How to Know Which Dentures Are Right for Me

You need a full set of teeth for both aesthetic and dental health reasons. Missing teeth can make you look less than your best, and it can also result in jaw-tissue loss and damage to your remaining teeth.

This is where dentures come in.

At Bucktown Wicker Park Dental in Chicago, we’ve got you covered when it comes to dentures and other restorative dental procedures. Melissa Daza, DDS, and Michelle Schwartz, DDS, can help you get the dentures that are just right for you.

With the right type of dentures, you can eat, speak, and smile with confidence, and you can prevent future oral health issues, too. In this blog, we explain your denture options.

Full dentures

Conventional full dentures are removable devices that replace the full arch of either your top or bottom teeth. The base is made of plastic and is gum-colored, and the teeth are often made of porcelain. Dentures are held in place by fitting over your gums, forming a seal.

To get full dentures, your provider at Bucktown Wicker Park Dental first removes the remaining teeth in your arch, after which your gums and jawbone are allowed to heal. At some point during the process, a mold is made of your mouth so your dentures can be made. Once your mouth has completely healed, your provider fits your dentures.

If you can’t spare the weeks or months that it takes for your jawbone to heal before getting conventional dentures put into place, you can opt for immediate full dentures. With this treatment, your dentures are placed right after the remaining teeth are removed. However, there’s a good chance that you’ll need to have immediate full dentures refitted after a few months once your bones settle after healing.

It’s important to take good care of your dentures by cleaning them regularly with denture-safe cleaning products. It’s also important that you continue to brush and floss your remaining teeth to keep your oral health strong.

Partial dentures

Partial dentures could be right for you if you don’t need to replace an entire arch of top or bottom teeth. With partial dentures, your provider can replace just your missing teeth.

Partial dentures use a metal structure to support naturally colored replacement teeth, which are often made of porcelain. Depending on the dentures you get, you may have a gum-colored base as well. The metal structure sits in your mouth, clasping around some remaining teeth to keep the dentures secure, and they can be removed as needed. 

Getting used to partial dentures can take some time, but most people quickly adjust to inserting, removing, cleaning, and using them. The Bucktown Wicker Park Dental team can adjust your dentures if you find you’re experiencing soreness as a result of too much pressure in any areas of your mouth.

To learn more about your dental restoration and denture options, call 773-252-2303 to book an appointment with Bucktown Wicker Park Dental today.