Dentures – Billerica, MA
Completing Your Smile
with a Lifelike Prosthetic
Many of your daily tasks can become much more difficult to do if you lose some or all of your teeth. Without your pearly whites, you won’t be able to eat properly, speak clearly, or smile confidently, which can take a major toll on your quality of life. Fortunately, our team at Grateful Dentists offers dentures to renew your bite. These durable and natural-looking prosthetics are made precisely for your smile, and they can last many years with proper care. Keep reading to learn more or call us today to schedule an appointment!
Why Choose Grateful Dentists for Dentures?
- Use Incredibly Natural-Looking Dental Materials
- Advanced Dental Technology for Precise Results
- Offer Multiple Payment Options
Who’s a Good Candidate for Dentures?
Whether you are missing a few teeth or all of your teeth, you likely make a good candidate for dentures. All you need to do is schedule a consultation with your dentist so they can determine whether you are eligible. If you aren’t currently a good candidate, by taking steps to restore the health of your gum tissue and bone structure, dentures could be in your near future.
Effects of Missing Teeth
Tooth loss can be caused by a combination of different factors with the most common being tooth decay, gum disease, and injury. According to the American Academy of Periodontology, there are numerous negative consequences of missing teeth, like facial sagging, difficulty speaking, difficulty eating, and lower self-esteem. By replacing missing teeth with dentures, patients can see improvement in all of these areas of their lives.
What Qualifies You for Dentures?
Dentures make an excellent solution for people who have undergone significant tooth loss, have sensitive teeth, have tooth decay, and have sufficient healthy gum tissue and jawbone. Denture-wearers must also be committed to maintaining an excellent oral hygiene routine and properly caring for their dentures.
The type of denture that you get is determined by how many teeth you are missing and where they are located in your mouth. Dentures are generally more affordable than other tooth replacement options, making them an ideal option for patients who are unable to invest a lot of money into their smile at this time.
Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options
Patients who aren’t good candidates for dentures can explore other options:
- Dental Bridges: Bridges are ideal for patients who are only missing one or a few teeth. They require healthy teeth to surround the gap to support them.
- Dental Implants: A dental implant is a titanium post that is inserted into the jawbone to take the place of the missing tooth. To make a good candidate for this procedure, patients must have a solid bone structure. This option is more costly, but it is a permanent solution.
How Dentures are Made
Dentures in Billerica are both cost-effective and lifelike, with the ability to restore the function and appearance of your smile, it’s no surprise that they’re a top choice among patients. At Grateful Dentists, we partner with leading dental laboratories in Massachusetts to offer you beautiful prosthetics that are crafted with a detailed eye. We invite you to learn a little more about the crafting process of these replacement teeth by clicking below.
What are Dentures Made From?
Whether you receive full or partial dentures, there are two main components to these prosthetics:
- The Base: Typically crafted from either a metal support system with gum-colored acrylic, resin, or nylon, the base of dentures is custom-designed to fit atop your gumline. The color of your gums will be closely matched to the materials, ensuring a visually smooth transition from the dentures to your natural gums. Full denture bases are specially crafted to utilize natural suction to stay secure within the mouth.
- Artificial Teeth: The replacement teeth are attached to the base of the denture and are made from customizable materials like porcelain and resin. They are able to mimic the look of enamel in many ways, like porcelain being able to reflect light, allowing them to appear virtually indistinguishable from natural teeth.
The Denture Creation Process
The denture creation process is very complex and completed in a well-equipped lab by dental laboratory technicians. After creating a detailed impression of your mouth, our dentists will send it to our laboratory, where they’ll create a model. This model will serve as the basis of your dentures. Using wax, the technicians will carve the model to look like your gums and teeth. Plaster will then be poured into the mold and the wax will be melted away, allowing them to fill the mold with acrylic, resin, and other materials. After the denture is crafted, they will clean it up by removing any excess materials and polishing them. Then, the denture will be sent back to our office, where we can make sure that it fits perfectly and is fully functional.
Adjusting to Your New Dentures
Adjusting to new dentures in Billerica takes about 30 days, as the muscles supporting them will need to develop to properly support your new restoration. At first, you may find it difficult to do basic tasks like eating and speaking. However, with practice, this will get easier, eventually allowing your new teeth to work more effectively. It’s great practice to bring your dentures in regularly for professional cleanings and to ensure that they remain undamaged and fully functional.
Dentures typically need to be replaced every seven or so years, but they may need to be relined before then, which is why routine appointments with our team are highly recommended.
Types of Dentures
People can experience tooth loss in a variety of ways, so our team will tailor the prosthetic to fit the size and shape that will best complete your smile. Once we’ve evaluated your mouth, we can determine the kind of denture you should receive from the following list.
Partial Dentures
If you still have any remaining healthy teeth, then partial dentures might be a viable option. This prosthetic is made up of a gum-colored base that has a series of metal frameworks within it to fit your mouth like a puzzle piece. This will allow you to restore your complete smile even if there are multiple missing teeth in several places.
Full Dentures
This is the most popular denture option, as it replaces an entire arch of lost teeth. Instead of relying on any healthy teeth, this prosthetic will be supported via natural suction of the gums. You can also use a small amount of denture adhesive if necessary to hold them in place.
Implant Dentures
For optimal stability, we can embed dental implants into your jawbone to directly support your dentures to your facial structure. Not only will this make your prosthetics completely sturdy, but the metal posts will also help preserve your facial shape and prevent the bone tissue from weakening. Your results can also last several decades to a lifetime with proper care.
Benefits of Dentures
Dentures in Billerica are an incredibly reliable solution for restoring your smile and come with multiple benefits. You will find that by opting for this method of tooth replacement, you’ll be able to enjoy life in a new and exciting way. Not only will your physical appearance improve, but you’ll begin to notice a difference in the way you think and feel about yourself. Discover the many unique benefits that dentures can offer by reviewing the list below.
Psychological Benefits
Many people assume that losing multiple teeth or an entire row only impacts your physical appearance. However, the truth is that after coming to terms with the fact that you have an incomplete smile, you may begin to feel a lack of confidence, which can take its toll on your mental and emotional health. The psychological benefits of replacing your missing teeth with dentures allow you to feel comfortable talking to others and eating meals with family and friends. Not to mention, you’ll enjoy getting the chance to meet new people and explore new opportunities.
Clear Enunciation
Being able to clearly enunciate words and phrases is something we often take for granted; however, once teeth are no longer in place, it can make this normal daily function increasingly difficult. Once dentures are in place, though, you will find that it is easier than ever to speak to family, friends, and colleagues. Instead of hiding or shying away from opportunities at work, you can feel confident in your ability to present to your peers and even share a conversation with your spouse or grandchild.
Improves Nutrition
Your teeth serve a vital purpose when it comes to ensuring proper nutrition. Their ability to break down food for proper consumption is just one of the many reasons they are so essential to your overall health. However, when there are no teeth to be found, eating various types of food can become nearly impossible and even embarrassing. Once dentures are properly put into place, you will be free to eat a wider array of nutrient-rich foods that serve to prevent malnutrition and encourage better overall health.
Preserves Oral Health
If you are missing multiple teeth along an arch, receiving a partial denture to help fill in the gaps is something you’ll want to do as soon as possible. Although it might not seem like a necessary investment, the reality is that your existing healthy teeth can begin to shift. Their attempt to fill in the gaps can pose a greater risk of misalignment, which can require orthodontics to fix. By having a partial denture put into place, you can enjoy a complete smile that functions normally and looks completely natural.
Expands Opportunity
Your smile is often the first thing people notice about you. If you’re missing all your teeth, though, it can cause you to miss out on lucrative opportunities. No matter your age, embracing a full set of teeth will help you to meet new people and try new things more comfortably. Whether it is applying for a job, going on a date, or meeting with old friends from high school, a complete smile will help you to make a great impression every time.
Understanding the Cost of Dentures
One of the best things about dentures is that they’re going to be fully customized to your precise needs. While this is the best way to ensure that the prosthetic you get is of a decent quality, it can also add a little bit of uncertainty when it comes to the cost of your treatment.
We won’t necessarily be able to tell you what your dentures are going to cost without getting to know you first, but before then, here’s what you should know about the price of these services.
Factors that Affect the Cost of Dentures
There are a couple of factors that can affect the cost of your prosthetic, and that are worth considering if you’re trying to budget effectively for your procedure. The first is the preparation before you get your prosthetic, e.g. any tooth extractions or gum disease treatments that are necessary.
Then there’s the construction of the dentures themselves. The variety of acrylic that you use for the base and what you use to replace the actual teeth will make a big difference in what your tooth replacement is ultimately going to cost you.
Are Implant Dentures More Expensive?
Implant dentures involve surgically placing metal posts into the jaw then attaching the dentures to them. The materials and time involved in this process naturally makes it the more expensive option; however, the durability that the procedure affords you may save you money on relines and replacements in the long run. In that sense, this may therefore be the more budget-friendly option.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dentures?
Typically, dentures are considered to be well within the realm of major medical procedures, which means that dental insurance companies often pay for at least a portion of them. The exact proportion varies from plan to plan, but most commonly dental plans will pay for around 50% of the total cost of your prosthetic.
Other Options for Making Dentures Affordable
Even if you don’t have insurance, we will still endeavor to make the care that you receive from us as affordable as possible. For example, we offer financing options that can allow you split the cost of the dental services you receive from us across several months. We often work with CareCredit, which is a health and wellness financing firm that offers low-to-no interest terms to patients who qualify.
When we meet you in person for your consultation, we’ll be able to tell you more about these and any other financial options available to you.