False Teeth - Dentures, Dental Partials and Denture Implants

A huge chunk of the population today suffer from dental problems. Fast food and colas, and a general lack of oral hygiene have left may people, young and old, suffering from various dental problems. If proper care is not taken, these dental problems usual culminate in the inevitable extraction of the tooth, which leaves a gap in the teeth.

Not only such gaps are unsightly, but they also cause harm and decay to the surrounding teeth, increasing the chances of more teeth getting affected. In the long run this results in having a major chunk or even all your teeth missing, leading to a host of other problems.

These problems affect the way we live our daily lives, as eating, smiling and even talking becomes an issue. All this besides the pain that we have to go through. If you have reached such a situation, then there is very little you can do, except opt for fake teeth or false teeth.

False teeth, also known as teeth dentures, are artificial teeth that resemble real teeth enabling the person wearing them to carry out, to some extent, functions that are performed by real healthy teeth, like chewing food, smiling and talking normally.

They are so accurately made and fitted in the patient's mouth that people looking at them won't ever realize that they are artificial teeth. There are various ways in which you can get false teeth made, and this usually depends on how many teeth are missing and where.

Your dentist will be in the best position to advise you on what sort of false teeth you can get made.

People have to use false teeth because of many reasons like periodontal diseases, tooth decay which leads to extractions, gum diseases, and tooth loss during old age. There are several methods in which a dentist may place teeth dentures in the patient's mouth; like implanting, clipping, or bonding with real teeth. They come in many designs and are generally made according to the patient's teeth placements and positions.

Dentures are false teeth that are fitted on plastic or metal plates that are shaped to the structure of your mouth. Dentures come in various types, ranging from partial to complete, and temporary to permanent. Temporary dentures are those that are given to a patient immediately after extracting one or more teeth.

These are replaced by permanent dentures once the jawbone heals completely, a process which takes about 6 months. Partial dentures are dentures that are made when one or a few teeth are missing, while complete dentures are ones made where all the teeth from the upper jaw or the lower jaw are missing.

Dentures are made by taking an impression of the oral cavity, and then molding the plastic or metal structure containing the false teeth to the impression. This usually takes more than a couple of sittings with the dentist, to get an exact fit.

While some dentures may have clasps to keep them in place, most do not, and the suction between the palate and the dentures helps keep them in place. Depending on the type of dentures, these clasps may or may not be visible while smiling or talking. Dentures are not permanently fixed and can be removed at will.

Bridges are an alternative to dentures when there are just a few missing teeth that need to be taken care of. However, bridges are not suitable whenever there is a missing tooth. A few conditions have to be met, namely, the teeth on either side of the bridge must be strong and should be able to support the bridge.

A bridge consists of the false tooth in the center, with crowns on either side that fix to the healthy teeth. Bridges are especially effective when there is a single tooth missing with healthy teeth on either side.

In a bridge, the fake tooth is in the center, and there are crowns on either side of the fake tooth. The two healthy teeth on either side of the missing tooth have to be prepared, that is, they are shaped to accept the crowns of the bridge. A bridge is permanently fixed and cannot be removed like dentures.

These are probably the best of the types of false teeth, but are also the most expensive, and the most complicated to fix. Implants, like the name suggests, are false teeth that are implanted into the jawbone. Usually an implant consists of a metal rod that is placed directly into the jawbone, on which the tooth is attached.

Implants can also support dentures or bridges. This is usually done when there is just a single or two teeth that need to be replaced, as not only is this very expensive, but it also necessitates surgery for placing the metal rod in the jawbone.

Implants too come with a few requirements, it is usually not done in cases where the jawbone has aged and cannot support the implant. Also most dentists agree that smoking causes complications, and do not recommend implants to smokers.

These were the major kinds of false teeth available today. Of course, these come in a variety of materials, ranging from metal to porcelain, and depending on your choice and feasibility, your dentist will choose the type that is most appropriate for your condition.

The cost of placing false teeth, whether it is implants, bridges, or dentures strongly varies according to the number of teeth which are to be worked upon, or the number of gaps between the real teeth that are to be filled.

All types of false teeth are to be well-maintained as per recommendations given by the dentist, as improper care can cause the infection to spread to your real teeth.