A person’s smile can do wonders for their confidence and self-esteem. But if you can’t smile because you have missing or damaged teeth, it can adversely affect you. People become shy and withdrawn if they can’t properly show off their pearly whites. And this progresses until they’re older.
If you have damaged teeth, the soonest you can attend to them, the better. Because if you ignore these, it could worsen and lead to situations where you have to lose your teeth. What’s excellent about dental medicine is that they were able to create a tool to help people with missing teeth. These are called dentures. In 2020, about 41 million Americans used dentures. This number speaks about the importance of dentures for people who want to remain confident despite having damaged teeth.
What Are Dentures?
Dentures, also called false teeth, are removable prosthetic devices created to replace missing teeth. It’s an effective tool made from acrylic, metal, or nylon that helps people with missing teeth problems restore their smile and be ready to face the public again with confidence. If you have questions about dentures in Sydney, visit this site, they explain dentures thoroughly, including the cost of having one.
Types Of Dentures
Dentures come in different types depending on your needs. They generally have two types, and they include:
- Partial dentures: Also called bridges, are usually created to replace one or more teeth. A partial denture not only fills in the space of the lost teeth but also prevents other teeth from changing positions.
- Complete dentures: When patients lose their teeth, they can have full dentures to replace them. Typically, when damaged teeth are removed, the gum tissue needs to heal for about eight to twelve weeks before one can wear dentures. It is vital because the bones and gums where the teeth were attached will shrink.
For this reason, conventional dentures are measured in the mouth after the teeth have been removed, and the patient can comfortably wear their dentures after the healing period is up. But should the patient immediately want dentures fitted, they can opt for immediate dentures. These are dentures prepared in advance and can be placed as soon as the teeth have been removed. This solution is for people who don’t want to be without teeth during the healing period.
Although this can help restore the patient’s confidence, it’s only a temporary solution and would need several adjustments to fit as the healing takes place. The patient would eventually need conventional dentures.
Why Would You Need Dentures?
As much as you would like to keep your original teeth, there are some instances when you can’t. Losing your teeth can be due to several reasons:
- You don’t visit your dentist: To maintain good oral health, you must visit your dentist at least twice a year. This way, your dentist can monitor the health of your teeth and gums and take note of problems that need fixing. If issues are not resolved because you don't visit your dentist regularly, they can escalate quickly, leading to the loss of teeth.
- Your teeth are loose and shifting: When your teeth are loose and shifting, it could be a sign of gum disease; for this, you need to have your teeth extracted.
- You have chronic toothaches: Toothache is a sign of tooth decay. If caught early, you can remedy this with a simple tooth filling. But when a toothache is ignored, the decay can progress, and the teeth may have to be removed.
- Red, swollen, or bleeding gums: About 70% of adult tooth loss is due to periodontal disease. Usually, gum diseases are treatable with more attention to oral health and routine dental visits. But if left unattended, it can lead to the loss of teeth and dentures.
- Accidents: When you've been in an accident and your mouth has been significantly damaged, the dentist may suggest removing some of your teeth to allow you to recover faster. So, in this instance, wearing dentures will be your best option.
Beyond boosting your confidence, wearing dentures helps you become comfortable when eating, smiling, or casually talking to your friends. It can be costly if you haven't allotted a budget for one, but the benefits far outweigh the cost of buying one.
What Age Is Best To Wear Dentures?
There is no best age to wear dentures. If you feel like wearing dentures can help you conquer difficulties in life, then you don’t have to wait for a certain age to get one. If having a mouth with missing teeth is holding you back from having a flourishing career, then dentures can help you reclaim that confidence and resolve you once had.
But on average, most people get dentures at the age of 40. It is when health issues arise and the body shows signs of weakness. However, it remains a case-to-case situation. One can get dentures while they're in their early adult life, and others can get one in their senior life.
Can Children Wear Dentures?
Kids lose their milk teeth or deciduous teeth at the age of 12. It varies and is not the same for everyone. When their adult teeth appear, they need to be very careful since losing these will not be replaced anymore. But there are instances when a child develops a rare congenital condition called ectodermal dysplasia, when structures in the body grow abnormally, including the hair, nails, and teeth.
This disease causes a child to have abnormal tooth growth or an abundance of missing teeth. A child’s life will be severely affected if this is not addressed, and one thing to help with their teeth problems is dentures.
Conclusion
Your smile is one of the first things people see when they look at you. And it can create a lasting impression on many people. If you can smile confidently, you project a positive aura that could make you feel like you’re on top of the world. But if you have damaged teeth, dentures can help you achieve this. Whether you have suffered from a rare disease, neglected your teeth growing up, or have suffered an injury, dentures can give you your life back.
