What kind of problems does toothlessness cause?
Toothlessness has negative effects on both the physiology and psychology of individuals. Physically, the most important problem is the patient's inability to chew the food well and accordingly the emergence of digestive problems.
Another problem of patients is aesthetic expectations. For edentulous individuals, seeing themselves without teeth and seeing others without teeth can cause serious trauma. Individuals generally want to look aesthetically pleasing at any age. In addition, speech problems may occur when the patient is partially or completely edentulous. Lack of teeth causes the voices not to come out normally and the patient's speech to be incomprehensible. They may experience problems in their social relationships, especially due to aesthetic and speech problems. Another problem related to edentulism is the melting and loss of soft and hard tissues in the mouth. For all these reasons, edentulous patients require a prosthesis to meet expectations and to keep the remaining tissues healthy.
What are removable prostheses? What are the types?
Removable dentures can be in two different forms as full (total) and partial dentures. Full dentures are applied to people who have no teeth in their mouth, they are also known as dentures or palates among the people. Full dentures are removable dentures supported by soft tissue and underlying bone, which can be attached and removed by the patient. Partial dentures are applied to patients who have one or more missing teeth in their mouths.
While removable prostheses provide ease of cleaning because they are removable, the adaptation process is related to the compatibility of the patient. Removable dentures do not receive support from the teeth alone, but also from the palate by sitting on the tissues. For this reason, the adaptation of the tissues to the prosthesis takes a certain process. With newly fitted prostheses, patients should not eat hard foods immediately, and the hardness of the foods eaten should be increased as the prosthesis adapts to the tissue. Some complications that can be experienced with full dentures include difficulty in eating and speaking, and intraoral punctures. After placing the prosthesis, it takes a few weeks for the tongue muscles and other soft tissues to adapt to the prosthesis. Most speech problems disappear with language adaptation within a few weeks of wearing the prosthesis. Prosthetic patients may be advised to read aloud to get through this process faster.
In order to increase retention and thus patient comfort, if the existing bone and tissues are suitable, 2 implants can be placed and implant supported removable prosthesis can be made. If extra strength is desired, 4 implants can be placed. If the patient does not want to use removable prostheses and there is sufficient bone height and width in the posterior regions of the palate, fixed prostheses that do not come off can also be considered thanks to 6-8 implants placed separately in the lower and upper jaws.
Do dentures cause bad odor?
If the oral hygiene is sufficient, that is, if the patient takes care of the prostheses and the inside of the mouth correctly, the prostheses do not cause bad breath. However, if the patient does not brush the prosthesis after meals and does not remove the prosthesis at night, a reaction may occur in the tissues under the prosthesis. Bad breath may occur due to this reaction called denture stomatitis and lack of hygiene.
What is the ideal life of prostheses? Can it be used for life?
Ideally, dentures can be considered successful if they remain in the mouth for about 5 years. However, it is not possible to use prostheses for a lifetime due to changes in the tissues and existing teeth over time, wear on the prosthesis and the oral environment being affected by all kinds of foods that are eaten and drunk. It is useful to go to the dentist for annual check-ups in order not to damage the oral tissues as a result of long-term use of the dentures.
Do I always have to wear my dentures?
All full or partial removable dentures should be used continuously except at night. At night, the tissue areas covered by the prosthesis should be put into water after brushing and cleaning to rest. It is recommended not to remove the dentures at night in patients who have the habit of clenching and grinding their teeth. However, patients who do not want to remove their dentures at night for social reasons may be asked to remove their dentures when they are alone during the day.
Would it be helpful to use adhesive to get used to my prosthesis? Does it hurt?
Adhesives are denture adhesives available in the market in powder, cream or sheet form. Especially if the patient is using a full denture for the first time, denture adhesives can be used temporarily during the process of getting used to the new dentures. We recommend not using denture adhesives for too long because normally a well-made denture does not need denture adhesive. In some cases, patients (servers, politicians) who need additional security can use denture adhesives. Denture adhesives are not easy to apply, very difficult to clean because they are very sticky, and their stickiness decreases in a short time because they dissolve easily. It should be changed and reapplied at most every 6 hours.
How should I take care of my prostheses? Will it hurt if I keep it in bleach?
Acrylic or metal based dentures should be brushed with a soft brush, soap and cold water after every meal. However, mechanical cleaning of prostheses is not sufficient, chemical cleaning is also required. It should be placed in a solution containing cleaning tablets 1-2 times a week. The waiting time of the prosthesis in the relevant solution should be a few hours. Acid-containing cleaners should not be used on metal-containing prostheses. Sodium hypochlorite, popularly known as bleach, can only be diluted in certain proportions (20 minutes in 1-2 drops of bleach in a glass of water) and can be used for denture cleaning. If a high amount of bleach is used, the structure and color of the dentures may deteriorate, causing more food residues to be retained and reduced durability. Prostheses should never be washed with boiling water and should not be kept in boiling water. Boiling water causes changes in the color and structure of the dentures. For this reason, patients should be guided by the physician about the cleaning of their prostheses and the products they will use.
Are porcelain teeth the best choice for removable dentures?
In the recent past, porcelain teeth were more commonly used in removable dentures due to their aesthetic advantages. However, porcelain teeth have disadvantages such as insufficient connection to prosthetic acrylic and excessive noise during use. For this reason, acrylic teeth, whose durability and aesthetics are similar to porcelain teeth, are more often preferred. However, if the patient's bone tissue under the prosthesis is high enough, there is no harm in using porcelain teeth.
Can metal hooks be prevented from appearing in removable prostheses?
In order to avoid the appearance of metal hooks in removable dentures, either precision attachment dentures known as snaps or dentures using tooth-colored crochets should be applied. In precision attachment dentures, metal clasps or hooks are provided with special attachments on the teeth that are not aesthetically visible. In addition to sensitive connections, the aesthetic disadvantages of metal clasps can be eliminated by using tooth-colored clasps such as acetal or deflex. Since these types of clasps are tooth-colored, they give a more natural look instead of the negative color of the metal. The snaps of precision attachment dentures and tooth-colored clasps differ from metal hooks in their high cost.
* The article was taken from TDB (Turkish Dental Association).