This five-part article series provides a comprehensive overview of the variety of teeth replacement solutions there are on the market and which one is considered to be the best by dentists.

Welcome to the fourth installment of this five-part article series on the various dental technologies available to San Pedro residents. So far, we have concentrated on the procedures and techniques designed for single tooth replacement. Now, we are going to look at the options available to those who have lost most or even all of their natural dentition, which is usually a consequence of lifelong poor oral hygiene, untreated gum disease, rampant tooth decay, illness or habits such as smoking.

Teeth Replacement Choices for San Pedro Residents: Multiple Tooth Loss

When it comes to replacing a patient’s entire set of upper and/or lower teeth, San Pedro dentists can offer two different treatment approaches: removable dentures or full mouth reconstruction using dental implants. In this article we shall be focusing on the former and in our final installment, on the latter.

About Removable Dentures

What are removable dentures?

You’ll probably know removable dentures better as “false teeth.” They are devices that resemble a complete set of teeth and gums (see image above) but are typically made from plastic and other materials. They fit over the gums and need to be removed at nighttime and after meals for cleaning.

What is the procedure to have them placed?

Having a set of removable dentures made involves little other than an appointment with any dentist in San Pedro CA, during which a mold will be made of your upper and lower jawbone ridge. If you have any teeth left, these may be extracted to make space for the denture.

What are the benefits of removable dentures?

For San Pedro residents who have lived with the terrible debilitating consequences of gum disease and a failing dentition, removable dentures can seem to offer an immediate relief. They look far more attractive and work better than teeth that have become irreparably damaged by disease. Having said that, these immediate benefits soon give way to the daily challenges and long term consequences of a teeth replacement technology that really should have been left behind in the 20th Century.

What are the disadvantages?

• As the name suggests, removable dentures aren’t fixed in the mouth and as a result, they tend to float about, shifting from side-to-side when eating and speaking and can even fall out on occasion! They can consequently cause San Pedro residents acute self-consciousness and social discomfort.

• Dentures can be difficult to eat with, not only because they shift around constantly, but also because they press down painfully on the underlying gums. This can lead to the development of sores that make eating a very painful exercise.

• They need to be removed after eating and at nighttime for cleaning. With dentures, you (and your spouse) will have to grow accustomed to going to bed without teeth in your mouth.

• Dentures only replace the crowns of your missing teeth, which means that the jawbone is left without the functional stimulation (supplied by the tooth roots) it needs to remain healthy and bulky. Over time, this hard tissue atrophies and shrinks and its changing shape will require patients to return to their San Pedro dentist to have a new pair of dentures fitted.

• Dentures can lead to premature aging as the jawbone wastes away from a lack of functional stimulation.

• Over time, dentures can cost patients thousands of dollars on having them refitted every so often and on the associated products: anesthetic gels, denture creams, overnight soaking solutions and storage containers.

Stay Tuned for Part 5

Stay tuned for the final installment of this five-part article series to read about the non-removable solution San Pedro dentists have to offer patients in need of full mouth reconstruction, which is typically a result of untreated gum disease.