According to Statistics Canada, over 22% of men and over 21% of women in their sixties and seventies have no teeth. If you are one of them, or if your dentist in Winnipeg has warned you of the need to consider tooth replacement options in the future, don’t forget about the possibility of getting dentures near you. Dentures have been around for so long that people tend to think they know everything there is to know about them without giving them a second thought. Let us explain why you should give getting dentures in Winnipeg to replace your missing teeth careful and serious consideration.
Why not to ignore present or pending tooth loss
Avoiding eating foods like meat, vegetables, and fruit because they’re hard to chew without teeth means you’re missing out on essential nutrients. Living on easy to chew carbohydrates alone is unhealthy. Or, if you’re still eating those hard to chew foods, but just not chewing them, you are running the risk of stomach and digestive problems. Getting dentures in Winnipeg may be a solution.
Someone with missing teeth often smiles less, or hides their smile behind their hands because they’re embarrassed. That’s bad enough, but teeth are important for reasons beyond vanity. Your facial muscles may gradually lose definition and shape due the lack of teeth in your jaw.
Teeth are involved in the pronunciation of words — like the word “teeth,” for example. Consulting with a denture clinic near you can confirm that dentures may help solve that problem. If you value your ability to speak persuasively and credibly, dentures can help.
Yes, dentures are still an effective solution
Dentures have been around in one form or another since 700BC. Until the 1700s, they were made of human or animal teeth, then with walrus, elephant or even hippopotamus ivory. Thankfully, progress has continued apace.
Modern dentures are made primarily of resin, acrylic, and porcelain. Today’s dentists follow a three-step process to craft dentures precisely for you.
Step 1: Your dentist in Winnipeg will take impressions of the ridges of your gums
Step 2: Measurements taken from those impressions will give the information needed to build a plastic resin base that will fit onto your jawline. That resin base will be coloured to look like natural gums.
Step 3: You and your dentist will select the size and shape for your new teeth made of porcelain. To do that, you may want to show a dentist near you photos of yourself with your original teeth. Once chosen, your teeth will be mounted on the base material.
Step 4: Your mouth and jaw are a constantly moving and changing part of your living body. Dentures need to be fine-tuned to fit properly, bite and chew precisely, and seem entirely natural. By the end of this four-step process, your dental clinic in Winnipeg will have set you up with a lasting solution for your tooth loss.
What are the down sides of dentures, and options?
Dentures do not bond to your jawbone. One of the serious consequences of tooth loss can be gradual and progressive loss of bone tissue in your jaw. As this happens, you may notice a looser fit, decreased functionality, and some discomfort.
Dental implants can be a permanently effective response to bone loss, since they bond to your jaw through a process called osseointegration. Since dentures float on your gums, they don’t have that opportunity to bond.
New techniques that your dentist in Winnipeg will be familiar with can help with this problem. Your dentist can place small implants along your jaw that will connect securely to fittings in the resin base of your dentures. Your gums will be freed of the pressure of the dentures, and the bond between those titanium implants and your jaw bone may stimulate new bone growth.
Are you ready to take the first step toward a solution for your tooth loss? Contact a dental clinic to find out how dentures can brighten your smile and change your life.