Dentures – Putnam, CT

Effects of Missing Teeth

Tooth loss can negatively impact your oral and overall health. More specifically, it can lead to:

• Low self-esteem – With noticeable gaps in your mouth, you may not feel confident, even if you’re catching up with old friends.
• Nutritional deficiencies – Without a strong, healthy bite, you’ll be stuck eating only extremely soft foods, like cottage cheese, applesauce, and plain yogurt.
• Trouble communicating – The gaps in your smile can also make enunciating clearly difficult, which makes communicating with the people around you difficult as well.
• Dental drift – The longer you wait to replace your teeth, the more likely it is that the ones surrounding the gap will begin to move out of their properly aligned positions.

What Qualifies You for Dentures?

Since dentures don’t require much from patients, almost any adult with missing teeth can get them. That said, this tried-and-true tooth-replacement solution benefits some folks more than others. For example, they don’t always suit people with unhealthy gums or people whose jaws can’t support dentures well.

With all of that said, the best way to confirm your candidacy is to consult our dentists. At your consultation, they can perform a close oral exam to see if dentures would help. After doing so, they’ll use their findings to tailor a custom treatment plan just for you.

Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options

If dentures aren’t the ideal tooth-replacement solution for you for one reason or another, then we will explore the other options available, like:

• Dental bridges – For decades, patients have replaced one tooth or up to four teeth in a row with traditional dental bridges. If we decide together that this is the best way to rebuild your smile, then we will secure the replacement tooth (or teeth) in place with two custom dental crowns, ensuring your restoration looks and feels natural.
• Dental implants – A state-of-the-art approach to tooth loss, dental implants are inserted into your jawbone. Not only does this restore some of the strength of your bite that you lost, but it also helps prevent bone loss and preserve your youthful face shape. Plus, with proper care and maintenance, your dental implants can last for 30+ years.

What Are Dentures Made Of?

Dentures are made of durable, highly aesthetic materials that look just like teeth and gums.

The base, which is the part that sits on your gums, is usually created from acrylic or flexible polymers for comfort and stability. Partial dentures may also include small metal clasps that secure them in place.

The teeth, on the other hand, are crafted from resin or porcelain, which are chosen for their strength and lifelike appearance. We carefully select materials to ensure your prosthetics function as intended and blend seamlessly with your natural smile.

The Denture Creation Process

So how do dentures get from idea to reality so quickly? As it turns out, making dentures involves several precise steps to bring them to life in a way that’s both beautiful and secure. Here’s how the process works:

• Consultation & Exam – We start by evaluating your oral health and discussing your goals for treatment. This first step is critical to ensure the following steps are done with precision and care.
• Impressions – Detailed digital scans of your mouth are taken to capture the exact shape of your gums and any remaining teeth you may have.
• Wax Model Try-In – A wax prototype of your dentures is created to check the fit, bite, and appearance. Once you try it on, we can take notes for adjustments before final fabrication.
• Fabrication – Using high-quality acrylics, resins, or porcelain, your permanent dentures are crafted in a dental lab. This involves a complex molding process and specialized machines that fit, cut, and polish your prosthetic to perfection.
• Final Fitting – Once complete, you’ll try on your dentures in our office. Barring any minor adjustments, this appointment will be quick, and you’ll be able to take your new smile home with you!

Adjusting to Your New Dentures

Even with the most precise fit, it’s normal for new dentures to feel slightly awkward at first. You may notice minor soreness, changes in speech, or difficulty chewing certain foods. But there’s no need to worry! With time and practice, these issues will slowly fade away.

To help speed up this process, we recommend starting with soft foods, reading aloud, and wearing your dentures regularly. Remember, practice makes permanent!

If discomfort lasts more than a few weeks, we’ll be here to fine-tune the fit of your appliance. Our team is committed to making your transition to dentures as smooth and comfortable as possible. 

Psychological Benefits

Tooth loss takes a toll on your self-esteem with every new gap in your grin. In fact, many people find themselves avoiding photo-ops, covering their mouths when they laugh, or withdrawing from social situations altogether.

That’s where dentures come in. These appliances help restore a full, natural-looking smile, which can dramatically improve your confidence and give your mental health an overall boost.

At our Putnam dental practice, we’ve seen patients walk out of their final fitting with a brand-new outlook on life. Many of them return to us saying how their new prosthetics help them smile without hesitation, engage in conversation, and enjoy daily life again—it’s all part of the emotional healing dentures can bring.

Clearer Enunciation

Missing teeth can also affect the way you speak, making it harder to pronounce words clearly. Dentures help restore your natural bite and tongue position, allowing for better enunciation overall.

After a short adjustment period that generally lasts a couple of weeks—possibly a month—most patients find their speech improves significantly. Our team designs dentures that fit comfortably and support clearer communication, so you can speak up without second-guessing your words.

Improves Nutrition

Dentures do more than help you chew—they become a part of your digestive system that supports your overall health. Being able to eat a wider variety of foods means you can enjoy more of what you love and gain all the nutritional benefits from it. This not only improves your nutrient intake but also promotes better digestion and gut health. No more indigestion or heartburn due to large chunks of under-processed food sitting in your digestive tract!

Preserves Oral Health

Denture prosthetics help maintain proper spacing between your remaining teeth and prevent them from shifting over time, which protects their alignment. They also help support your facial muscles, reducing the sunken appearance that is often associated with tooth loss and enhancing your facial aesthetics. When crafted and fitted properly, these appliances help distribute pressure evenly across your gums, jawbone, and natural teeth, reducing discomfort and wear over time, promoting long-term oral health.

Expands Opportunity

A full, confident smile can leave a lasting first impression, and dentures ensure you always look and feel your best. Whether you’re interviewing for a job, meeting new people, or reconnecting with loved ones, your smile influences how others perceive you. At Unique Dental of Putnam, we’ve seen firsthand how restoring a smile can transform both appearance and self-confidence. Being your most authentic self opens doors to countless opportunities and life’s endless possibilities!

Factors That Affect the Cost of Dentures

There are multiple aspects of your treatment that will determine the overall cost. Some of these include:

• Whether any preparatory procedures are needed, like tooth extractions, gum disease treatment, etc.
• How many teeth you’re missing and their locations.
• The materials you would like your dentures to be crafted from.
• Whether you’re having them attached to dental implants.

We always urge our patients to think about their smile goals before the cost, because the cheaper option won’t always be the most satisfying or functional choice for you. Our team is happy to help walk you through how to make dentures more affordable to put your ideal smile within reach.

Are Implant Dentures More Expensive?

It’s true that implant dentures in Putnam are more costly than traditional dentures, and that’s because they restore the entire lost structure of teeth, including the roots. This makes them a highly desirable, cutting-edge treatment that allows patients to enjoy replacement teeth that look, feel, and function identically to natural teeth. Additionally, implant dentures have a long lifespan of 25+ years with good oral hygiene and maintenance. As a result, you won’t have to worry about replacing them as frequently or coming in as often for relining. In the long run, fewer visits to the dental office could actually make them even less costly than traditional dentures!

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dentures?

Most dental insurance plans cover about 50 percent of the cost of dentures, leaving the other 50 percent of the treatment for you to pay out-of-pocket. Our team at Unique Dental of Putnam is proud to be in-network with multiple major insurance plans as well as offer savings for those who are out-of-network. All you need to do before your visit is provide us with your dental insurance card. Our team can then conduct a benefits check through your insurance to let you know how much of your bill will be covered by your benefits, and how much you’ll be responsible for paying.

Other Options for Making Dentures More Affordable

If you’re uninsured or aren’t able to cover the out-of-pocket portion of your treatment, our team works with CareCredit to provide patients with little-to-no interest monthly payment plans. All you need to do is apply either in our office or online to learn whether you qualify. If you’re uninsured, we also offer a 10 percent discount on all dental services when you sign up for our in-house membership plan!