 What are Dentures?
Do All Older Adults Need Dentures?
When are Dentures Not Recommended?
How are Dentures Made?
Are Dentures Unbreakable?
What is Relining and Rebasing?
How Should a Patient Care for the Dentures?
Denture Recommendations
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Dentures (also known as dental plates) are a set of artificial teeth, which are used when
a patient has lost real teeth on the mandibular arch, the maxillary arch or both. Patients
can become entirely edentulous (without teeth) either due to ineffective oral hygiene or
trauma.
Dentures fulfill several different functions. First, dentures provide “teeth” for chewing
and breaking down food. After several natural teeth have been lost, even chewing soft
foods can be difficult and sometimes painful. Plus, if several teeth have already been
extracted, chances are that others are in danger or have already succumbed to periodontal (gum) disease. Natural teeth also provide structure and shape to facial tissues. If teeth are lost, the tissues of the face tend to sink in, adding years to a person’s appearance. Dentures provide the structure that was lost with natural teeth.
Removable partial dentures are for patients who are missing only some of their teeth on
a particular arch. Fixed partial dentures, better known as crowns and bridges, are also for patients missing only some of their teeth, but these are more expensive than removable appliances.
Dentures are a solution of last resort. Many people assume that they will require
dentures as they age, but losing teeth is not a normal part of the aging process. If a
person cares for her/his teeth well and guards against periodontal (gum) disease, she/he should be able to keep her/his teeth for a lifetime.
Saving even a few natural teeth is better than losing them all. Natural teeth or even
portions of natural teeth (roots) can help the patient retain bone in her/his jaw and can
act as stable supports for bridges or removable partial dentures. The PrimeSource
Dentist will try to save as many natural teeth as possible.
This offers several advantages since natural teeth:
• Help preserve bone.
• Bear some of the chewing pressure, which reduces pressure on other areas
of the jaw.
• Improve the stability of the denture and make it less likely to shift in the mouth.
• Provide the patient with a sense of where the jaw is in space and the pressure
he/she is placing on the denture.
• Help the person psychologically accept the denture.
There are a number of drawbacks associated with full dentures, and not everyone can
successfully wear them. In some instances, dentures are not especially useful because of retention or stability problems. For this reason, even a single healthy tooth left in
place can stabilize an otherwise unstable full denture.
First, the PrimeSource Dentist takes an impression and the measurements of the patient’s jaws. The color (shade) of the teeth is determined either from the natural teeth or a denture the patient may already be wearing. A mold of the wax-up denture is
made, teeth are mounted in place, the wax is removed and the remaining space is filled with pink plastic in dough form. The mold is heated to harden the plastic. The denture is then polished and made ready for the patient to wear.
While PrimeSource dentures are fabricated from extremely
durable materials, they are not totally indestructible. Given the
right set of circumstances any denture will break, wear out, a
tooth will come out or the fit will change.
Dentures usually need periodic alterations because the tissues and
bone supporting the dentures change over time. Relining and
rebasing are alterations that adjust denture fit to make them more
secure on a patient’s gums. Rebasing involves making an entirely
new denture base, while relining modifies the existing one. Both
procedures maintain the denture’s existing artificial teeth.
Dentures are not permanent fixtures in the mouth; the patient
needs to take them out at least once a day. Most people take their
dentures out at night when they sleep and store them in a
container of water or a denture cleaning solution. The water
or solution should be changed daily, and container washed
frequently.
Dentures need to be cleaned twice a day using specially designed
denture brushes. The tissues in the mouth also need to be
brushed and massaged to clean away debris. This also helps
maintain good circulation in the patient’s gums.
At the time of the recommendation, the Prime-Source Dentist may carefully make an exact impression of the patient’s mouth and forward it to the PrimeSource dental lab*.
Since many factors within the mouth can affect a dental impression, the Dentist will use her/his judgement as to when conditions are suitable for taking a good dental impression.
Next, PrimeSource Healthcare will attempt to secure insurance prior authorization approval. If insurance is denied or unavailable, PrimeSource will try to access payment through liability deferment or private funding.** Once authorization or funding is received, the denture is fabricated by PrimeSource Lab Technicians, then shipped to the Dentist.
The PrimeSource Dentist will visit the facility to fit the dentures to the patient’s mouth. Minor adjustments can be made on-site to the fit and bite. The Dentist will also explain proper denture care techniques to the patient
* Dental impressions for private pay patients are not made until payment is assured.
** A loss prevention letter may be necessary if a dental prosthetic is being replaced under the conditions of the PrimeSource Totalcare™ ReplacementGuarantee. This
process could affect the delivery of the new prosthetic.
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