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

What Are Dentures?

They are artificial porcelain teeth bound to a gum-like base that replace multiple missing teeth. For many years, dentures were renowned for elderly toothless people. The reason is that they are ideal for replacing all your teeth. However, modern dentistry in Mamkin Dentistry allows younger patients with a few missing teeth to receive dentures. This is where full & partial dentures in Ridgewood come into play.

Different Between Partials and Full Dentures

Both full & partial dentures near you are stellar for replacing multiple missing teeth. The only difference is that full dentures replace all your teeth. Therefore, you must be toothless to get these dentures. Your dentist in Ridgewood, NY, must extract your natural teeth first before placing complete dentures If you have a few remaining.

On the other hand, partials replace a few missing teeth in your mouth. You do not need to be toothless or extract your remaining natural teeth to get partials. However, you must have more than four missing teeth in a row.

Which Are Better – Partial or Full Dentures?

The differences between partials and full dentures make them incredibly valuable for tooth replacement. Without either of them, some patients would not be satisfied with tooth replacement solutions in restorative dentistry. The better choice of the two depends on your needs and preferences. Some factors to influence your decision are:

1. The number of missing teeth – if most of your teeth are missing, full dentures are the better option, even if it means removing the remaining few teeth.
2. Invasiveness of the procedure – conservative patients will always prefer partials over complete dentures since further tooth extraction is unnecessary.
3. Strength of existing natural teeth – sometimes, the remaining teeth are too weak to remain optimally functional. Therefore, your dentist may recommend extracting them to get full dentures.

What Are the Stages of Getting Dentures?

Whether you are getting partial or complete dentures, the stages of your treatment will be similar. They are:

1. A dental examination – the first step of your denture treatment is a comprehensive dental exam. The role of the exam is to evaluate your oral cavity. The areas of focus will be to examine existing teeth if any, while determining the viability of keeping them versus extracting them.
2. Making the dentures – after the dental exam, the dentist will take impressions of your mouth that create a 3D mold to guide the development of your dentures. The creation of dentures typically occurs in a dental laboratory. Other than with same-day dentures, the process will take about two weeks to complete. Meanwhile, your dentist will send you home with temporary dentures.
3. Fitting the dentures – when your dentures are ready, the dentist will have you wear them to test their fit. Be transparent about your experience during the fitting so your dentist can make all necessary adjustments.
4. Adapting to dentures – when you get new dentures, your dentist will recommend wearing them all day and night, even though they are removable. Wearing them allows your gums and jawbone to adapt to foreign objects. Besides, it is the ideal time to identify any anomalies with how your dentures fit. Make sure you take note of any discomfort, tightness, or looseness regarding your denture fit.

Adjusting and Adapting to Wearing Dentures

Whether you have partial or full dentures, you will undergo an adjustment period of re-learning your oral cavity post-treatment. Learn how to eat, speak and perform typical oral functions with your new teeth. When you get partials for front teeth, a lot of the re-learning will revolve around speech and learning to pronounce words well. If you replaced your back teeth, you must learn to chew carefully yet properly. For full dentures, you must re-learn everything since all your teeth are new. Some tips for quick adaptation are:

1. Start with soft foods only. If anything, you should avoid eating hard and crunchy foods with dentures.
2. Keep your dentures on when speaking, singing, or eating. If you keep removing them, it will take longer for you to adapt.
3. Take small bites. You should also cut your food into small pieces for easier consumption.
4. Chew slowly. Be patient as you learn to use your new teeth.