Dentures Have Come a Long Way

The very word “dentures” may evoke a memory of an older relative’s false teeth moving around their mouth, clicking and shifting ominously. But thanks to technical advances, modern dentures have come a long way.

Here at Arya Dental, Saeed Mokhayeri, DDS, and Hengameh Safarcherati, DDS ensure that their patients in Fullerton, CA, have access to the very best dentures which look, feel, and function far better than their predecessors.

While nothing replaces your natural teeth in terms of durability and stability, dentures do an admirable job mimicking your teeth, both in appearance and function. This is largely due to newer, stronger materials, better molding, and life-like coloring and texture.

So don’t let the thought of dentures scare you. Modern dentures will have you smiling, speaking, and chewing with confidence and no one will be the wiser.

Getting the right fit

Long gone are the days when humans simply fashioned a new tooth out of bone or an animal’s tooth and stuck it in their mouths. Today, modern digital imaging allows us to map out the topography of your gums, allowing us to build a set of new teeth that fit as snugly as possible.

Once we’re finished with the imaging, we take an impression of your gums in order to make a mold that is custom-tailored to fit your mouth. When we take the impressions, we ensure that they match up between your upper and lower teeth, eliminating any potential problems with your bite.

Plate it up

The structure that holds your artificial teeth in place, or the plate, can be made of two materials: either acrylic resin or metal.

One of the great advantages of the artificial resin is our ability to match up the color to your gums so the plate blends in nicely with your mouth. This aesthetic advantage does cost you in terms of durability, as metal plates are far stronger.

If you’re looking at a partial denture for less visible teeth, the metal plate shouldn’t pose any problems, since it lies along the roof of your mouth. If you need to replace more prominent teeth, we can use the resin. You just need to more mindful of not dropping or breaking your dentures.

The gums and teeth

Up to now, we’ve discussed the fitting and framework advances in dentures, but where the rubber really meets the road is in the artificial teeth and gums.

The artificial teeth in dentures can be made from either porcelain or artificial resin. Porcelain teeth offer incredible durability and the material best imitates your teeth’s translucent coloring. Porcelain teeth may be a great option if you’re only getting a partial denture as the artificial teeth can be tinted to match your existing teeth. But beware, porcelain is a ceramic, therefore can break if you drop your dentures.

If you’re starting with a blank canvas, meaning you’re getting complete dentures, you may want to opt for acrylic teeth. These composite teeth are easy to manipulate, so we can ensure you have the correct bite, and they hold better to your framework. We can also make them as bright as you’d like since we’re not attempting to match any existing teeth. They’re also much lighter than their porcelain counterparts, but also more prone to wear and tear requiring earlier replacement.

Rest assured that with either porcelain or acrylic, we make the visible gumline of your dentures look as realistic as possible, matching it up with your existing coloring. The acrylic resin we use fits comfortably over your gums, and it’s very inconspicuous since the plastic is colored, textured, and shaped to look like natural gums.

If you’d like to learn more about modern dentures, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. Or you can fill out the form on this website to schedule a consultation. We promise that our dentures really give you something to smile about.