If you’re missing some or all of your teeth, dentures can be a great solution for replacing your missing teeth. They can replace an entire arch of teeth and restore your smile back to its former glory so you can smile with confidence and eat your favorite foods again! If you’re considering dentures to help replace your missing teeth, it’s helpful to explore the pros and cons of dentures beforehand to ensure it’s the right treatment for you.

Pros and cons over having dentures

Pros of Dentures

You might not seem thrilled about the idea of dentures but they actually come with tons of amazing benefits. When you replace your missing teeth with dentures, you can look forward to these pros.

Affordable

One of the top pros of dentures is how affordable they are—and your dental insurance might help cover some of the cost. If you’ve ever had dental work in the past to preserve your teeth, you know how pricey dental work can get. With dentures, you can look forward to an affordable solution to help you replace your missing teeth. We understand everyone comes from a different financial background. That’s why during your consultation our staff will go over your costs and our different payment options.

senior man talks on his cell phone

Can Replace Entire Arch of Teeth

With dentures, we can replace an entire arch of teeth. We can replace both arches if necessary. If you have any remaining teeth and their health is already declining, we can extract those teeth so that you can get full dentures instead of wearing partials now and needing full dentures later. By getting full dentures, you will have a more simplified procedure and you will get an entirely new smile all at once.

Improves Your Smile

Dentures aren’t just to help you eat again. They’re also there to improve your smile so you can feel confident. Wearing a toothless grin might make you feel self-conscious. But with dentures, we can give you a beautifully straight smile that complements your overall appearance. You might even like your smile with dentures better than the smile from your youth.

Fast Procedure

You don’t have to worry about spending countless hours in our dental office to replace your missing teeth. Instead, you can look forward to a fast procedure. Dentures require two appointments. During the first appointment, we will take impressions of your teeth. We will send these to the dental lab to manufacture your dentures. In the meantime, you will wear temporary dentures to hold you over. After your dentures return from the lab, you will return to our dental office where we test the fit and appearance of your dentures. We will make any necessary adjustments and then send you on your way!

Improved Eating Functionality

When you have missing teeth, eating hard, crunchy, or chewy foods can feel difficult. If you have a lot of missing teeth, you’re likely eating a diet that consists of liquid or soft food. Once you replace your missing teeth with dentures, you can look forward to eating all your favorite foods again. It will take a few weeks to get used to eating with dentures, but once you adjust, eating will feel natural again.

Cons of Dentures

It’s important to remember that not all dentures are made the same and they can sometimes come with a few cons.

There is an Adjustment Period

One of the first cons of dentures is the adjustment period. The first time you put your dentures in your mouth, they will feel weird. You will likely speak with a lisp and have a hard time eating for the first few weeks. Although this adjustment period can feel daunting, remember it’s only temporary and once you adjust to your dentures, eating, speaking, and smiling will feel natural again!

mature couple embrace

Cheap Dentures Need Frequent Replacements

When you replace your teeth with the cheapest dentures on the market, they’re usually not custom-made or made with the best materials. As a result, they require frequent replacements because they break, look unsightly, or fit poorly. At Excellence In Dentistry, we provide our patients with quality dentures that can last up to 15 years before needing a replacement.

They Can Decrease Ability to Taste Food

Taste buds aren’t just limited to your tongue. They’re also located on the roof of your mouth. When you wear upper dentures, the dentures cover the roof of your mouth because this is where suction occurs to keep the dentures in place. This may cause a decrease in your ability to taste food.

Poor Fitting Dentures Can Cause Problems

When dentures don’t fit correctly, they can cause painful dentures sores on the gums and they can feel uncomfortable to wear. When you do get dentures, make sure to visit your Anchorage dentist for an adjustment if they don’t fit right. This will prevent you from running into the problems that occur with poorly fitting dentures.

Readjustments are Necessary

Your gums and jaw will change shape over time, especially if you recently had teeth extracted. As a result, you will need to visit the dentist occasionally to have your dentures readjusted so they fit correctly.

The Best Solution: Implant Supported Dentures

If you’re looking for all the pros of dentures without any of the cons, implant-supported dentures might be the best solution for you. Our Anchorage implant dentist will place 4 to 6 dental implants in your jaw to support an entire arch of dentures. This helps your dentures fit more securely and increases functionality. Additionally, they won’t cover the roof of your mouth so you will have access to all of your taste buds!

If you want to replace your missing teeth with dentures or implant-supported dentures in Anchorage or replace your current pair of dentures, please contact Dr. Skinner at (907) 349-0022 to book an appointment today.