People nowadays are facing a lot of dental problems beside the crossbite, underbite, and the cases which we previously discussed that require immediate palatal expansion, and one of the problems we see today is missing one or many teeth, because beside the bad smile and appearance, it may lead to some psychological issues such as loosing self confidence, now if you are wondering about the possible choices to replace your unhealthy or missing teeth with a series of artificial ones, this is where the maxillary partial denture shows !
People usually choose this technique because they don’t have to use the full dentures just to repair a couple of missing/unhealthy teeth in the maxilary jaw, instead, the maxillary partial denture can successfully do the job without the need to sacrifice the entire arch with a better comfort and a lower price.
WHAT IS MAXILLARY PARTIAL DENTURE ?
Some dentists call it ” False Teeth dentures ” , Partial denture is a removable dental appliance that can be applied on the mouth to replace and cover one or many missing teeth, while full dentures replace the full arch, a partial denture replace only one or several teeth.
It can be made from different materials and as long as not all teeth are lost, people can use the maxillary partial denture to cover as many teeth as are missing in the upper maxillary jaw, or they may also use mandibular partial dentures to cover the loss of teeth on the lower mandibular jaw.
So it is only used with the maxillary upper jaw.
MAXILLARY PARTIAL DENTURE VS FULL DENTURE :
Each one of them has a different use depending on the patient’s situation, as an example, a patient with three missing teeth on the upper jaw should go for maxillary partial denture because he doesn’t wanna sacrifice his full arch of teeth for the sake of three teeth.
On the other hand, a patient who lost all the teeth in his upper or lower jaw can not use partial dentures because his condition requires a complete full denture.
However if the mandibular or maxillary (upper) jaw has lost all the teeth, a full denture is necessary.
MAXILLARY PARTIAL DENTURE TYPES :
There are many types of maxillary partial dentures, patients will get confused to choose which one is good for them, therefore, they just ask for a professional recommendation from their dentist and choose the right option for their situation.
According to Authority Dental, the types of maxillary partial denture are :
1)- CAST METAL DENTURES BASE :
It is an invisible metal framework that attaches by way of clasps linked to crowns, this option is considered as one of the most known effective types of partial denture, because they are very strong and have the ability to last for so many years with proper care !
The metal frame is covered by a plastic with the same color as your gum to make it less noticeable.
2)- MAXILLARY PARTIAL DENTURE FLEXIBLE BASE :
As you can already understand from the name itself, it is very flexible, comfortable and light weight, the denture in this case is made from realistic looking nylon flexible material.
The appliance is inserted by the dentist inside the patient mouth easily, it is a good solution and the majority of patients who experienced it become accustomed to the replacement quickly because of the comfort of denture.
3)- ACRYLIC DENTURES :
Also known as Flipper, a cheap and convenient replacement with a good quality and inexpensive price for low pocket people, but it is considered as a temporary solution until the final denture is ready, however some people successfully use them for many years with great results.
4)- MAXILLARY PARTIAL DENTURE WITH IMPLANTS :
Usually it is used with Fixed Bridge in cases where the patient is missing too many teeth or do not want to damage their existing healthy tooth structure, maxillary partial denture with implants is probably the best choice for such situations,.
The bridge here is supported by a series of implants that replace tooth roots instead of natural teeth, this type can even replace full arch of teeth if enough teeth are replaced which makes it possible to be an alternative of full dentures !
Partial denture with implants is not removable, like fixed bridge they must be placed permanently.
HOW MUCH DO PARTIAL DENTURE COST WITHOUT INSURANCE AND INCLUDING IT ?
Maxillary partial denture cost in 2022 is estimated to be between 500$ – 4000$ depending on many factors such as the number of missing teeth, the type of appliance, and the material.
To give you much more detailed information on how much partial dentures cost, you should consider paying about 1200$ for maxillary partial denture with a resin base, 1700$ for cast metal base with resin saddles, and around 1500$ for flexyble dentures.
Usually, the insurance in this treatment will probably cover only the half of price, so it is about 200$-2000$ maybe more maybe less including the insurance of course.
The best thing to do here is to contact your insurance provider and ask for additional informations and details about this.
Authority Dental Discount Plans provide huge discounts for partial dentures so you may want to take a look on their offers !
EATING WITH PARTIAL DENTURE :
When it comes to food while wearing partial denture appliance, dentists recommends to start with soft and mashed foods especially in the beginning of the treatment process and to avoid eating chewy, hard and sticky foods.
MAXILLARY PARTIAL DENTURE PROBLEMS :
How Does A Partial Denture Stay In Place ?
It is designed to be affixed to those teeth which make it a strong stabilizer for the prosthetic, this will also enhance the appearance because it looks more realistic !
How To Clean A Partial Denture ?
– After each meal, you must rinse your dentures under warm water ( not too hot )
– Use a soft toothbrush or a special denture brush to wash your dentures everyday after every meal.
– Avoid using the regular toothpaste because it is too abrasive, instead, you can use denture paste.
– Soak them in water the rinse them under warm water ( again, not too hot ! )
– Always discuss this with your dentist and ask him to take a look if you are doing well with your oral hygiene.
My Partial Denture Hurts !
Don’t worry it is a common problem, here are some tips you can follow to relieve denture pain :
– Eat soft foods and try to cut your meals into small pieces.
– Avoid Chewing, hard and sticky foods.
– We highly recommend to keep your denture clean and whenever you go to sleep you must remove them to avoid inflammation.
– Use denture relief gel.
– As usual, discuss this with your dentist to figure the main reason of pain if anything went wrong.
Gum Abscess from dentures !
According to NIH (National Institute Of Dental And Craniofacial Research) the main reason that is causing it is bacterial infecion withing gum tissue, you should immediately see a doctor before it becomes worse.
To prevent this from happening you have to provide a good oral hygiene and use natural antimicrobials such as salt, and of course using essential oils will help too.
Also keep in mind that if you are a smoker then you should probably stop smoking because cigarettes will damage the gum tissue and destroy your entire teeth arch and mouth !
How To Make Partial Dentures Fit Better ?
The best thing you can do in this case is to visit your dentist and see what he can do about it, untie then, you can follow the previous steps explained in the “my partial denture hurts ” part.
Will i be able to remove them before sleep ?
After the first adjustment, you can remove the dentures before bed and put them back in the morning, this will help your tissue and gum rests a little bit
Here is a video from Daniel Daniel Dentistry which explains how to make partial dentures fit better.
