If you are in need of a doctor skilled in restorative and implant dentistry, including dental crowns, dental implants and TMJ treatment, near the Detroit and Grosse Pointe areas, contact our office by completing the form below.
DiLoreto Dental Care, P.C.
20690 Vernier Rd
Harper Woods, MI
48225-1415
313-884-3050 Phone
Click here for directions
Complete dentures have been used for hundreds of years. In fact, many of us remember the stories of George Washington’s “wooden dentures.” While dentures have come a long way since the days of Washington, they still serve the same purpose - to replace teeth that are lost due to decay, trauma, or periodontal disease. At DiLoreto Dental Care, we do everything we can to preserve a patient’s natural teeth. When this is not possible, however, Dr. David G. DiLoreto offers dentures as an effective restorative treatment to his Detroit, Michigan patients. To learn more about dentures, including whether or not you are a candidate, contact our dental practice today.
An upper and lower complete dental prosthesis, a denture is composed of an acrylic base and synthetic teeth, and is intended as a solution for missing teeth. Dentures replace more than just teeth though. When teeth are lost, the supporting bone can shift or deteriorate. We see this side effect in the faces of many of our patients, as they appear to look hollow from lack of support. Dentures effectively provide the support that has been lost and provide a natural appearance.
In some instances, a metal base is utilized rather than acrylic to improve the comfort of the upper denture. Known as a vitallium metal base, it is typically composed of an alloy of 60% cobalt, 20% chromium, 5% molybdenum, and other substances. This combination is used in dentistry because of its light weight and resistance to corrosion. The metal base is thinner and more comfortable than the acrylic base of a denture. The easy transfer of temperature is appreciated by patients, as metal makes you “feel” the food, unlike acrylic dentures.
With older dental technology, it was believed that dentures could, at best, only chew 50 percent as well as our natural dentition. Fortunately, this is no longer the case. Implant-supported dentures, offered at our Michigan dental practice, are a more stable and stronger type of restorative treatment. Implants are titanium plugs that fuse to the alveolar bone, or jaw, allowing attachments to connect between the interior of the implant to the base of the denture.
Completion of implant-supported dentures can take anywhere from six to nine months from the initial impressions to the fitting of the final denture. In the interim, temporary dentures are fabricated for the patient to wear. The implant-supported lower denture has been the single greatest improvement to the removable prosthesis. Today this denture is considered the standard of care and should be considered by all patients who are receiving dentures.
Patients who opt to receive dentures in response to tooth loss can expect a multi-step process. It is important to have a thorough clinical exam and radiographs taken to fully understand the best treatment options. In addition, diagnostic models of your teeth or alveolar ridges may be mounted on fully adjustable articulators to mimic the movements of the jaw. This is vital in order for the dentist to see how dentures would function for you specifically.
After an initial exam at our Detroit practice, impressions of your mouth are made with measurements for size, shape, color, and position of the teeth. There is an art to showing the correct amount of pink tissue around the teeth. A proper made denture should improve the appearance of your smile, and your ability to eat and speak. When creating the dentures, it is important that they are natural-looking. Synthetic teeth that are too white or too youthful-looking are not ideal. However, when properly fitted and shaded, dentures can take 10 years off one’s smile. While dentures are being crafted the dentist should also pay close attention to the cusps of the teeth, which can be steep or flat. Flat teeth will create a more stable denture when there is little alveolar bone; however they will not chew as efficiently as teeth with steep cusp inclines. That is why it is imperative that your denture be made by a skilled dentist who can evaluate and treat your condition with the most comprehensive care.
The most important step in the process is perhaps the most simple – trying on the denture. Before the denture is processed the teeth are set in pink wax to allow the patient and dentist to evaluate the form, function, and aesthetics of the prosthetic. This is an opportunity to make any last changes before completion.
These synthetic teeth can be acrylic or porcelain. In recent years, acrylic teeth have surpassed porcelain as the preferred option. While porcelain teeth have been known to improve chewing efficiency, they also sound unnatural when being struck against one another. Furthermore, due to the hardness of porcelain, research has shown that atrophy of the alveolar bone is accelerated compared with acrylic teeth. Nevertheless, porcelain denture teeth are preferred by some patients, and are still available.
Regardless of your finances, you no longer have to be embarrassed by missing teeth or poor-fitting dentures. At Diloreto Dental Care, we make it possible for anyone to afford dentures. Financing is available through CareCredit™ as well as other resources. To learn more about the financing options that we offer, contact our dental practice today. A member of our friendly office staff will be happy to assist you.
At DiLoreto Dental Care, we want all of our patients to have an attractive, healthy smile that they can feel good about. If you have lost several or all of your teeth and are interested in learning if you are a candidate for dentures, contact our Detroit, Michigan practice today.