Removable Dental Prosthesis
What are removable dental prostheses?
Removable dental prostheses are dental restorations that can be removed by the patient when using it is not necessary. Dentures are the most common removable dental prosthesis in the market and are, by far, the most common way that most patients choose to replace their missing teeth. The reason behind this is that, despite all the other advancements in dental technology, removable dental prosthesis are noninvasive and will not require any surgical incisions or painful recovery. Removable dental prosthesis are supported by surrounding tissues in the oral cavity and may be conveniently removed by the patient when not in use and replaced whenever necessary.
The use of removable dental prostheses is recommended for patients who do not wish to undergo any specific type of dental surgery to replace their missing teeth, but would certainly benefit from this specific restoration. Removable dental prostheses can improve chewing abilities, help maintain muscle tone that gets lost with tooth loss, restore or improve the patient’s ability to speak and pronounce words better, and, most of all, give the patient a boost in self-esteem that is normally lost when the patient begins to lose his teeth.
​
What are the different types of removable dental prostheses?
Partial dentures are removable dental prostheses that are used for patients that are just missing some of their teeth with the restoration anchored or latched onto the patient’s remaining natural teeth. The replacement teeth in a partial denture are usually attached to a colored plastic base that is connected to the metal framework that will hold the denture in place when put inside the patient’s mouth. Internal attachments that latch onto adjacent teeth are crucial in ensuring that removable partial dentures do not shift or fall out when the patient uses them. Removable partial dentures are effective, not only in filling in the gaps created by missing teeth, but also prevent the remaining natural teeth from drifting out of position.
Complete dentures, on the other hand, are used to replace all of the teeth in the patient’s upper maxillary or lower mandibular arch. A conventional complete denture is a type of removable dental prostheses that is inserted into the mouth after the gums have completely healed from tooth extraction. Because the gums may take some time to heal, the complete denture may not be used by the patient for a certain amount of time, during which he may have to go without teeth. Immediate complete dentures, on the other hand, are inserted into the patient’s mouth immediately after all the teeth have been extracted. The patient will not have to go without teeth, but as the gums and tissues heal, they will shrink and this will cause the removable dental prostheses to come loose and a readjustment is necessary after a certain period of time.
​
What results should I expect from wearing removable dental prostheses?
It will take the body some time to adjust to the sensation of removable dental prostheses. At first, the new dentures will feel uncomfortable and even awkward at times. The patient will experience excessive salivation, difficulty in eating or speaking, and a feeling like the denture is so thick that the tongue does not have enough room to move inside the mouth. All of these, however, when will eventually fade as the patient gets more and more used to the appliance.