When it comes to modern options for replacing missing teeth, dental implants receive a lion’s share of the attention. But traditional dentures, long the king of the jungle in this regard, should not be overlooked as an effective, comfortable and attractive treatment.
State-of-the-Art Dentures? It’s True
As the Australian Dental Association (ADA) notes on its dentures resource page, dentures today are often a target of pop-culture ridicule. However, the ADA also points out that modern dentures are “not your grandmother’s dentures.”
With improved technology, materials and dental techniques, most dentures available today are lighter, stronger, more attractive and more comfortable than those of decades past. At My Hills Dentist in Sydney, Dr. David Lee uses Fountain of Youth™ (FOY) dentures, which provide great fit, comfort, and durability, and are custom designed to function seamlessly with your mouth’s other working parts.
Dentures: Art and Science
Modern dentures are highly individualized, and their various stages of creation employ a blend of science and art. Assessing each patient’s unique needs and designing a dentures plan draws on an understanding of dental anatomy and neuromuscular dentistry, and the manufacturing of dentures requires a high level of craftsmanship.
“There is an amount of artistic skills required in the job,” said dental prosthetist Steven Everett in a recent Australian Broadcasting Corporation report on the fabrication of dentures. “We try to put a fair bit of artistic work into our dentures which make them look more natural in the mouth…”
Beautiful, Comfortable, Functional
The goal of dentures is to improve bite functionality while comfortably restoring a natural-looking smile. Patients considering dentures often worry that dentures will stand out from their remaining natural teeth.
Appearance is another area in which technology has made great strides in recent years. Many forms of modern dentures can be colored and textured to blend with your natural teeth.
Dentures are often a great choice for patients with insufficient bone structure to support dental implants, or who don’t want to wait for the time necessary for the implants to integrate with the jawbone, which can take months. With proper care, dental implants have proven to be the longest-lasting solution to missing teeth; but the beauty, comfort and functionality of today’s dentures should not be discounted.
If you suffer from the effects of missing teeth, and you’d like to learn more about dentures, dental implants or other treatment options, please call My Hills Dentist at (02) 9686 7375 to schedule your appointment at our Baulkham Hills office.
