PARTIAL DENTURE

PARTIAL DENTURE

It is very important to replace missing teeth for several reasons;
· appearance.
· mastication or chewing ability.
· support of remaining teeth.
· support of an opposing full denture.
Without complete dentition, you may not be able to adequately masticate your food. Mastication, as opposed to biting and swallowing, involves mixing enough saliva with your food so that you adequately dilute your gastric juices, thereby reducing the risk of digestive problems. Remember when mum told us as kids that we had to chew our food slowly so that we didn’t get a sore tummy?
A partial denture, as the name suggests, is to replace some missing teeth in either or both the upper or lower arch. Sometimes a partial denture is required in one arch simply for appearance. More often it is required to improve mastication ability, but if remaining teeth are left unsupported, they may also drift sideways or over erupt making future replacement considerably more difficult.
The other major reason to wear a partial denture is to support an opposing full denture. As an example, where you have a full upper denture and only six remaining lower front teeth – a very common scenario – when you bite on the front teeth of the denture, you will tilt the back of the denture down. Also it is impossible to satisfactorily masticate food without full dentition.
· Acrylic Partials
· Valplast™ Flexible Partials
· Lucitone® FRS™ Flexible Partials
· Chrome Cobalt Cast Metal Partials
Acrylic dentures are the lowest cost and because of the ease of repair, reline or addition of further teeth, are generally advised where remaining dentition is doubtful or tooth loss is significant. Most acrylic dentures will have stainless steel retention, but in some cases that may not be necessary. Another retention option for acrylic dentures is clear or tooth coloured resin retainers.

By.Dr. Ana Oviedo you Dentist in Mexico

DENTAL CROWNS Vs. PORCELAIN VENEERS

DENTAL CROWNS Vs. PORCELAIN VENEERS

One of the more significant disadvantages associated with porcelain veneers (porcelain laminates) is the fact that they do have the potential to break or come off, and of course this will occur at a most inopportune moment. If a porcelain veneer has broken there is no way for your dentist to repair it, their only option will be to make you a new one. This means that you will have to endure the cost of having the new veneer made, as well as endure the time it takes for the new veneer to be fabricated and ultimately bonded into place. If a porcelain veneer has simply come off, there is a chance that your dentist will be able to bond it back in place.

A fundamental difference between porcelain veneers and dental crowns is the amount of a tooth's surface each respective type of dental restoration covers over. Dental crowns typically encase an entire tooth whereas porcelain veneers only cover over the front side of a tooth (the side that shows when the person smiles).

Porcelain veneers cannot be placed on teeth that have decay or are involved with periodontal disease (gum disease). Your dentist must treat these conditions before a porcelain veneer can be successfully placed.
If a significant amount of tooth structure has been lost because of decay or fracture, or else has already been replaced by a dental filling, the tooth may not be a good candidate for a porcelain veneer.

Porcelain veneers will not strengthen the teeth on which they are placed. Teeth that have histories where a significant amount of tooth structure has been lost are usually better served by placing a dental crown on them, not a porcelain veneer.
People who clench and grind their teeth can make poor candidates for porcelain veneers. The forces created by these activities, termed bruxism by dentists, can easily chip or break.

Dental crowns are restorations that protect damaged, cracked, or broken down teeth. A crown strengthens your existing damaged tooth to preserve its functionality. Dental crowns are also commonly known as caps because a crown sits over your existing tooth covering the entire outer surface.

By Dr. Ana Oviedo