Springfield, MA – Springfield, MA dentist Dr. Thomas Vergo and his colleague Dr. Vincent Mariano at EMA Dental, in East Longmeadow and Northampton, MA, provide their patients who need dentures with a number of different options.
“All dentures are not equal,” explains Northampton, MA dental implants provider Dr. Mariano. Prosthodontists are the only dental specialists who focus on the restoration and replacement of teeth, including dentures, crowns, bridgework and dental implants. There are only 3,000 trained prosthodontists in the United States;Dr. Mariano and Dr. Vergo are the only two in Western Massachusetts with offices in East Longmeadow and Northampton.
“Dentures are dental prostheses/artificial devices/teeth fabricated by dentists, specialty dentists, and prosthodontists to replace missing teeth, soft tissue and many times missing bone. The purpose of dentures is to restore oral functions such as speech, swallowing and chewing. Also, dentures will restore a patient’s smile by providing lip and cheek support – an important factor in our patients’ psychological well-being,” explains Springfield MA dentist Dr. Vergo, an expert in the field.
“The longer it has been since tooth extraction, the more bone and soft tissue loss occurs causing a collapsed facial appearance… restoring normal oral function and natural facial appearance on those patients with significant denture problems due to teeth, bone and soft tissue loss is one of the reasons many of our patients seek us out to make their dentures,” says Dr. Vincent Mariano, dental specialist and Board Certified Prosthodontist in Western MA.
“There are many different denture designs,” explains Springfield MA general dentist specialist Vergo. “Different kinds are used depending on the needs of the patient.”
Conventional Dentures: Conventional dentures are designed for patients who have lost all of the teeth on the upper or lower jaw (or both). They are removable, meaning that patients can remove and reinsert them when required without professional help. They come as a complete set of dentures that are supported by surrounding soft/gum and hard/jaw bone tissues of the oral cavity.
Removable Partial Dentures: These dentures are designed for patients who are missing only some of their teeth and don’t require a complete set of dentures. Removable partial dentures sometimes rely on attaching or clasping onto existing teeth.
Dental Implants: “Dental implants are ‘replacement’ tooth roots, which can provide a strong foundation for removable dentures by providing support and retentive attachments making the denture more functional,” explains Northampton MA denture specialist Vergo.
A lower full denture can be supported by 2-4 implants placed in the lower jaw, giving it greater support and retention than one without implants. Adequate suction and retention are more difficult to achieve with lower complete dentures because the tongue can easily dislodge a lower denture. A denture which uses implants is one of the most cost-effective ways to use dental implants in dentistry, but it’s always preferable to a conventional complete denture.
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