There are a number of reasons someone may require dentures, including tooth loss from trauma, decay or gum disease. Dentures allow you to continue eating the foods you enjoy and can give you the confidence to continue to smile unabated. Dentures anchored on implants also play an important role in keeping your jaw healthy, as bone loss can occur in your jaw at the site of the lost teeth. This happens because the jawbone isn't being stimulated by your teeth any longer, so it can deteriorate and can lead to your facial muscles sagging. Read on to learn about the three main types of dentures.

Complete Dentures

Complete dentures are required if you've lost all of your teeth. They consist of an acrylic tray that's made to fit snuggly over your gums, and there are a full set of porcelain teeth fitted to the tray. Modern dentures look much more natural than the dentures you may remember a decade or more ago, and the shade of the gum tray and porcelain teeth can be altered to create dentures that suit your mouth. You can bite into hard foods with dentures and they're easy to keep clean, but some people experience some mild gum irritation when they start wearing dentures. This usually passes after a couple of weeks, but if it persists, you may need your dentist to adjust the acrylic tray.

Partial Dentures

If you only have a few consecutive teeth missing, partial dentures may be suitable for you. Removable partial dentures consist of porcelain teeth attached to a plastic base plate and are held in place with a metal frame. Fixed partial dentures require your natural teeth on either side of the dentures to be healthy. They consist of an implant at each end that holds the dentures in place with a titanium screw inserted into the gum and porcelain teeth between the implants. So, if you have four missing teeth, the outer tooth on each side would be an implant and the middle two teeth would be attached to and held in place by the implant teeth.

Overdentures

Overdentures are similar to implants, but they can be removed. Titanium screws are inserted into your gums, and the dentures attach to the screws with a simple click-lock mechanism. They are similar to complete dentures, but the screws replace the acrylic tray. Some people feel more confident eating hard or chewy foods with overdentures, as they feel they are more secure, and this can lead to improved social confidence.

Contact a company like Mobile Denture Repair to learn more.