Dentures Boca Raton
Rebuild Your Smile with Dentures
Your teeth are designed to serve you throughout your entire life if you care for them properly. Unfortunately, tooth loss remains a prevalent problem. Whether due to decay, disease, trauma, or infection, we can rebuild a healthy, functional smile with dentures in Boca Raton. Advancements in dentistry now allow them to look and feel more natural than ever before! Dr. Alberto Lamberti can help you regain a flawless smile with this tried-and-true method of tooth replacement. To find out whether dentures are right for you, continue reading or give us a call.
Why Choose Alberto J. Lamberti DMD for Dentures?
- Skilled Dentist with Decades of Experience
- Advanced Technology Including Intraoral Scanners
- Both Traditional & Implant Dentures Available
Who's a Good Candidate for Dentures?
Regardless of how many natural teeth you have remaining, potentially anyone who has suffered tooth loss can benefit from dentures. However, that doesn’t mean they’re the best option for everyone’s unique situation. Before you can proceed, you must consult with Dr. Lamberti to ensure you’re a good candidate. Continue reading to learn how our team determines whether these prosthetics are right for you, and feel free to contact us for more information.
Effects of Missing Teeth
According to the American College of Prosthodontists and other resources, gum disease is the number one leading cause of tooth loss. If bacteria in your mouth penetrate and infect your connective tissues, they eventually recede from your enamel in an attempt to escape the disease. This leaves your roots exposed, and your teeth can become destabilized or dislodged altogether. However, severe tooth decay and physical trauma can also lead to missing teeth.
Once this happens, your jaw begins to thin without roots in place to stimulate new bone growth every time you bite down. This can lead to additional tooth loss and sunken cheeks, in addition to challenges in eating, speaking, or smiling confidently.
What Qualifies You for Dentures?
Before you can be fitted with dentures, you must consult Dr. Lamberti to ensure it’s the best treatment for your circumstances. This might be the right solution if you have:
- Experienced significant tooth loss in one or both arches.
- Tooth sensitivity, especially when biting into something too hot or cold.
- Severe tooth decay that is hindering your smile’s functionality.
- Sufficiently healthy gums.
- An adequately dense jawbone and bony ridges in your mouth.
Once we’ve examined your condition, we can determine the best type of restoration to meet your needs. Whether you require full dentures, a partial set, or need implants to anchor them, our team can provide customized prosthetics to rebuild your grin.
Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options
If we find that you’re not a good candidate for dentures, don’t lose hope! There are other ways to replace your missing teeth, such as:
- Dental bridges. These oral appliances are ideal for those missing one to four consecutive teeth in a row. They are customized to match your smile and include a dental crown on each side that anchors to abutment teeth or implants on each side of the gap in your grin.
- Dental implants. These are the only replacement teeth that involve surgically placing the required number of titanium rods into your jawbone to support your restoration. They can replace a single tooth with a dental crown, support a bridge, or anchor a complete set of dentures.
Learn More About Dental Bridges Learn More About Dental Implants Learn More About Implant Dentures
Types of Dentures
Each type of denture is custom-made to meet various patients’ needs. Dr. Lamberti and the rest of the team will help you explore your options and explain the pros and cons of each. Based on your examination, we’ll recommend one of the following solutions:
Partial Dentures
Partial dentures have a gum-colored acrylic base designed to replace one or several missing teeth. They snap onto your healthy natural teeth, securely and comfortably filling the gaps in your smile.
Full Dentures
Full dentures fit snugly on your gums, imitating the look and function of natural teeth. They can be held in place by natural suction or denture adhesive, allowing you to chew a wide range of foods. If extractions are necessary, we typically wait until your mouth has healed before fitting your full dentures.
Implant Dentures
Implant dentures offer enhanced security due to dental implant posts that form a permanent bond with your jaw. The number of implants required depends on your bone density. These dentures remain firmly in place and restore a significant amount of chewing power.
How Dentures Are Made
Many patients are surprised to learn that it can take some time for their new teeth to arrive after their initial appointment. However, the wait time is because they are customized to look and feel just like the teeth that went missing for more realistic and comfortable results, so you wouldn’t want to cut it short.
Continue reading to learn more about the denture creation process in Boca Raton so you can appreciate your restoration that much more when it arrives, and feel free to contact us if you have additional questions.
What Are Dentures Made Of?
Before diving into the step-by-step process of creating your restoration, it’s important to understand more about the materials it’s made from. There are two main components, outlined in more detail below:
- Denture base. This is the foundation that gives your prosthetic its shape and support. It can be created from various substances, like resin, nylon, porcelain, or metal, but most are made of gum-colored acrylic designed to look like your own connective tissues.
- Artificial teeth. These are typically built out of resilient resin or porcelain because both materials reflect light like enamel and can be customized to be the right shade, shape, and size for seamless results.
The Denture Creation Process
Your restoration is made to be one-of-a-kind and is built using your measurements, scans, and images for a perfect fit. It can take a few weeks for the dental lab to create it from start to finish because careful attention to detail is required.
The process can vary from case to case but usually involves:
- Taking an impression (physically or digitally)
- Selecting the artificial teeth
- Doing a try-in of the teeth
- Delivering after the dentures are processed
Adjusting to Your New Dentures
It’s normal to experience an adjustment period until your lips, tongue, and other supporting muscles in your mouth accommodate to the presence of your dentures. It often takes a month before you’re fully acclimated, but then you can enjoy eating, speaking, and smiling more confidently.
If you’re struggling to keep your dentures in place, you can try sticking with soft foods for the first couple of weeks to avoid pushing them around with excessive chewing. You can also try using an adhesive, like a cream, that forms a layer of cushion over your gums and strengthens the bond so they’re less likely to slip out of place. If you experience ongoing discomfort or challenges wearing your dentures, contact our office so we can ensure they fit as intended.
The Benefits of Dentures
Gaps in your grin can detract from your daily quality of life, as tasks that were once second nature, such as speaking, eating, and smiling confidently, suddenly become much more challenging. You rely on two complete arches to enunciate words and thoroughly chew your food so it can be easily swallowed and digested. Plus, you might feel self-conscious about the changes to your appearance.
Dr. Lamberti can provide lifelike dentures to enhance your mouth’s functionality and boost your confidence. Continue reading to learn more about the many benefits of these replacement teeth, and feel free to contact us for additional information.
Psychological Benefits
Did you know that people with dental problems are more likely to develop anxiety and depression? You might even remain tight-lipped or avoid spending time with others if you’re overly worried about being judged for the spaces in your smile.
Your dentures are customized to look and feel like your natural teeth, enhancing your appearance and improving your abilities to boost your self-confidence. You’ll feel confident engaging socially without worrying about feeling awkward or embarrassed due to changes in your dental condition.
Clearer Enunciation
Gaps in your grin can cause changes in your speech patterns, such as slurring or lisping, that make it harder to communicate effectively. Your teeth play a crucial role in your ability to enunciate, as you press your tongue against them in specific patterns to form different sounds. When they fall out, you might feel easily misunderstood.
It can take about a month for your tongue to adjust to your new dentures, but once you’re acclimated, you’ll be able to speak more naturally.
Improves Nutrition
Tooth loss can result in gastrointestinal issues if you swallow overly large pieces of food that can’t be easily digested, or malnutrition if you stick to softer, less wholesome foods that are easier to chew.
Dentures restore a good portion of your original bite force so that it’s easier to bite into and thoroughly chew more wholesome options that support your oral and overall well-being. For instance, you can eat more fruits and vegetables that contain essential nutrients, like vitamin C, which supports your connective tissues.
Preserves Oral Health
If you have natural teeth remaining, it’s imperative that you protect them so they don’t shift out of alignment. Dental drifting can prematurely wear down your enamel, increasing your susceptibility to tooth decay and other dental issues.
Thankfully, wearing dentures ensures that everything remains in its proper place, preventing potential problems. Plus, they bear the majority of the force of biting and chewing to shield your smile.
Expands Opportunities
One of the first things others notice about you is the quality of your grin, and if yours has gaps, you might not make a good impression. This can impact everything from your professional life to the quality of your relationships with others.
Restoring your smile with lifelike dentures can improve your confidence, resulting in enhanced professional opportunities, more meaningful connections, and an active social calendar.
Understanding the Cost of Dentures
During your first appointment to discuss getting dentures, we will explain the different factors that help determine the final cost and give you a reliable estimate of what you can expect. Our team will answer any questions you might have related to the price, and they can help you find ways to make it easier to pay for your new teeth. Remember: every patient is different, and the amount you pay for dentures can vary based on what your needs are.
Factors That Affect the Cost of Dentures
A few different factors can influence how much you end up paying for dentures. Some common variables include:
- Preparatory Work: You might need gum disease therapy or tooth extraction before you’re eligible for dentures. Any preparatory treatments will come at a separate price.
- Number of Missing Teeth: Do you need a partial denture that will fill in a few different gaps or a full denture that will replace the entire arch? The amount you pay depends on what kind of denture you get, so the number of teeth being replaced needs to be considered carefully.
- Materials: Some dentures are made of cheaper materials than others. However, cheaper restorations are often more likely to break, so it’s usually worth investing in higher-quality dentures instead.
Are Implant Dentures More Expensive?
Implant dentures require oral surgery and at least four different implant posts, all of which need to be paid for separately. In other words, yes, implant dentures tend to have a higher cost than traditional dentures. The higher price tag is well worth it when you remember that dental implants offer many benefits that you wouldn’t be able to enjoy with traditional dentures alone. Furthermore, dental implants in Boca Raton can last for decades, meaning you won’t need to pay for replacements as often, if ever.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dentures?
You’ll need to check with your insurance company to get a definite answer to that question. Most of the time, though, you can indeed expect your insurance plan to provide some level of coverage for dentures. The exact amount of coverage you’ll receive varies from plan to plan, but it’s normally in the neighborhood of 50%. If you don’t fully understand your dental benefits, one of our team members will gladly go over your policy with you.
Other Options for Making Dentures Affordable
Patients who don’t have dental insurance (or are struggling to pay for dental care even with insurance) can break up the cost of dentures by applying for a third-party dental financing plan. Our practice works with CareCredit, which offers a number of low-to-no-interest plans that can fit any budget. If you’d like to use this third-party financing solution to help pay for your dentures, our team will be more than happy to help you explore the available options and go over the process of signing up.
Dentures Aftercare
After replacing your missing teeth with dentures, the last thing you want is to accidentally damage your new pearly whites! Though your dentures are made to last and with durability in mind, proper maintenance is vital. Just like with natural teeth, failing to keep up with denture aftercare can negatively impact your oral health and harm your restoration. We have some tips to help you avoid that, so continue reading the information below and let us know if you have any questions!
Removable Dentures
Remove After Eating
When you finish your meals, it’s a good idea to remove your dentures and give them a good rinse. This will help eliminate leftover food particles and mitigate bacteria build-up.
Something you should know, though, is that heat can warp the shape of your dentures. Use lukewarm water when you clean them, and they’ll be just fine!
Clean Your Restoration
Rinsing is great, but it’s not quite enough to keep your dentures properly sanitized. Take them out once per day for a more thorough cleaning, using a soft-bristled toothbrush and hand soap to scrub away bacteria and food particles. Alternatively, you can let them soak in a special denture cleaning solution.
Keep Your Dentures Safe
Accidents happen. While we can’t predict all of them, keeping your dentures away from curious pets and children when they’re not in your mouth is good common sense! Anytime they’re not in use, make sure they’re securely tucked away in a safe container.
Remove When You Sleep
Wearing your dentures 24/7 can actually prevent your gums from receiving circulation – and will contribute to bad breath! Removing them when you’re ready for bed gives your gums a good break and prevents bad odors from accumulating.
Notice Changes
The shape of your mouth will shift over time. That’s just how the body works. It’s important to notice changes in how your dentures fit, because these shifts can affect how they rest on your gums. If you notice you need denture adhesive more frequently, are developing sores, or experience other abnormalities, let us know! We’ll get your dentures relined so they fit as good as new again.
All-on-4 Implant Dentures
Since All-on-4 prosthesis are fixed in place with dental implants, caring for them is a bit different. You’ll still need to keep up with cleaning, but your routine should look more like this:
- Brushing and flossing after every meal
- Using a sulcus brush to get between your restoration and your gums
- Rinsing your mouth once daily
Denture FAQS
What Qualifies You for Dentures?
Whether you are missing a few teeth in a row, several throughout your mouth, or an entire arch, you may be a candidate for dentures. The type, however, will be determined by you and our denture dentist in Boca Raton. For example, patients missing all of their teeth are best suited for full or implant dentures, while those with some of their natural ones intact are ideal for partials. Factors like existing oral health problems and jawbone density will also be considered. Don’t worry – with the right preliminary treatments, almost everyone is a candidate for dentures.
Is It Hard to Talk with Dentures?
Talking with dentures is not difficult once you’ve mastered maneuvering them properly. The good news is that the adjustment period is typically short-lived, especially if you dedicate time to practicing. With this in mind, make sure to read out loud regularly and repeat more difficult words, like “sixty,” until you get it right. Before you speak, bite down on your dentures and swallow. This will keep them in the proper position and remove any excess saliva. Above all, be patient. Go slow and give yourself time.
Why Do My Dentures Smell?
If your dentures smell, it’s most likely because bacteria have become trapped in your denture surface or against your gums. On the other hand, it could be the result of sores from ill-fitting dentures. In both cases, it’s best to talk to your dentist (don’t be fearful of judgment, either; their number one goal is to provide you with a healthy, happy smile). During your appointment, they can determine the root of the problem and share with you the next best steps, like cleaning your dentures more often or adjusting them so they fit correctly.
Can You Kiss with Dentures?
Absolutely! Dentures are custom-made to look, feel, and function as naturally as possible. With that being said, it may take some time to get used to it. Therefore, make sure to be gentle, taking precautions to avoid bumping your dentures against your partner’s teeth. If you have full or partial dentures, using a little bit of denture adhesive can help keep your dentures securely in place.
Can I Use Regular Toothpaste to Clean My Dentures?
Since you use regular toothpaste to clean your natural teeth, you may think of using it on your dentures, too. However, the abrasive ingredients can scratch your restorations, leaving them vulnerable to stains and damage. Therefore, it’s best to use a dentist-recommended denture cleaner and a soft-bristled toothbrush to scrub away plaque, food particles, and other debris.