Dentures – Catonsville, MD
Trusted Prosthetics for Complete Smiles
At Advanced Dental Clinic, Dr. Bemani believes each patient deserves to enjoy a full, functional, and beautiful smile. When tooth loss hinders one’s ability to enjoy various aspects of life, it can take a serious toll on a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. This is why with dentures in Catonsville, we can rebuild smiles in a way that boosts aesthetics and allows for improved oral movement and usage over time. If you are ready to let us help you embrace these trusted prosthetics, call our office to schedule an appointment today!
Who's a Good Candidate for Dentures?
Dentures are the tried-and-true solution for rebuilding smiles after tooth loss, though they remain popular today in part because of their versatility. Dr. Bemani and our team can provide a lifelike restoration so you can eat, speak, and smile more confidently, no matter how many teeth are missing.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean this service is the best way to meet everyone’s unique needs. Continue reading to learn what makes someone an ideal candidate for dentures to help determine whether this is the right treatment for you!
Effects of Missing Teeth
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), periodontitis, or advanced gum disease, is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults, but it’s not the only potential reason for the gaps in your grin. For instance, you might also lose adult teeth to severe tooth decay or physical trauma.
Whatever the cause, the spaces in your smile can make once-simple tasks, such as biting and chewing food sufficiently to be swallowed and digested or clearly enunciating words, become much more challenging. You might also develop misalignments or TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorders if your remaining teeth shift out of alignment to close the gaps.
What Qualifies You for Dentures?
Potentially, anyone who has experienced partial, significant, or complete tooth loss might benefit from one of these lifelike restorations, but that doesn’t automatically make everyone an ideal candidate. You must consult Dr. Bemani before proceeding so she can examine your mouth and determine if this is the best option for you.
For example, complete dentures rely on a tight suction against your gum tissues to remain in place, so you might not be approved right away if we find signs of periodontal disease. Some patients require preliminary services, such as gum disease therapy or extracting a few remaining teeth, before moving forward.
Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options
If you’re not immediately approved for dentures, don’t lose hope. Our team offers a variety of services to help rebuild smiles, so you might still benefit from one of the following treatments:
- Dental Bridges. A dental bridge is an oral device that contains the needed number of replacement teeth between a dental crown on each end. These restorations are usually made from resilient ceramic that can be customized to match your enamel, then are cemented over healthy abutment teeth or dental implants positioned on each side of the gap in your grin. This can be an ideal way to replace anywhere from 1 to 4 teeth in a row.
- Dental Implants. This is the only option that involves surgically placing a biocompatible post into your jaw so it can eventually fuse with the bone for stronger, longer-lasting results. One rod can support a dental crown, or two or more can be placed to hold a customized dental bridge or set of dentures to restore your arches.
Types of Dentures
Although dentistry is rapidly advancing, there are only three types of dentures that you can choose from:
Partial Dentures
Consisting of an acrylic, gum-colored base, artificial teeth, and a metal framework, partial dentures work like a puzzle piece. Designed to fill in the spaces left behind by missing teeth, this prosthetic attaches to healthy teeth, allowing it to fit in nicely and successfully recreate a complete, functional, and beautiful smile.
Full Dentures
Crafted much in the same way as partials, full dentures do not contain the metal framework within the acrylic base. Instead, the prosthetics are made to fit snugly in place using natural suction. Many patients also turn to denture adhesive for added protection, especially when eating and/or speaking.
Implant Dentures
While full and partial dentures rely on additional products or healthy teeth to help hold them in place, implant dentures are vastly different. Instead of altering other areas of the mouth to ensure that your tooth replacement is a success, we only need the vacant sockets to position and place each implant post. Made of titanium, they fuse with the jawbone tissues to create a firm and stable foundation.
Benefits of Dentures
Throughout the centuries, individuals have benefited from dentures. While the materials that are used to create them have changed (thankfully) over time, they maintain the same goal – to create complete, healthy smiles.
If you are considering dentures to replace your missing teeth, a few of the advantages you can expect include:
- Greater bite force and chewing power allow you to eat coarser foods.
- Prosthetics that can last up to a decade or longer depending on the type of care you provide.
- Improved confidence in your appearance because of how full and comfortable your smile is.
- A more well-balanced diet.
- Better overall and oral health, as these prosthetics are easy to clean and manage.
Understanding the Cost of Dentures
Because your new prosthetics will be as unique as your smile, it is impossible to charge a ‘one size fits all’ price for dentures. The best way to determine the exact cost of dentures is to visit Dr. Bemani for an in-person exam. There, she can go over the perks of certain features, as well as formulate a price quote for these life-changing restorations. In the meantime, feel free to follow the link below to learn more about how we’ll calculate your total once we’ve had the opportunity to evaluate your smile firsthand.
Factors that Affect the Cost of Dentures
Although they may not seem that complex, there are typically three main factors that help determine the cost of dentures. These include:
- Whether the patient needs any preliminary treatment prior to getting their restorations, such as gum disease therapy, tooth extractions, or bone grafting.
- The specific type of acrylic you choose for the base of your dentures. There are a variety of options that can make your prosthetics more durable, hypoallergenic, or meet other special challenges.
- The material used to make the teeth of your denture, which is typically either porcelain or acrylic. Acrylic is generally less expensive than porcelain, however porcelain is more durable and feels more like real teeth.
Keep in mind that while it’s understandable to want to cut costs wherever possible, simply getting the cheapest dentures you can find will likely end up costing you more in the long run, because inferior materials typically require more frequent and expensive repairs!
Are Implant Dentures More Expensive?
Implant dentures are an excellent way to permanently replace missing teeth, combining the convenience of traditional dentures with the secure hold of dental implants. These dynamic prosthetics also allow you to eat a more expansive diet without the risk of slipping or causing painful sores. Plus, because you won’t need to worry about removing them for cleaning and soaking, they can improve your confidence since they’ll remain securely in place in your mouth around the clock!
While it’s true that implant dentures are more expensive than removable ones, the good news is that these prosthetics generally pay for themselves over time. That’s because unlike traditional dentures, they are subject to much less wear and tear, and since many varieties are only removable by your dentist, they are less likely to break due to being dropped, dry out, or lose their fit over time. In fact, while removable dentures typically need to be replaced every five to seven years, implant dentures can last for decades with proper care!
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dentures?
While it is important to note that all dental insurance plans are different, most will cover around 50% of the cost of traditional dentures. For more information about your specific plan, reach out to your benefits coordinator, check your provider’s app or website, or feel free to contact our friendly dental insurance team and we’ll be happy to help you confirm your coverage.
Other Options for Making Dentures Affordable
At Advance Dental Clinic, we are pleased to be in-network with most PPO dental plans. Additionally, we are proud to welcome flexible financing plans through CareCredit, our preferred third-party lender. With CareCredit, you can split up the balance of your treatment into multiple, low-to-no interest monthly payments that may work better with your budget.
If you’re ready to get started restoring your smile with the help of durable, lifelike dentures, schedule a consultation with Dr. Bemani to learn more about your options.
Denture FAQs
How long will I have to wait to get dentures after my teeth are pulled?
In most cases, the wait between when your teeth are extracted and when you can begin wearing your new dentures in Catonsville is between six and eight weeks. However, the exact amount of time will depend on the type of denture you need.
The wait time allows your gums a chance to heal, as well as any additional time necessary to ensure that your new prosthetics fit properly.
If you’ll be getting implant dentures, you’ll need to wait between four and six months for the implant to permanently fuse with your jawbone via the process of osseointegration.
Do dentures break easily?
While it’s true that dentures near me are durable enough to withstand years of meals, they won’t last forever. Most prosthetics last between five and seven years with a good maintenance routine. Unfortunately, however, accidents can happen, and one of the most common ways people damage their dentures is by dropping them while cleaning, inserting, or removing them.
Dentures can also break or fracture if they don’t fit properly, or if they have tiny defects in their base such as scratches or notches.
Be aware, however, that even if you do take excellent care of your dentures, they will eventually get worn down due to repeated use and stress and will need to be replaced.
What should I do if my dentures break?
The most serious complication with full dentures in Catonsville is known as “prosthesis fracture”, where your dentures break in half. Although this is more common with top dentures, it is also possible with bottom dentures.
The type of break and its cause will naturally impact whether it can be repaired. If you notice your denture has become damaged, call your dentist as soon as possible for help. Depending on how severe the damage is, we may be able to repair it during the same dental visit. In other cases, we may need to send it back to the dental lab or recommend a reline, or you may need to replace the prosthetic completely if it cannot be repaired.
Should I try relining my dentures myself?
In recent years, many patients have attempted to reline their dentures near me themselves after viewing DIY videos on social media. The idea is that you can save time and money by adjusting your prosthetics yourself. In fact, some stores and online retailers now sell at-home denture reline kits for this very purpose.
Unfortunately, however, it isn’t a good idea to try relining your dentures yourself. Only a trained dentist will have a qualified opinion about the best way to fix ill-fitting prosthetics, and if you’re not careful, you could make them fit a lot worse! That’s because it’s extremely difficult to reline a denture on your own, because you lack the necessary outside perspective to see what you’re doing while you perform it. Worse yet, if you do it incorrectly, you can make your dentures extremely painful to wear and may end up needing to replace it altogether if your DIY repairs don’t work.