Dentures in Post Office Square, Boston, MA

Why It Is Important to Restore Missing Teeth

The number one cause of tooth loss is gum disease, closely followed by dental decay. Trauma (accident, injury) can also contribute to tooth loss.

Whether you are missing one tooth or all of them, it is important to restore the missing tooth/teeth if you can afford to do so. Here is why.

• Tooth health: If you are missing one or multiple teeth, your remaining teeth are at risk of damage. When you have a space in your mouth, the adjacent teeth shift to fill the space. This can result in altering your bite, leading to misalignment. When your teeth are not in alignment, bite pressure is not distributed evenly, thereby putting excessive pressure on certain teeth, which can cause cracks and fractures.
• Gum health: As the teeth shift, it can make it difficult to clean the teeth and gums thoroughly. Simultaneously, it is easier for food and plaque to build up,

• Jawbone health: Without teeth to support the jawbone, the bone will start to recede. In fully edentulous patients (all their teeth are missing), this can eventually result in very thin jawbones that may be prone to fracture. Even if one tooth is missing, the bone will start to recede. This can contribute to increased pocket depths around adjacent teeth, as well as bone loss around them, putting them at risk of eventually becoming loose.
• Jaw joint health: Bite misalignment strains the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support your jawbone. The strain will eventually result in pain, sometimes chronic facial pain, headaches, earaches, and migraines.
• Overall health: Even one missing tooth makes it difficult to chew your food thoroughly. Now, imagine having no teeth and trying to eat. It is almost impossible to chew your food fully, and it limits your options, which can result in consuming fewer nutrient-dense foods. Nutritional deficiencies can impact your energy, sleep, mood, and immune system – just to name a few.

Complete Dentures

Complete dentures are for fully edentulous patients. These dentures consist of a gum-colored base with teeth attached. The base of an upper denture typically covers the hard palate, while a lower denture does not cover the floor of the mouth.

A complete set of dentures can be made to your specifications. We can send a photograph of you when you had all your teeth along with our impressions of your mouth to the dental lab. They can create a set of dentures that looks very similar to your natural teeth.

Or, if you were not always happy with your natural smile, the lab can create teeth that mimic what you believe is the ideal size, shape, and color of your teeth.

Both complete and partial dentures are removable and need to be cleaned each day. Over time, as you experience some jawbone loss, the fit might not feel as secure. When this happens, we can reline the denture to achieve a snug fit once again.

Complete and partial dentures can last five to 10 years, depending on wear and tear and how well they are cared for.