Dentists generally prescribe dentures for patients who are missing teeth. Some of these patients willingly subscribe to the dentist’s recommendation for esthetic reasons. After all, it’s difficult to smile with some teeth missing. An opportunity to have back a complete set of teeth is a good confidence booster for someone who has lost it.

While the patient concerns himself with beauty and appearance, dentists are more concerned about the adverse effects on someone with missing teeth—like temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems. A patient with TMJ problems will experience difficulty moving his jaw, in addition to headaches and earaches.

There are different types of dentures, classified as fixed and removable.

Dental implant bridges are among the fixed kind and involve a permanent attachment of the artificial teeth to the jaw or gum tissue. These are preferred since the attached teeth bear a striking resemblance to natural ones. However, they’re harder to clean.

Removable dentures come in different styles. There’s the flipper denture, which is the least expensive of them all. However, they are just temporary solutions to tooth loss. In cast metal dentures, soreness is not an issue since its framework doesn’t come in contact with the mouth’s soft tissues. The flexible framework denture uses nylon-like materials, which is considered an advance in dental treatment.

When one or more rear teeth are lost, dentists use the Nesbit denture; however, there’s the danger of accidentally swallowing it. Lastly, the cusil denture is one that allows the remaining natural teeth to show and protrude through.