9310 Carmel Mountain Rd., Ste. A
San Diego, CA 92129
If you’re interested in restoring the appearance, confidence, and functionality of your teeth, contact us at Carmel Mountain Dental Care. Schedule a consultation today to find out which dentures are best for you.
Stephanie V.
"The team at Carmel Mountain Dental Care saw me same-day when I chipped my front tooth. They relieved my pain and fixed my smile in no time! I would recommend them to anyone who finds themselves in a dental emergency!"
Whenever you lose a tooth or have a tooth extracted, you must have the tooth replaced in some manner. Leaving gaps in the mouth will lead to bone loss, shifting teeth, and changes in the structure and appearance of your face.
There are a variety of tooth replacement options, such as dentures, dental implants, or dental bridges. Dentures are particularly suitable for patients who are missing a significant amount of teeth, are not a good candidate for implants due to inadequate bone density, or are looking for a cheaper and more immediate replacement for teeth.
At Carmel Mountain Dental Care, our Rancho Peñasquitos dentists carry both full and partial dentures. Partial dentures are used as an alternative to a dental bridge when only a few missing teeth need replacing. A partial denture can be made of various materials, such as an acrylic or metal framework.
In either case, partial dentures fill in spaces left by missing teeth by clasping onto clips that are placed on the natural teeth. Full dentures are only recommended for patients who are missing most of or all of their teeth because the placement of full dentures requires extracting the patient’s remaining teeth.
These dentures can replace the top or bottom arch of teeth or both. Full dentures are held in place through a seal at the gums and are typically made of a pink acrylic base that is placed over the gums and supports porcelain artificial teeth. Both partial and full dentures are removable and should be taken out at night to sleep.
You need to be vigilant about keeping your mouth and your dentures clean. You should brush your dentures with a soft-bristle toothbrush and denture cleaner in the morning and at night, and rinse them after you eat. You will also need to soak them overnight in a denture-soaking solution so they don’t dry out.
Remember to remove your dentures before going to sleep. When you take your dentures out, clean your gums by wiping them with gauze. When you go to put your dentures back in, rinse them out one more time.
You should also attend regular dental visits every 6 months to check on your oral health, get a cleaning, and assess your dentures. If you’re interested in dentures, contact us at Carmel Mountain Dental Care today to schedule a consultation.
The process begins with a consultation where your gums and teeth will be examined. If you are receiving partial dentures, x-rays may be necessary to ensure that you have strong enough abutment teeth to support the denture. You also need to have any cavities, decay, or gum disease treated before you can receive your dentures.
For full dentures, you will first need to undergo extractions of your remaining teeth. Your gums need to completely heal before you can be fitted for your official denture, which will take about 8-12 weeks. In both cases, impressions will be taken of your mouth and teeth and sent to a dental lab that will create your dentures.
The impressions give us information about how your teeth fit together, how they look, and how they fit inside your jaw. It will take a few weeks for your dentures to be ready, so you will be given temporary dentures to wear in the meantime.
Your dentures should be ready within 2-3 weeks (but if you have had any extractions in preparation, you will still need to wait until your gums are healed) and you will return to the dental office for a fitting. If any adjustments need to be made to the shade, size, or shape of the artificial teeth, or if the dentures feel like they don’t fit right, you will inform us so we can make alterations.
It may take several fittings and adjustments before your dentures are just right. You may require some follow-up appointments to ensure that the dentures are sitting on your gums properly and aren’t causing any irritation.
Adjusting to a new set of dentures can take about 30 days. During this time, your dentures may feel a little uncomfortable and it may be difficult to eat and speak clearly. You should start out eating only soft foods until you feel comfortable introducing solid foods again. Try to eat on both sides of the mouth equally, cutting foods into small pieces.
Dentures can make you sound louder and cause difficulty pronouncing “s” and “f” sounds. In this case, practice makes perfect. Try practicing tongue twisters, singing, or speaking more slowly. If your gums feel sore, you may want to take your dentures out more frequently in the beginning to give your gums a rest.
Rinsing your mouth with a lukewarm saltwater solution can also help to relieve gum discomfort. Another issue new denture wearers also experience is excess saliva production. This will go away with time and is your body’s response to sensing a foreign object in the mouth.
Sucking on a mint or candy can encourage more swallowing. If your denture still feels uncomfortable, ill-fitting, or is giving you persistent problems after the first month, you should schedule an appointment for a checkup, as your dentures may need to be adjusted.
A good candidate for dentures is someone who is missing a few or most of their teeth, which is making it more difficult to eat, speak, and smile with confidence. Most people make great candidates for dentures, even if they don’t have a lot of bone support and have a history of gum disease.
The biggest advantages of dentures are that they are cost-effective, take much less time than dental implants, are minimally invasive, and are a great alternative for patients who aren’t eligible for dental implants.
If you have teeth you need to replace, dentures are the most accessible, cheap option and you don’t have to wait months to heal from oral surgeries. Dentures can make your life a lot easier and more convenient.
Dentures may restore the functionality of your teeth, helping you to better chew and digest your food, but you will have some limitations in your diet. Dentures are fundamentally different from your natural teeth so it will be more difficult to chew hard, tough, or sticky foods.
You may need to cut your food into smaller pieces and take extra time to chew your food. In the first month of wearing your dentures, as you get used to them, you should only eat soft foods. After that, you can start to introduce more solid foods into your diet little by little.
Foods like tough meats, popcorn, caramel, candy, and nuts should be avoided. These can dislodge your dentures, get stuck in them, or cause gum irritation. We also recommend that you limit your consumption of staining foods and drinks because your dentures can become discolored over time.
What’s worse, they won’t respond to teeth whitening, either. If your dentures become significantly stained, you will need to replace them. Try to limit your consumption of coffee, tea, red wine, dark-colored sauces, and soda.
First visit to Carmel Mountain Dental Care? Schedule your New Patient Appointment today to meet the team and get the quality care you deserve at Carmel Mountain Dental Care in Rancho Peñasquitos. Our New Patient Special includes a comprehensive exam, cleaning, x-rays, and a personalized treatment plan.
