Partial Vs. Full Dentures. What's The Difference?

Dentures are custom-made removable replacements for missing teeth and the surrounding tissues.

If you live in Southern California and have lost one or more of your adult teeth, there is absolutely no reason missing teeth should cause you to feel self-conscious every time you smile, thus casting a shadow on your social or professional life. As a dentist in Los Angeles, CA, I can replace your missing teeth with either partial or full dentures that will not only improve your appearance and smile, but will help you eat and speak more comfortably.

Problems Caused by Missing Teeth

If you are have lost one or several of your adult permanent teeth, there is more to worry about than how you look.

• Because our teeth form a vital part of the structure of our faces, missing teeth will eventually cause your facial muscles to sag, making you look older than you are. Difficulty pronouncing certain words is also an oft-reported problem.
• Additionally, should you be missing several teeth, you may find it difficult to chew certain foods, and thus have to make major changes to your diet. This can severely affect your overall health, since foods that are the most difficult to chew offer the greatest nutritional value – apples, nuts, and whole grain bread being perfect examples. Softer and easier to chew foods are often highly processed and offer little nutritional value.
• Finally, because our teeth are not quite as securely fixed in our jawbone as we imagine, the teeth on both sides of a gap will, over time, lean in toward the empty space. These crooked teeth are not only harder to keep clean, but can and will affect your bite, which is how your upper and lower sets of teeth come together.

Missing several teeth in a row is a compelling reason to consider getting dentures.

Full Vs. Partial Dentures

Dentures are custom-made in a laboratory from impressions taken of your mouth. However, depending on how many teeth you have lost, I will determine what type of denture is most suited to your situation. An ideal candidate is someone who is missing several teeth in a row, but whose oral health is otherwise good.

If you are missing all, or even almost all, of your teeth along your dental arch, full dentures may be right for you. However, should you be missing only a few teeth, then a partial denture may be the ideal solution.

The base of a full set of dentures is made from a flesh-colored plastic or acrylic that rests on your gums and is perfectly molded to fit snugly and comfortably. The upper set covers your palate or roof of your mouth. There is a thin layer of saliva between the denture and your gums that form a seal to help anchor the denture, which is why a dry mouth can cause dentures to loosen. Because there has to be sufficient space for your tongue, the lower set is horseshoe-shaped, held in place by the muscles in the cheek and the tongue.

A partial denture is a plate with one or more prosthetic teeth attached to it. However, if you have sufficient and strong natural teeth, a dental bridge can be used. Bridges are called such because they bridge the gap between two teeth. A false tooth is anchored to crowns on either side of the gap; however, should the natural teeth not be in sufficiently good condition, the prosthetic tooth can be attached to an implant embedded in the jaw itself.

While it is certainly true that dentures take some time to get used to and will never feel the same as your natural teeth, the dentures made today look far more natural-looking and are much more comfortable than those made even a decade ago.

As a professional and very experienced dentist in Los Angeles, CA, I will not only help you understand the procedure of being fitted for dentures, the breaking in period, and how to take care of your new dentures, but I will also ensure they fit comfortably and snugly.