Dentures Santa Cruz, CA

Replace your missing teeth with a dental prosthetic.

In a perfect world, there would be no dental decay. There would be no gum disease, no cracked molars, no knocked out incisors.

It’s not a perfect world. Teeth, the hardest, most durable organs of the human body, are also those most subject to bacteria and trauma. Yet at the same time, teeth are among the most difficult parts of the body to heal.

There are, it seems, no substitutes for teeth. However, science has developed some very useful substitutes for no teeth.

Full or partial dentures are appliances, usually removable, that fit over the gums and hold artificial teeth in spaces where natural teeth are missing. Everyone has heard of dentures, but it tends to be of those subjects where so much information is passed around and so little is really understood. For example, popular wisdom has it that only the first set of dentures fit properly. That’s only partially true. They tend to feel best because the gum ridges have not yet receded. But we can now re-fit new dentures that look and feel just as good as the original.

In fact, denture fit depends largely on the health of the gums. That’s why we recommend you see us at least once a year for a denture check-up. Denture adhesives are a band-aid solution at best, and we know our office can do better with proper custom fitted dentures.

And no, overuse of your denture doesn’t cause it to wobble. That’s a result of changes in the mouth, largely the natural shrinkage of gum tissue and bone. Again—we can help!

Partial Dentures

Partial dentures are an excellent option for patients who have lost just a few teeth in one or several areas of the mouth. Working much like a conventional orthodontic retainer, these dentures use a plastic mouthpiece fitted with wires to hold replacement teeth in the desired position. A properly customized fit is essential to keeping these dentures in place because they lock together with your remaining natural teeth, making messing bonding gels unnecessary. Dr. A. Gavin McClure will carefully take an impression of your mouth to get the correct specifications which will provide a tight fitting replacement that can be used normally for biting and chewing. For partial dentures in the Santa Cruz area, call (831) 426-1343 to schedule an appointment.