Partial Dentures

Partial Dentures are a means of replacing one or a few missing teeth. Gaps in your smile can influence the way you feel about yourself and can drastically change the way you interact with other people. And missing teeth affect your overall oral health as well. Tooth replacement can give you back your confidence and help you act and feel like your “old self.”

Dr. Kevin Khorshid has helped thousands of patients restore their smiles with partial dentures. These dental prosthetics are natural and comfortable and is signed to match your natural teeth so that no one will ever know that you’re wearing a partial denture.

Replacing Missing Teeth Protects Your Smile

When you lose even one tooth, there are changes that occur throughout your entire mouth. Once a tooth falls out of its socket, the surrounding teeth drift toward that empty space. That shift leaves your teeth vulnerable to decay and gum diseases and increases the chances of losing more teeth. Shifting teeth leads to misalignment in your jaw, which affects the way you chew and speak, and can even lead to chronic pain in the jaw joint.

But replacing lost teeth fills in the gaps and keeps your remaining teeth in place, protects them from disease and decay, and helps to maintain your jaw alignment.

Types Of Partial Dentures

Partial dentures can be grouped into two categories: fixed and removable. There are pros and cons to each type, and only your dentist can help you choose the best option for your mouth. Whether you end up with a fixed or a partial denture will depend on your personal preferences, the structure of your mouth, health of your remaining teeth, and other factors. Dr. Khorshid makes personalized recommendations for each patient based on his or her individual circumstances.

A Partial denture can be taken out when you eat certain foods or to clean the prosthetic. Dr. Khorshid will design replacement teeth that are attached to a plastic plate that looks just like your natural gums. Typically, a metal brace supports the partial denture and keeps it in place, but other materials may be used. The partial uses your natural teeth to support it and keep it in place. It’s “locked in” snugly with tiny clasps that hug the spaces in between your teeth. All of this sounds bulky and complicated, but removable partials are very comfortable and aren’t noticeable when they are in place.

Partial dentures are also called dental bridges. Once a bridge is in place it is “fixed” and is not removable. To fit a bridge, Dr. Kevin will take impressions of your teeth on either side of the gap. He will design artificial teeth that will fill in that space. The partial denture is attached to and held in place by dental crowns placed on your surrounding teeth. Those crowns provide a solid anchor for the bridge.

Many patients put off replacing missing teeth when the loss affects just a few teeth, or if the loss occurs in the back of the mouth. Some people avoid replacing their teeth because they just don’t like the dentist. But replacing even one lost tooth is critical to keeping the rest of your teeth healthy and in place. And partial dentures are a comfortable and affordable means of maintaining your smile.