Denture Care Health Article

Definition

Denture care is the maintenance of removable artificial teeth. Full or complete dentures replace all teeth in the upper jaw (maxilla), lower jaw (mandible), or both jaws. Partial dentures replace some teeth.

Purpose

Dentures replace natural teeth lost because of a health condition or injury. The artificial teeth fit in the mouth, allowing a person to eat normally. Daily denture care by the patient helps prevent conditions such as plaque. Periodic dental appointments assure that dentures fit properly and that the patient's mouth is healthy.

Precautions

Dentures are fragile and can break if dropped. The American Dental Association (ADA) advises people to hold dentures over a towel or basin of water. The patient should not try to repair dentures.

Dentures should fit, so dental adhesive should be used only in an emergency. Extended adhesive use can conceal infections.

Sores

Dentures and partial dentures can cause sores in areas such as the jaw, below the tongue, and on the roof of the mouth (palate). Sores can swell slightly and are generally red. Poor oral hygiene and wearing dentures too long can lead to denture stomatitis (denture sore mouth). Symptoms often include an inflamed palate. The dentist may prescribe antibiotics or an antiseptic rinse.

Other causes of sores include poorly fitted dentures, an uneven bite, illness, and infections. Moreover, smoking, alcoholism, or oral cancer may cause sores. Furthermore, neglected sores could stimulate the growth of excess soft tissue. Tissue should be removed and a biopsy performed to detect malignant cells.

Description

People have worn dentures for thousands of years. Early material for artificial teeth included whale ivory. Today, most restorative teeth are made of plastic material such as acrylic resin.

Types of dentures

There are two types of complete dentures. Immediate dentures are placed in a patient's mouth after teeth are removed. These temporary dentures allow patients to have

teeth while gums heal. Healing can take up to eight weeks. Conventional dentures are worn after gums heal.

Complete dentures rest on the dental ridge, the arch in the mouth that supports teeth roots.

For a partial denture, artificial teeth are attached to a base that fits on the gums. Clasps and attachments link the framework to the patient's other teeth.

An overdenture fits on the roots of natural teeth. Those teeth provide stability and support.

Costs for care

At-home denture care involves traditional oral hygiene and denture cleaning. In the spring of 2001, at-home denture products such as cleansers and toothpaste cost $7 or less.

Denture care also includes dental appointments. In the United States in 2000, the average complete denture cost about $874 for the upper arch and $900 for lower arch, according to information compiled by <http://www.bracesinfo.com>. That information was based on statistics from sources including the ADA and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

An acrylic partial denture cost averaged $632, while a metal partial costs $983.

Denture repairs averaged $51 for an adjustment, $91 for a broken denture with no teeth involved, $90 for tooth replacement, and $139 to reline dentures.

Dental plans may cover some costs. For example, the 2000 Delta Dental Plan of California assessed a patient co-pay of $395 for the upper or lower complete denture, and $495 for an immediate denture for one jaw. The copay for one partial was $300 or $395, with the higher cost for a metal framework.

Repair co-pays included $20 for adjustments, $50 for repairing the denture base, and $25 for a tooth replacement. The plan allows one relining per denture in a year. The chairside reline cost was $50 per denture and $150 for laboratory relining.