“Where should I go in Boca for Dentures?”
To Boca’s Best Dentist for Dentures: Dr. Alan Markowitz
What are Dentures?
A denture is a removable appliance or prosthetic that is used to replace missing teeth and surrounding hard tissues (bone) and soft tissues (gums). Over 33 million people in the United States are wearing dentures. There are two types of dentures complete or full dentures which replace all of the teeth or partial dentures which are used to replace some missing teeth. Good quality dentures are made in four to five visits by a Dentist. It is important to manufacture a denture with accuracy in order for the prosthetic to fit properly.
A properly fitting full or complete upper (top teeth) denture stays in the mouth with suction and should not rely on denture adhesives. A lower (bottom teeth) denture is more challenging as it is subject to movement by the muscles that attach to the lower jaw. Dental implants can be used to anchor or hold the denture to the jaw. A poorly fitting denture feels loose and can cause sores on the gums. Over time the gum tissues and the jaw bone shrinks resulting in loose fitting dentures. When the frequency and amount of dental adhesives being used increases this may indicate the need for a new denture or a denture reline. Denture adhesives can cause allergic reactions and health issues to some patients.
A denture reline is when new material is added to the inside of the denture to make it fit better. A denture reline usually takes one day to complete. Denture patients can lose up to 20% of the supporting tissues each year which is why dentures become loose. These developments may indicate the need for new dentures. Sometimes a patients denture can be converted into an implant retained denture or a denture that is held in place by dental implants. Dentures should be customized for every patient. The process of creating a Denture that fits a patients mouth is not a simple matter of taking an impression or making a mold of a patients jaw. One very important step during the procedure is called the wax try in. This is an appointment where the denture teeth are set in a pink wax and the patient gets to see what the denture will look like before it is processed into acrylic. The Dentist is able to check that the patients bite (the way the teeth touch) is accurate and feels good to the patient.
The quality of a denture is related to how they are made and what materials are used to make a removable prosthetic. The denture base material (the pink gum part) should be made with the highest quality acrylic. Lucitone 199 is the highest quality acrylic available today and made by a Dentsply Prosthetics. It is most important for a denture to be processed via an injection heat processed mold under constant pressure as this creates the strongest acrylic. This type of acrylic is least subject to dimensional changes when it is processed under heat and pressure. Another method of processing teeth is cold curing with no pressure. This method which is cheap and quick allows the denture to change in shape and color over time resulting in a poor fitting prosthetic. There are also high quality teeth and standard low quality teeth. Dentsply supplies the highest quality teeth called Portrait IPN which look like real teeth and have a lifetime warranty against chipping and breaking. These high quality materials maintain there color and luster, they are also easy to clean or polish .
