Dentures

Dentures restore your smile and preserve your oral health if you’ve lost some or all of your natural teeth. At Smile Structure Dentistry and Braces, with five offices in San Antonio and Helotes, Texas, the team of general and family dentists partners with area dental labs to design and manufacture partial and complete dentures. Call the nearest Smile Structure Dentistry and Braces office to schedule a denture consultation, or request your appointment online today. 

How are dentures different from dental implants?

Dentures and dental implants both replace your natural teeth, but they do it in different ways.

Dentures

Dentures are removable oral prosthetics that replace some or all of your natural teeth. They rest on your gums and make it easier to bite and chew. Dentures are typically more affordable and provide an excellent treatment option for those with low bone volume. 

Dental implants

Dental implants are metal screws inserted into your tooth sockets. They fuse with your bone after placement and provide a foundation for restorations, like crowns, bridges, and implant-supported dentures. Dental implants tend to be more expensive than dentures and require patients to have enough bone to support them.

Are there different types of dentures?

The Smile Structure Dentistry and Braces team offers several types of dentures, including:

Partial dentures

Partial dentures replace only a few teeth. They have a metal framework, plastic gums, and several false teeth. Partial dentures snap into place and prevent your existing teeth from moving out of position.

Complete dentures

Complete dentures replace an entire row of teeth in your upper or lower arch. They have a metal base plate, artificial gums made of plastic or acrylic, and a full arch of false teeth. 

Complete dentures rest on top of your gums. You apply an adhesive to the bottom to keep them from changing position. 

What does getting dentures involve?

Getting dentures at Smile Structure Dentistry and Braces takes several appointments over the course of a month.

If the team determines you can benefit from dentures, they take intraoral scans of your upper and lower jaw. Then, they send your scans to a nearby denture lab that uses them to design and manufacture a custom partial or complete denture.

A week or two later, when your denture is finished, you return to Smile Structure Dentistry and Braces. Your provider has you try them on and assess the fit. They make adjustments as needed and send the dentures back to the lab if necessary.

If your new dentures fit well, your dentist explains how to care for them and protect them from damage. 

Call the nearest Smile Structure Dentistry and Braces office to schedule a denture consultation, or request your visit online today.

*Results may vary.