Dentures are for patients that have no remaining healthy teeth. We use this dental appliance as a replacement for missing teeth offering more freedom to the patient than where they are. We want you to live a happy life, we don’t want you to be concerned about your image or feeling the constant need to question if the food you are about to eat will be okay for your teeth. Dentures come in a variety of materials and two varieties, removable and permanent dentures. The difference between the two lies in the ability to have something to anchor the denture to, this may be a healthy tooth that remains, or more commonly, dental implants. Implant anchored dentures will provide you much more comfort and freedom to forget about your denture.

Complete Dentures

Complete dentures are a prosthesis that replaces all of the teeth in the same arch, either top or bottom. This product is made of artificial white plastic teeth in a pink gum colored plastic base, it rests on the gum ridge after all of your teeth in the arch have been removed.

Dentures, either an upper denture, a lower denture, and especially both, is a major lifestyle change compared to your natural teeth. This is not a decision that should be made lightly, yet, it can also bring a lot of good to someone who has no remaining healthy teeth. Dentures will impact the food you eat, it can hurt your self-confidence and even your self-esteem.

We frequently suggest using dental implants as a retentive mechanism. By creating a strong base, we can significantly improve your comfort. What Dr. Whipple does is, he will surgically implant a device that resembles a screw directly into your jawbone. This device is then covered with a dental crown. With two dental implants, Dr. Whipple now has two strong anchors to attach a partial dentures to. No loose dentures. No messy, gooey over the counter adhesives. Sometimes, the implants can even be placed in the jaw after a denture has been in use for several years.

Removable Dentures

Full dentures, as a removable device, are better than no teeth, but they will never feel like natural teeth. You will always need to care for them and be mindful of the food you are able to eat with dentures. Many patients have discussed a decrease in self-confidence, this is often a difficult transition.

Implant Anchored Dentures

With advances in dental technology, we are able to offer many of our patients implant-retained dentures. This option gives the patient both a natural looking smile, much more comfort, and a fully functioning mouth. Implant anchored dentures provide much more comfort, but they do require the bone to support them. Dr. Whipple will determine if you are a candidate for this procedure. Dental implants or mini implants are placed directly into your jawbone, providing a solid base to serve as posts to attach your dentures to. This will give you much more comfort than having adhesive placed dentures. If fact, you can forget that the dentures are even there. Ask about dental implant anchored dentures today.

Please contact our Tigard, OR office for more information on dentures or dental implants.