Attractive options for today's denture wearer

Tarvo Puust In Canada, over 5.3 million people wear dentures, of which 57 per cent are women and 43 per cent men.

In Ontario, 42 per cent of the population wears some type of denture. Thirty-six per cent wear full dentures and 47 per cent wear partial dentures. A large percentage of denture wearers are in the baby boom generation, who are currently tackling issues with aging. The focus is not so much about how to accept an aging body passively, but rather how to preserve health, strength and vitality, no matter what a person's age.

Your denturist wants you to maintain healthy teeth throughout your life. But if tooth loss requires dentures, your denturist has several attractive options for you.

Depending on your situation, dentures may be needed to replace all or some of your teeth. Different types of dentures serve different purposes.

Immediate dentures are placed right after removing any remaining teeth. These have the added benefit that you have the look and use of teeth while your mouth heals, making your transition to dentures more subtle. However, your jawbone and gums will gradually shrink after teeth are removed, so follow-up care will be provided during the healing process.

Conventional full dentures replace all of your upper and/or lower teeth. They are custom-crafted and fitted over a series of appointments to ensure an excellent fit and natural look. Your denturist will provide you with home care instructions, and have you come in for periodic adjustments or relines to ensure that your conventional dentures continue to fit properly and feel comfortable.

Implant retained dentures have the look and feel of natural healthy teeth. Dentures are fixed in place using strategically placed implants. Relatively recently, there have been advancements in dentistry so dentures can be secured by implants in the same day with a nearly 100 per cent success rate. With this specific procedure you can also eat a steak dinner immediately after surgery. You will feel like you have healthy, natural teeth again. Also, the implants provide stimulation that can help preserve the bone in your jaw. This specific treatment has been coined as Permanent Teethin a-Day. More information regarding this treatment can be found at www.secondsmile. ca.

Partial dentures may be a good choice when you have lost several teeth but still have some remaining. Partials help to prevent your existing teeth from shifting within your mouth. By balancing the chewing force over many teeth, it reduces the pressure on other parts of your jaw. Conventional partial dentures have clasps to attach them to your remaining teeth, while some partial dentures have invisi-clasps, which make the clasp less visible.

Dentures are important both for your oral health and the attractiveness of your smile, because they provide the necessary support to keep your facial muscles from sagging and preventing an older appearance and allow you to eat a wider variety of foods than you could without teeth. This helps ensure that you get adequate nutrition to maintain good health. Lastly, dentures help you to speak more easily than possible without teeth.

If you have been hiding your mouth because of missing teeth, many types of denture solutions may help improve how you look and feel about your smile.

For seminar information or to book a free consultation, please call the Innisfil Denture Clinic at 705-436- 1886. We're located at 958 Innisfil Beach Road Alcona, across from the Innisfil Public Library's Lakeshore branch. Or, visit www.innisfildenture. com or e-mail us at Leila@puust.com.