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What are dentures?
Dentures are artificial substitutes used to replace all or some of the lost
teeth and adjoining tissues to maintain function, health and esthetics of
the tissues. So in simple words dentures help replace lost teeth.
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Why are teeth lost?
Teeth are lost due to a number of causes. The two main reasons for loss
of teeth are dental decay and periodontal diseases (gum diseases). Both
dental decay and gum diseases are a result of poor oral hygiene.
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Is it necessary to replace lost teeth?
It is very important to replace lost natural teeth. Loss of teeth affects
chewing of food and also affects the esthetics of the person by altering
the lip and cheek appearance. When a lost tooth is not replaced there
is a tendency for the adjacent and opposing teeth to move into the space
left by the lost teeth. Thus the person's occlusion or bite is altered.
In addition the loss of teeth causes shrinkage of the bone at that area.
To avoid all these problems it is advisable to replace lost teeth by artificial
dentures.
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What are the different types of dentures?
Dentures are broadly classified as partial and complete dentures. Complete
dentures replace all the teeth while partial dentures replace a few teeth.
Partial dentures can be again classified as removable partial dentures and
fixed partial dentures.
Removable partial dentures replace a few teeth and are designed to be removed
and replaced by the patient.
The fixed partial dentures also replace a few teeth but cannot be removed
by the patient.
A new type of denture gaining popularity is the Implant retained denture
that can be used to replace some or all teeth. This type of denture comprises
of metallic implants that are embedded into the bone and give support for
artificial teeth. |
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