Losing one’s tooth or teeth creates difficulty eating, as well as psychological and social challenges.  One option for replacing missing teeth is a Removable Prosthesis; that is, a removable partial or complete (full) denture.  Depending upon which tooth or teeth is missing, the patient’s “bite” pattern and other tissue considerations, the prosthesis is made of oral tissue-colored acrylic or a combination of acrylic and metal into which artificial teeth are bonded.   This technique for replacing teeth has certain advantages, such as a life-like appearance, a shorter treatment period than other options, and less expense than other treatments, like bridges or implants. The primary disadvantage of removable partial dentures is that they are much less stable than natural teeth.  Movement of the denture while chewing makes them susceptible to creating “sore spots” from time to time, and they must be removed to clean and maintain oral hygiene.  Patients typically need to adjust their diet to accommodate for the dentures lack of retention and stability.

Dentures are also not maintenance-free.  Our teeth stimulate and help maintain the surrounding bone.  If we lose them, we lose this stimulation and the bone begins to atrophy away.  Due to this natural resorption of the jaw bone overtime, space is created between the denture and the shrinking tissues below it making them feel unstable.  Because of this, a denture will require being “relined” with acrylic to fill in these voids and help them feel more stable or they may require being remade entirely.   In many instances, a good choice for multiple tooth replacement is a combination of a removable prosthesis supported by attachments to implants.  Learn more about that here.