Dentures provide a functional and aesthetic solution when you have missing teeth or teeth that do not lock properly. These partials preserve your natural teeth’s spacing by preventing them from shifting and resolving speech impediments due to missing teeth. Due to financial reasons or medical reasons like inadequate jawbone density, you may need to combine partial dentures with other treatments. Here are treatments you can combine with dentures and their benefits:
Dentures and Crowns or Bridges
A partial denture is supported by a framework that connects to your natural teeth, which presents a challenge when you have partially damaged or decayed teeth. Crowns cover and protect damaged teeth, allowing them to support a partial denture more effectively. Dentists may combine partial dentures with bridges when you have multiple missing teeth, leaving wide gaps where a bridge alone would not fit.
In such a case, your dentist uses a bridge to fill small gaps, using your natural teeth as anchors. They then give you a partial denture to cover larger gaps. Attaching your partial denture to a bridge anchored by your natural teeth enhances its stability. This combination also provides a more affordable option than replacing all your missing teeth with implants.
Dentures and Implants
Integrating a partial denture with implants gives the dentures better support, making them less likely to slip or shift during speech or eating. Dentists may install implant-retained dentures on the lower jaw, where there is a higher risk of traditional dentures slipping. The implants reduce the need for metal clasps on natural teeth, which can be uncomfortable for some patients.
Patients can chew a wider variety of foods with an implant-supported partial denture due to the extra stability provided by the implant. Implants also stimulate the jawbone and prevent density loss due to the bone reabsorption that often occurs after tooth loss. Supporting your dentures with implants eliminates the need for dental adhesive, which can irritate the gums when used in excess. Without adhesive, it may be easier to remove and clean your partial denture.
Dentures and Braces
Braces help realign your teeth, helping them to shift gradually into their optimal position. Having missing teeth may compromise your braces’ functionality, making it necessary to combine them with a partial denture. Braces also support the functionality of a partial denture by correcting misalignments that may prevent the denture from fitting properly in the mouth.
Sometimes dentists install braces in one jaw and offer partial dentures for the other jaw. This treatment allows your natural teeth to line up better with the dentures. Older adults who have used dentures for a long time may need braces to resolve changes to their dental alignment due to teeth shifting over time.
As your teeth move due to the braces, you may need to adjust your partial denture’s fit to accommodate the change in alignment. Before combining dentures with braces, consult your dentist on whether to install both at the same time or start with one and then install the other later.
Restore Your Smile With Partial Dentures
Partial dentures are an ideal replacement for missing teeth that restore your smile and minimize challenges with speech and chewing. Combining your partial denture with treatments like bridges, implants, and braces allows you to leverage the strengths of each appliance.
Solutions like implants and bridges provide a long-term solution for stabilizing your dentures. These treatments eliminate the challenges of wearing dentures alone, like slipping and the excessive use of dental adhesive. With your dentures more stable, you can wear them without the worry of slips. Work with a dental laboratory to create a partial denture that fits in well with other necessary dental treatments.
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