When do dentures become necessary? As we age, the structure and integrity of our teeth can falter, causing the loss of one or more teeth. This phenomenon is intensified if you suffer from severe tooth decay or gum disease. When one or more teeth are missing, dentures might be a viable option to help keep your oral health in check. There are many consequences of missing teeth such as difficulty speaking, eating, chewing, changes in facial appearance and more. Dr. Bockrath and his staff have extensive experience in fitting their patients for custom-made dentures that are sure to fit snugly in your mouth and provide you the confidence of a healthy smile with all the functionality of natural teeth. Don’t hold off on making your life easier. Come into our Mountain Aire Dentistry office today to be fitted for full or partial dentures, and get your smile back!

Prevalence of Missing Teeth

The American Academy of Implant Dentistry reports that over 35 million Americans are missing all of their teeth in either the upper or lower jaw. A healthy adult mouth contains 32 teeth total, meaning that’s a lot of missing teeth! How does this happen? The usual culprits are gum disease and tooth decay, meaning that proper oral hygiene was not practiced and the teeth and gums suffered immensely. Tooth loss can also result from injury, cancer, wear and tear over time and TMJ or bruxism (clenching the teeth). Gum disease tops the charts as the #1 reason for tooth loss and an estimated 64.7% of adults have gum disease. Over time, poor oral hygiene habits lead the teeth to decay and the gums to recede and become red and inflamed. Tooth loss is the end result and will continue to happen if gum disease is not treated. Total tooth loss is generally defined as “edentulism”, meaning that there are no more teeth in the mouth. Partial edentulism is when there is some tooth loss.

The American College of Prosthodontists tells us that 178 million people in the United States are missing at least one tooth. For those missing a few teeth, we have implant treatments to fix your smile. But what about the other 35 million Americans missing ALL the teeth in the upper or lower jaw? Dentures are a successful option to restore a smile and provide life-changing functionality to the mouth and digestive system once more.

How Missing Teeth Change You

Missing teeth can immensely affect self-esteem, self-concept and self-confidence. Why so much mention of “self”? If a certain part of the body isn’t healthy, it can affect the entire body, or your entire self. Missing teeth lead to more problems than just a change in appearance. Missing teeth make chewing and eating difficult and can lead to malnutrition. Teeth also shape the way we talk and sound. Without the teeth, difficulty speaking will arise and facial appearance will change. Once a tooth is lost, other teeth will begin shifting, becoming weaker from increased stress, and may fall out as well. Our in-office treatments can change your life–especially if you are missing all your teeth on the upper or lower jaw.

Are Dentures Right for You?

Remember the “self” we mentioned? Dentures can literally boost your self-confidence by giving you back your smile and the ability to chew, eat and converse normally. At Mountain Aire Dentistry, we provide the options of partial dentures, full dentures and implant-secured dentures.

• Partial Dentures – We fasten these dentures with clasps that anchor the partial to your adjacent teeth. This is typically for people who are missing teeth here or there, but not all the teeth in one of their jaws.
• Full Dentures – These implants replace and restore all of your teeth to the upper or lower jaw, providing you with a brand new smile and ability to eat. Upper full dentures stay in place via suction power between the dentures and the roof of your mouth. Lower jaw dentures fit over the gums and jawbone snugly so that they are held in place.
• Implant-Secured Dentures – This is the preferred option of dentures as removable dentures are held in place by two or more dental implants that are in the mouth. That means some of the implants are anchored into your jawbone, which support the dentures you can take in and out of your mouth. They improve function, reduce stress on adjacent teeth and are less likely to slip like the other two forms of dentures.

When it comes to your teeth, you don’t have to live without them! Dental implants can fill in the few teeth you’re missing. Dentures can replace an entire smile that has been lost to gum disease, cancer, injury and tooth decay. We want all of our patients to know the self-confidence and satisfaction that comes through a healthy smile and a full set of teeth. If you are missing one or more teeth (or all of them), call our Mountain Aire Dentistry office at (303) 731-7755 today for your free consultation. Let us give you back your smile today!