LIKE a prosthetic leg, dentures allow you to chew, while an artificial leg allows you to walk. The problem in both instances is the performance quality of the artificial replacement compared with what nature originally provided. Quite simply, the artificial replacement will never function as well as your natural teeth, no matter how good it looks.
Some people get excited when a laboratory advertises a beautiful, neat and shiny denture and are convinced that it looks better than their own natural teeth. Well, that’s an excellent example of “Looks are deceiving.”
When my paternal grandfather took out his total upper dentures and showed them to me at the age of six, I remember running away and screaming with fright, believing he had removed his upper jaw. Eventually, when my parents calmed me down, it was explained to me that when people lose all their teeth, they are replaced with fake ones. My young mind remained perplexed for a long time afterwards, and I was afraid to ask the many questions that plagued me. For instance, what kind of accident would make someone lose all their teeth and not cause physical damage to their face and lips?
Dentures are not maintenance-free; they need adjustments. It is not that the denture changes; it is the tissues under the denture that change. A denture adjustment is necessary when denture material must be removed to relieve pressure at pressure spots caused by bone and tissue shrinkage. Since tissue shrinks as it heals, dentures placed immediately after teeth are extracted sometimes need to be relined once the tissue has healed. All dentures need relining periodically to adjust for normal tissue changes. So, a denture is not a one-shot cure. It is very important to see your dentist once a year so the tissue under the denture can be monitored.
With this overview, let me offer a word of caution. Your dentist may offer you options on the types of tooth replacements possible in your case. Offering you treatment options is part of your dentist’s obligation. This is where you need to become a wise, informed dental consumer so you can discuss with him the best decision for your situation.
There are many advantages to immediate dentures, besides the immediate aesthetic considerations. Apart from allowing you to continue your public life without anyone seeing you with missing teeth, they protect sensitive extraction sites, help control bleeding from the tooth sockets, and protect the surgical area by covering it, thus keeping food and debris out of the extraction sockets.
An additional advantage that you might consider worth the extra expense of the immediate denture is that your dentist knows how your “natural” teeth appeared. Thus, he is likely to be able to construct a denture that more closely resembles your natural teeth. This makes the transition easier when you see your friends and family because your appearance has changed minimally. The other option is that, if you want, you can change your appearance with new dentures.
More denture adjustments are needed when immediate dentures are placed, and these dentures sometimes need to be relined shortly after they are seated. The reason is that the tissue, including the bone in the area, shrinks during the healing process after the teeth are removed. The healing process lasts about six months. This shrinkage causes the denture to become loose, altering its fit. Relining is not needed as soon for conventional dentures fitted on ridges where time has lapsed after the teeth are extracted.
Usually, immediate dentures are no more expensive than conventional dentures. However, because immediate dentures must often be relined as soon as the ridges have healed, the reline is typically an additional charge.
