People who suffer from missing teeth may think dentures will be uncomfortable and hard to maintain, but their numerous advantages outweigh any temporary discomfort.
鈥淔or patients who鈥檝e lost some or all of their teeth, getting dentures as soon as possible offers many benefits, in terms of both appearance and function,鈥� says Madison Eschbach of .
Chewing ability
The ability to chew food well not only improves enjoyment, it contributes to overall health and nutrition. No longer having restrictions on what you can eat means having a balanced diet, filled with all the foods you enjoy.
Replacing toothless areas with denture teeth drastically improves chewing ability. However, eating certain foods in moderation will help preserve your dentures.
鈥淭his is usually people鈥檚 main concern when considering dentures,鈥� Eschbach says. 鈥淎dapting to new dentures does take time and patience 鈥� for the first few weeks you should eat only soft foods and take small bites. Even after this period it鈥檚 not recommended to eat a lot foods like nuts, hard candy or whole apples. If you cut an apple into pieces you can avoid the kind of bite that can break the seal on dentures.鈥�
Aesthetics
Without teeth, your facial muscles will start to sag. Wearing a denture provides support for the lips and cheeks, preventing the 鈥渃ollapsed鈥� appearance that can often occur after losing teeth, keeping your natural facial appearance and preventing you from looking older.
鈥淲ithout teeth the jaw doesn鈥檛 have any support,鈥� Eschbach says. 鈥淒entures hold your jaw in a natural position, not only preserving your facial appearance, but also avoiding potential conditions like caused by an improper bite.
鈥淲e can also customize your dentures with different colour shades, close a tooth gap or give you bigger denture teeth for a more confident smile.鈥�
Improved speech
By replacing missing teeth 鈥� especially the front ones 鈥� patients are better able to pronounce words like 鈥榝ifty鈥�, 鈥榮tilts鈥�, or 鈥榯ent.鈥�
鈥淣ew dentures do cause a lisp for a few days, until the oral muscles adjust to the appliance and the tongue has adjusted to resting on the dentures,鈥� Eschbach says. 鈥淎fter the adjustment period though, you鈥檒l have no problem pronouncing all of these words properly again!鈥�
Self-Esteem
People feel much better about themselves when their teeth look great. A full, beautiful smile can give back the confidence a person may have lost along with their teeth.
鈥淪ome people come in feeling very self-conscious about a mouth full of bad teeth,鈥� Eschbach says. 鈥淲e regularly have people break down and cry when they see their new smile, or when they tell us how happy they are that they were able to attend a big family event without feeling uncomfortable.
鈥淢y favourite part of my job is seeing people come out of the room with their new dentures, and a big smile on their face!鈥�
Follow Kasper Denture Clinic on and , or at one of their clinics located in Vernon and , or their satellite office in .