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Throughout life, various factors such as periodontitis, dental nerve diseases, cavities, or other causes can lead to the loss of permanent teeth.
Besides being an aesthetic issue that can cause a lack of self-confidence in some individuals, missing teeth can also impact our health.
Difficulties in speaking and chewing food, increased pressure on the jaw joint, loss of parts of the alveolar ridge, and disrupted facial symmetry are just some of the discomforts that come with edentulism or partial edentulism.
Dentures are removable aids that replace lost teeth and surrounding tissues, and can be independently removed for regular maintenance of proper oral hygiene.
Partial Prosthodontics
Partial, i.e., partial dentures are a solution when it comes to the loss of a smaller number of teeth. There are partial acrylic dentures made of acrylic and partial skeletonized dentures which have a metal skeleton built-in, making them slightly more durable than the first option.
Partial acrylic dentures are also called plate dentures, and they rely on the gums and are attached to the existing teeth in the jaw with the help of metal clasps. They are most similar to a complete denture and are made when conditions for creating a bridge are not present.
The good side of acrylic dentures is that they are the most economically accessible; on the other hand, they are the most unstable, cover the palate the most, and cannot evenly distribute chewing forces, which can lead to damage to natural teeth and jawbone.
Skeletonized dentures represent a somewhat better way of partial tooth replacement. In addition to the metal skeleton at their base providing stability, they cover the palate to a significantly lesser extent, thus providing a more natural feeling.
Apart from metal clasps, their attachment can also be ensured by precise connecting elements that are completely invisible as they are hidden in one of the existing teeth, making this aesthetically a more acceptable solution.
Modern elastic prostheses
Valplast dentures are also known as silicone dentures, made from a thermoplastic biocompatible material that does not cause any side effects.
At the temperature of the oral cavity, this material becomes flexible, which allows for a natural feeling and easy adaptation to wearing the denture.
They aesthetically meet high standards as they do not contain metal parts, and the light pink color they are made of makes the denture unnoticeable.
Deflex dentures are made from thermoplastic polyamide which gives them both elasticity and strength. The low specific weight of this material allows the dentures to be made in a very thin layer, so their use does not cause any discomfort and ensures that the color of the gums is visible through the denture, giving the teeth a natural appearance.
Flexible clasps that attach them protect the enamel. They can be combined with different types of teeth, either as complete or partial dentures.
Complete dentures
In cases where there are no natural teeth left in the jaw, partial dentures cannot be an option as there is nothing for them to attach to. In such cases of edentulism, the solution is the insertion of complete dentures which compensate for the lost teeth as well as the lack of the alveolar ridge.
When making these dentures, care is taken to adjust the shape, color, and size to the unique needs of each patient.
It is necessary that the soft tissues in the oral cavity are healthy, and that there are no residual bones or similar obstacles that could interfere with the stability of the denture and could create unwanted complications. The base of the denture and the teeth themselves can be made of different materials.
