Some Information On Dentures From Milford Dentists

This month Andrea Clarke of Milford Dentists has some useful information on dentures, in particular lower dentures which are normally the trickiest denture for people to get used to. This can be due to our tongue, which is the strongest muscle in the body, which can easily flick a lower denture around. Also a lower denture only has a thin horseshoe shaped area of gum to sit on (unlike an upper denture which can rest on almost the whole surface area of the upper jaw and palate and also has suction). The lips are pushing the lower denture backwards and the tongue is pushing it forwards. Thirdly, an older denture may not fit as snugly as when it was first made. Over time the jaw bone resorbs (or shrinks). This resorption happens the most during the first six months after a tooth has been removed.

There are several solutions to these problems which Andrea and the team at Milford Dentists can help with. For someone who has an old denture that used to be comfy and that they are happy with, appearance wise, but has become loose, an option is to realign the fitting surface. This means putting a new layer of acrylic (pink plastic) on the fitting surface of the denture. This fills up any gaps between the denture and the gum. The dentist can also make a basic new denture and if there are some teeth left, the denture can be made with clasps (or hooks) that clip around the teeth to aid retention. If there are teeth present they can place dental crowns on teeth adjacent to the denture with special attachments which the denture snugly clips onto. Special attachment crowns which also have milled parallel walls make for a very satisfactory solution – a secure denture and no visible clasps or hooks .The denture can also be retained with dental implants.

Milford Dentists and their experienced clinicians and caring support team are committed to providing the very best dental treatments. Using the latest in dental technology and techniques they are able to provide optimal dental outcomes in Cosmetic Dentistry, Dental Implants, General and Emergency dentistry in their modern dental practice on Auckland’s North Shore. For more information on Milford Dentists please visit the website at http://www.milforddentists.co.nz .