Dentures – Pasadena, TX
Replace Any Pattern of Tooth Loss
A complete smile is an essential element of long-term health. Missing teeth negatively impact your smile’s appearance and can decrease quality of life — and many dental patients are surprised to learn that people with missing teeth don’t live as long as those with a complete, healthy smile. To give you the strong, beautiful smile you deserve after tooth loss, call our dental office to schedule an appointment. Dr. Holmes, Dr. Revel, and Dr. Lowery design and fit natural-looking dentures at our Pasadena, TX dental office.
Why Choose Pasadena Family Dentistry for Dentures?
- Partnered with Local Dental Implant Experts
- Thorough Explanation of Treatment & Corresponding Cost
- Friendly, Professional Staff
What Are Dentures?
A denture is a replacement for missing teeth in the upper or lower jaw. Designed to look just like your natural smile, a denture is made out of ceramic or acrylic teeth set into a base with a metal frame covered in plastic that closely resembles your gum tissue.
Your Dentures Options
You have three main options in dentures, and the one that is right for you depends on the extent of your tooth loss, your budget, and the state of your oral and overall health.
- Full dentures contain complete upper and/or lower rows of lifelike prosthetic teeth. The dentures we create look natural and enhance comfort and function. You will experience newfound freedom to smile, laugh, and speak with confidence with a full denture. Traditional dentures are held in place with natural suction and the help of an over-the-counter adhesive, as needed.
- Implant-retained dentures eliminate the need for adhesive with the help of sturdy dental implants inserted in the jawbone. An oral surgeon will place the tiny titanium implants, and Dr. Holmes, Dr. Revel, or Dr. Lowery will attach a special fixture to your new or existing denture. The fixture snaps onto the implants to hold your replacement teeth firmly in place. Implant-retained dentures halt the bone loss associated with missing teeth and help patients enjoy all the benefits of a confident, long-lasting smile.
- Partial dentures restore smiles that have gaps scattered among healthy teeth. Custom-made partials prevent existing teeth from drifting out of position, improve articulation, and help you eat what you like without difficulty. We use a special clasp to anchor your partial to healthy neighboring teeth or dental implants. You may qualify for a precision partial, which uses an inconspicuous attachment that fastens to teeth prepared with dental crowns.
Benefits of Dentures
Dentures offer several significant benefits:
- Regardless of which type of denture you choose, you can look forward to a beautiful smile. Each prosthesis is crafted with your specific needs in mind, and the result is a set of teeth that complements your facial structure and gives you a youthful smile.
- Dentures enable you to eat a balanced, nutritious diet. With non-implant dentures, you might need to take certain precautions when you eat (for example, cutting your food into small pieces), but it shouldn’t take you long to adjust to your new routine.
- Dental insurance is often willing to cover at least part of the cost of dentures.
- As long as your dentures fit well, they should be quite secure in your mouth. You won’t need to be overly concerned that they’ll slip out while you’re eating or speaking.
Candidates for Dentures
The vast majority of individuals who have suffered significant tooth loss are candidates for dentures.
- Candidates for full dentures have lost all or most of their teeth. If they have any remaining natural teeth, they may need to get them extracted. These individuals have healthy gums that will be able to support their new smile.
- Ideal candidates for implant-retained dentures have a strong and thick jawbone, are free of gum disease and other serious oral health concerns, and do not smoke.
- Candidates for partial dentures have suffered tooth loss at various places throughout the mouth and prefer dentures over bridges or other tooth replacement options.
Adjusting to Life With Dentures
When you first receive your prosthesis, it might take you a few days to get used to it. Wear your denture as much as you can during this adjustment period so you can practice speaking and eating. You might want to stick to consuming soft foods for a time until you get the hang of chewing with your new teeth. Also, note that you might produce extra saliva at first; you can cope with this by sipping plenty of water and sucking on sugar-free candy to encourage regular swallowing.
Of course, if you run into any significant problems or you have any questions about how to get used to your dentures, feel free to call us — we’re always happy to help!
Caring for Your Dentures
When you receive your denture, we will talk you through maintenance steps to ensure you care for your new teeth properly. Non-implant dentures will need to be replaced every five to seven years to ensure they continue to fit well. Dentures that are retained by dental implants require fewer adjustments and relines.
Clean your denture at least daily, and make sure you brush any remaining teeth as well as your gums, tongue, and soft tissues with a soft-bristled toothbrush to reduce bacteria build-up and keep your smile healthy.
Do not expose your denture to hot water; doing so could cause it to warp and lose its fit. Notify your dentist as soon as possible if your denture breaks, becomes loose, or if you notice oral sores.
Understanding the Cost of Dentures
Before you commit, you may want to know about denture prices. That’s fair – you won’t benefit from a treatment you can’t afford. Still, the cost of dentures actually varies by patient. You can only get a precise estimate by consulting our dentists. Once you have, we’ll work to ensure your treatment is affordable. Our team will even walk you through dentures’ cost factors and payment options. To learn more, just keep reading or call us today!
Factors That Affect the Cost of Dentures
Before the actual treatment, our dentists will examine your mouth closely. Doing so lets them confirm factors related to denture price. In particular, these elements include:
- Prep Work Options – Dentures cost more when your smile must be prepped for them. (For example, pulling a tooth beforehand will add to the total expense.)
- Type of Acrylic Base – Given the acrylic used, a denture’s base can cost more or less. A kind that’s durable and lifelike will be pricier.
- Replacement Tooth Quality – Generally, a denture’s artificial teeth are acrylic or porcelain. Acrylic ones are cheap but short-lived. In contrast, porcelain teeth are expensive and long-lasting.
As your dentist explains the above factors, note that cheap dentures aren’t ideal. The latter sort uses subpar acrylic, leading to fragile bases and teeth. With that said, choose a denture of high quality!
Are Implant Dentures More Expensive?
Indeed, implant dentures have a higher upfront cost. Regardless, though, their price is justified due to their benefits.
Remember: implant dentures use dental implants. As such, they fuse with your jaw and remain very stable. There’s very little chance of them falling or slipping. Also, the fusion they undergo ensures your new smile will look lifelike and beautiful.
At the same time, implant dentures are a great investment. Their implants last 15-30 years with proper care, so they have a longer lifespan than typical dentures. That means you’ll pay for fewer replacement visits over time.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dentures?
Normally, dental insurance will cover dentures. Most plans view these replacement teeth as medically necessary and helpful. Therefore, they often extend coverage up to 50% of the treatment cost.
Sadly, there are exceptions. Your policy may have limited or non-existent denture coverage. You should thus confirm your benefits before deciding anything. If you need help doing so, our staff will happily assist.
Other Options for Making Dentures Affordable
Of course, insurance isn’t the only way to afford dentures. Many dental practices provide patients with helpful payment options. With the right one, pricey dentures can become budget-friendly.
Take Pasadena Family Dentistry, for example. We have options like:
- Dental Membership Plans – For a monthly or annual fee, our office can give you discounts on needed treatments. This price reduction would also apply to dentures.
- Flexible Financing – Our team works with CareCredit, a reputable third-party financier. They’d let you pay for dentures with monthly low-interest installments. That way, you could cover a denture’s cost gradually.
Ultimately, we want to give you great dentures that fit your budget. With that being the case, learn more about financing them by booking a consultation!
Denture FAQs
How Long Will You Have to Wait to Get Dentures After Your Teeth are Pulled?
This partially comes down to your personal preference. In some circumstances, patients can opt to get their dentures immediately after their teeth have been extracted. While you won’t have to spend any amount of time without teeth, the fit may not be as secure as you would like during the process of healing.
If you do decide to wait, you’ll need anywhere from six to eight weeks for the gums to heal before getting your prosthetic. In the case of implant dentures, however, this will be closer to four to six months.
Can I Sleep with My Dentures?
Dentures, by their nature, can put a lot of pressure on the gums. It’s important to give them a break every once in a while so that you don’t develop an excess of denture sores bacterial buildup. This is why it’s usually a good idea to take your dentures out while you’re sleeping.
You should make a habit of leaving your dentures in an antibacterial soaking solution each night. This will both keep your prosthetic clean and give your gums an opportunity to breathe.
Is It Hard to Talk with Dentures?
Speaking relies on muscle memory, so any major change is likely to temporarily impede your ability to talk normally. As you might have heard, dentures are not an exception to that. When they first get their dentures, people often complain that they develop a lisp. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be permanent. With a little bit of practice you’ll be able to speak normally again.
If you find that your dentures have trouble staying in place while you speak, you may need to get in the habit of biting down and swallowing before you talk, allowing the dentures to adhere better to your gums. You may also want to talk to us about a reline.
Can I Have My Dentures Relined if They Don’t Fit Properly?
Often, the shape of your prosthetic will change over time due to wear and tear, or your jaw will shrink due to bone reabsorption. For these reasons, you may need to have your prosthetic relined to better suit your gums.
There are two kinds of relines, soft and hard. Soft relines use a malleable material to add a little bit of cushion to your prosthetic, while hard relines add acrylic to your dentures in order to create a better fit. The latter is more complex, and will therefore usually be done in a lab that specializes in dentures.