustments in between. Implant dentures, on the other hand, can last significantly longer—up to 30 years! If you want your dentures, whether normal or implant retained, to stay in excellent condition, you need to take care of them at home and continue to come in for regular checkups.
What Should I Do If My Denture Breaks?
Unfortunately, dentures are durable, but they can break if put under too much stress or dropped. If you find that your denture has broken, do not put it in your mouth. It may damage any remaining teeth, your gums, or other soft tissues. Give our office a call for an immediate appointment with Dr. Rossini. In rare cases, we may be able to adjust slightly damaged dentures, but we will likely need to take new impressions and replace them. We won’t know for sure until we get a chance to examine them in person.