The Process of Getting Natural-Looking Dentures
Often the first thing that someone notices about you is your smile. If you wear dentures, you want that smile to leave a positive impression on those around you. That’s why getting the most natural-looking dentures is key to a beautiful smile that radiates warmth and friendliness.
Natural-Looking Dentures: The Process
While dentures are designed to replace missing natural teeth and restore chewing function, not all dentures are created equally.
Some dentures look a lot more artificial than others. Why? Let’s discuss the process of getting realistic dentures.
Initial Consultation
The initial consultation is the time to meet the dental staff and determine if they are a good match for helping you to realize your vision of a natural looking smile. After all, getting new dentures is a life-changing event. You want a result that you are happy with for many years to come.
A caring dental professional understands your concerns and hesitation and will ask key questions about your expectations. Their experience and expertise will allow you to seamlessly transition to a comfortable, attractive, and durable denture.
Full Oral Examination and Review Options
The dental professional will take x-rays and perform a clinical examination of your mouth to determine treatment options best suited to meet your needs. This also allows the clinician to identify any obstacles to treatment and develop a solution to address them.
This diagnosis also considers your overall medical health and any serious issues found during the exam, such as periodontal disease or signs of oral cancer. Depending on the number of viable teeth remaining, the denturist may suggest partial dentures, complete dentures, or implant-supported dentures.
Decision Time and Scheduling
In dentistry, there are a variety of methods to reach an acceptable end goal. Some treatment options offer better long-term benefits, while other options allow an immediate issue to be addressed but will require additional dental procedures in the future. Longer-lasting treatment such as dental implants costs more money and requires a greater time commitment to complete. The final decision is ultimately up to the patient. Only the patient knows what they are willing or able to invest in improving dental health.
Once a treatment plan has been chosen, the patient is scheduled for the first phase of treatment. This usually consists of taking impressions of the gums and existing teeth for partial or complete dentures. If teeth must be removed, the dental appliance you receive at first will be a temporary solution worn while the gums heal.
Patients who have dentures made on healed gums have more choices when it comes to achieving a natural appearance.
Factors in Getting Natural-Looking Dentures
The key to obtaining natural-looking dentures that meet both your functional needs and cosmetic goals is working collaboratively with your dental clinic’s dentist and staff.
Using quality materials is the first step to obtaining natural-looking dentures. Dentures made from inexpensive materials tend to look fake because they don’t possess a finish that emulates natural teeth. High-quality denture teeth are made from layers of porcelain or composite stacked upon one another to create depth and a glossy, translucent appearance characteristic of natural teeth.
The second most important factor in getting natural-looking dentures is to choose colors of gum material and denture teeth that blend with and complement your skin tone and hair color. Despite the advertising hype, not everyone looks good with extremely white teeth. In fact, the quickest way for people to notice your false teeth is to choose a tooth color that stands out and attracts attention. Other people may not know why their eyes are focused on your teeth, but they certainly understand that they don’t look right.
The same applies to the straightness of the teeth. Most natural teeth, even after successful orthodontic treatment, are not perfectly aligned. Natural teeth have slight imperfections and inclinations. For dentures to look like natural teeth, they shouldn’t look as if they have been mass-produced on an assembly line.
Denture Fitting/Procedure
During the appointment, after the impression, a mockup of your dentures will be tried into your mouth. This allows you to discuss what you like and don’t like about the appearance and refine the look of the final denture. The dental laboratory will make changes accordingly and produce a great-looking denture that is designed to fit comfortably.
With the aid of technology, dentures today conform to the gums much more precisely than traditional dentures that were made years ago. Therefore, they generally require fewer adjustments in order to fit properly. Still, even if you have worn dentures before, it does take time to get used to wearing new dentures as they settle into your mouth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Patients who wear or will wear dentures often want to know how to get the most natural-looking dentures so that no one will know they have them.
What Are the Most Natural-Looking Dentures?
The most natural-looking dentures are made with porcelain teeth. Porcelain has transparent and translucent properties that are characteristic of natural teeth. However, porcelain dentures do have one big drawback – porcelain is extremely hard and will wear away your jawbone over many years of use, making it more and more difficult to comfortably wear dentures that fit securely in the future. A better alternative is dentures made with lifelike composite teeth that offer the same look as porcelain without being so damaging to the bone.
Does the Process of Getting Natural-Looking Dentures Hurt?
Not at all. Getting natural-looking dental prosthetics is no more uncomfortable than getting dentures in general; the impression process is the same. What makes dentures natural-looking involves the selection of materials and the arrangement of the denture teeth.
Getting implant supported dentures may initially cause discomfort as you replace missing teeth with implants. However, over time pain will go away and they will blend in seamlessly with your remaining natural teeth and feel more like real teeth.
Are Natural-Looking Dentures Expensive?
Higher quality dentures that look more natural cost more than basic dentures that address functional needs only because they involve advanced materials that give them a lifelike appearance. For example, a functional denture can cost less than $900, while most dentures made with multi-layered composite or porcelain teeth that emulate the look of natural teeth garner about $2,000 per denture.
See Also: Getting Dentures for the First Time? Here’s What to Expect!
Natural-Looking Dentures at European Denture Center
European Denture Center offers a range of denture styles to address any needs and functional concerns. While our Essential Denture is geared toward patients who want a basic denture, our Signature and Digital Dentures offer an unmatched blending of quality and natural-looking appearance with a more-precise fit and greater comfort.
It is possible to have it all. Why settle for anything less? Your consultation appointment could be the first step toward the beautiful smile that you deserve!