Economy dentures have just one lure: they cost less. But quality dentures offer many benefits in terms of fit, function, and comfort.
But an underappreciated aspect of investing in quality dentures is how much better your experience of getting them may be. Here are just a few of the ways you’ll have a better experience with quality dentures.
Being Welcomed
Your denture experience starts at the moment you enter the dentist’s door. If you’re getting cheap dentures, you might be rushed back with only minimal courtesies. Or you might be made to wait until “more important” patients are finished with their treatment. Either way, you’re waiting on the dentist’s convenience. Cheap dentures are a low-margin extra some practices offer because they hope to be able to squeeze in with little time commitment. They usually aren’t looking to make you a regular patient and may hold many misconceptions about you as a denture patient: that you’re poor, uneducated, and don’t care about your oral health.
In our practice, we consider denture patients as being just as important as any of our other patients. We have taken the time to learn techniques that allow us to offer you the same level of care that we give to cosmetic dentistry patients. We know that people can lose their teeth for many reasons, and it’s not necessarily your fault nor is it anything to be ashamed of.
Being Fitted
The fitting for cheap dentures is when dentists cut the most corners. Fitting doesn’t really describe what’s going on–it’s more like “sizing.” Your mouth will be measured and the size of denture that most closely approximates your mouth will be chosen. You will make an impression on the denture, so it sort of fits your gums, but it won’t really fit your mouth and definitely won’t fit your bite. then you’ll be ushered out the door.
But in our office, fitting is taken seriously. We will carefully measure all the aspects of your bite to ensure that your denture will promote jaw health and will be comfortable when resting. Not only will your new dentures be designed to avoid creating bite problems, they may even treat any existing bite problems you have.
Fitting is so important we don’t do it at the first visit. The first visit is all measurements. At your second visit, you will have an opportunity to try out a wax model of your dentures. Making the wax model allows us to test for any potential problems before your final denture is made. That way, when the final denture arrives, you likely won’t need any adjustments.
Getting Adjustments
One of the ironies of cheap dentures is that because of the quick fitting process, you’re likely to need a lot of adjustments, but your dentist isn’t going to want to do them. Every time you show up for adjustments, the dentist is likely grumbling about how much time he has to spend on a patient who is generating little revenue. You will likely be seen as a burden, and don’t be surprised if your cheap denture dentist cuts you off before you get a denture fit you can be happy with.
But our goal isn’t to get you out quickly–it’s to ensure that you get dentures that fit and that you’re happy with. We will be happy to perform adjustments to your dentures until you’re happy with your results.
Staying Fitted
Cheap dentures, which were probably poorly fitted in the first place, won’t maintain their fit very long. Your body will naturally remove bone from your jaw, so your jaw is changing, and the poor fit of your dentures might be speeding the loss of bone. Because of this, your cheap dentures won’t last you very long.
But quality dentures are designed to last. Implant dentures especially are designed for the very long term, from decades to a lifetime of wear. They prevent the drastic remodeling of your bone and the dentures themselves are built to stand up under wear.
If you are looking for the best denture experience, from you first visit through the hopefully very long life of your dentures, please call (803) 781-9090 for an appointment with a Columbia, SC denture dentist at Smile Columbia Dentistry.
