Iqaluit Dental Clinic Discusses If You Can Add Additional Teeth to a Partial Denture

Introduction

According to Iqaluit Dental Clinic, patients often ask dentists if teeth could be added to their dentures. However, the answer is very complicated and there’s no simple yes or no that can fulfil your curiosity. It depends on various factors and often requires consultation with your dental prosthetist. Let’s check out those factors.

The Discussion

1. Material of your partial denture – Partial dentures may be made from a variety of materials depending on your tooth structure and other requirements. The most common materials are acrylic and cast metal. Partial dentures made from cast metal are usually more rigid and permanent offering incredible flexibility and strength. On the other hand, dentures made from acrylic are used as a temporary measure before replacing missing teeth with real teeth or permanent dentures.

With both materials, partial dentures need to be sent back to the lab so that a dental technician can work his or her magic and add a tooth to it. Acrylic partial dentures are easier to work with since the dental technician simply needs to add more acrylic material for bonding the additional tooth to the existing dentures. On the other hand, cast metal poses a greater challenge since there’s a higher risk of damage in the near future if the chemical bond between the added tooth and the metal becomes weaker. That’s why people with cast metal dentures are usually not good candidates for this process and are recommended to get an entirely new set of dentures.

2. Position of the added tooth – The position of the added tooth also plays a major role in determining the feasibility of the process. For instance, if you lost a back tooth recently but your partial dentures replace some of your front teeth, adding a tooth to the dentures is highly unfeasible and impractical due to the wide gap. Instead, it’s better to get a new set of dentures. In other cases, the position of the new tooth may also interfere with the acrylic bae or the metal frame of your dentures. That results in a bad fit and discomfort.
3. Condition of your remaining teeth – Every mouth is different and the same holds for partial dentures that go in them. That’s why the condition of your remaining teeth needs to be accounted for before adding an extra tooth to your dentures. For instance, even if it’s possible to add an extra tooth now; if you’re at risk of further tooth decay and tooth loss you may be better off making a new set of dentures for those teeth and getting the decaying teeth removed from your mouth. While more tooth extractions seem daunting, they might be the better option in such cases.

Conclusion

Iqaluit Dental Clinic suggests that you assess the factors mentioned above and figure out if you are an eligible candidate for getting teeth added to your dentures. It’s best to consult your dental prosthetist for a medical diagnosis and for figuring out the feasibility of this process.