Full vs. Partial Dentures—What’s the Difference?



Tooth loss at an early age can be quite challenging to deal with. You can no longer enjoy your favorite foods and usually become self-conscious while talking and smiling in front of other people.
But thanks to modern dentistry, you no longer have to live without teeth all your life. Doesn’t matter how bad your situation is, a dentist will find always find a viable solution for you.
Take dentures for example, which come in different forms and shapes to cater to a variety of tooth conditions. Dentures are usually divided into two broad categories, full dentures and partial dentures. To learn more about their differences, let’s look at them in detail:

Full Dentures

As the name suggests, full dentures are a complete set of teeth. They come in different sets for the upper and low jaw. The upper jaw has a gum-colored acrylic base, which is placed on the roof of the mouth to hold the dentures firmly in place. The lower jaw on the other hand is shaped like a horseshoe to make more room for the tongue.  
Since they are a complete set, all remaining teeth have to be removed before full dentures can be worn. This is a great option for you if your remaining teeth are in a bad shape, as the removal of the decaying teeth will allow your gums to heal properly. This will help you maintain better oral hygiene and prevent any sort of health complications.
Since gums keep changing their shape, you may need to have your dentures realigned or readjusted from time to time for better fitting.

Partial Dentures

Dentists never recommend the removal of healthy teeth. So if your remaining teeth are in good shape, then full dentures may not be an ideal option for you. This is where partial dentures come in.
Partial dentures are only a set of one or two teeth, which are used to replace only the missing teeth. They can be attached to the mouth in many ways; however, the most common method is using metal clasps. The metal clasps are attached to the neighboring teeth, which is why the remaining teeth should be healthy enough to provide support to the dentures. This method provides a lot more convenience as the dentures can be removed whenever required.
Other ways in which partial dentures are installed is using precision attachments and dental crowns, which are surgically inserted into the gums. These methods provide much more stability to the dentures, enabling them to function just like natural teeth.
If you are looking for dentures in Germantown, get in touch with us. We are one of the leading dental services in the area and provide a complete range of solutions for tooth loss. Call (301) 353-8890 to book an appointment.


Comments