Growing older often means losing some of your teeth. It doesn’t matter much whether this is due to neglect, accidents, or what have you. You’re still left with a weaker, incomplete smile that doesn’t look good. It even makes you look older than you really are.

That’s why you need to call our Highland, MI dental office today at248-329-3552 and schedule an appointment for modern dentures. These are not the removable dentures of old. Dr. LoCascio is your Highland dentist trained to use full and partial dentures to restore your whole smile.

What Dentures Do Your Your Smile

When you have just one tooth missing from your smile, you can choose from a few replacement options. For example, both dental bridges and dental implants can replace that lost tooth to make your smile look great again.

However, it would be impractical to use either restorative dentistry treatment if you’re missing a lot of teeth. That’s where dentures come in. You get a set of natural-looking but durable replacement teeth built into a gum-colored base. Add some non-toxic adhesive to the base, and you have yourself a complete smile.

There are two types of traditional dentures available at our Highland, MI dental office:

  • Partial dentures are for when you’re missing several teeth in a row but still have some of your natural teeth.
  • Full dentures are for when you’re missing most or even all the teeth on the top or bottom of your mouth.

Both are removable, meaning you can take them out so your gums can get a break. If you are worried about dentures falling out, you can also get dentures secured by dental implants.

Helping Your Dentures Do Their Job

Typically, dentures will give you around 10 years of solid use before you have to look into a replacement. That’s just an average, of course, so here are some ways you can get the most out of your traditional dentures.

– Clean your dentures every night

While you certainly do not have to worry about your dentures getting cavities, that’s not why you need to keep them clean. You can still have problems with gum disease, and cleaning your dentures helps avoid bad breath and stains on the replacement teeth. Use a specific denture cleaner to make sure you don’t accidentally damage them.

– Store your dentures in water overnight

Dentures are specifically designed to stay wet. That’s because they’re supposed to be in your mouth, covered by saliva and everything you drink. What happens if you let your dentures dry out? They could warp just enough to either fall out more easily or be uncomfortable on your gums. You need to remove your dentures each night anyway to give your gums time to rest, so store your dentures in water overnight.

– Stick with cold or lukewarm water with your dentures

Speaking of water, some people want to use boiling water with their dentures. They think this is more sanitary. While boiling water does kill germs and bacteria, it can also change the shape of your dentures. (After all, you never drinking boiling anything.) As long as you clean them regularly, your dentures really need cold or lukewarm water only.

– Consider securing your dentures with dental implants

To really get the most from your dentures, you can connect them to dental implants. This makes sure they never move while you chew, making your bite stronger. But it also helps keep your jawbone and gums healthier. Dr. LoCascio can give you implant-retained dentures or implant-secured dentures.

– Make regular appointments with our Highland dentist

Again, you won’t have to worry about your dentures and cavities. But gum disease and oral cancer are two worries that you’ll always have even with dentures. That’s why you need to make those regular dental visits. Plus, Dr. LoCascio can make sure your removable dentures are still working as they should.

Call us TODAY at 248-329-3552 or use our convenient online form to schedule your next appointment for modern, removable dentures. At that time, you can talk to our Highland dentist to see if implant-secured dentures are a better choice for you. Regardless of which you pick, you’ll finally have a complete smile again.