Adult dentures

Even 20-30 years ago, the choice of orthopedic structures for the restoration of destroyed or lost teeth was very limited. All of them can be conditionally divided into removable and non-removable. But dentistry is developing, and today patients are offered a wide range of designs that allow them to save even hopeless teeth and restore the dentition with fixed dentures.

Types of dentures for adults

Orthopedic dentistry offers a wide range of structures aimed at restoring lost tissues, one or more teeth with fixed dentures in adults.

Tabs

These are microprostheses that restore the anatomical integrity of the tooth. Inlays are recommended to be installed when the carious cavity is extensive or one or two walls of the tooth are destroyed. Such designs have a number of advantages:

• complete restoration of the integrity of the tooth;
• strength – they withstand chewing pressure, the risk of chipping and further destruction is minimal;
• are not erased and practically do not stain (ceramic).

Inserts are made from various materials.

Ceramic. They are considered more reliable, they are made by an indirect method, that is, either in the laboratory according to individual casts, or using computer CAD / CAM technologies, when digital impressions are taken, the restoration is modeled in a special program and it is machined with jewelry precision on the machine. The entire procedure takes 60-90 minutes.

From an alloy of gold. Now the least popular, but the most reliable, because gold is a biocompatible and bactericidal material with sufficient softness. After installation, gold particles gradually penetrate into the tissues of the tooth, and there is never secondary caries around such inlays. The only drawback is aesthetics, so it is best to use only on chewing teeth.

Crowns

This is an orthopedic construction that restores a severely damaged tooth in the most difficult cases. Indications for crowns will be:

• significant destruction of the tooth crown – modern technologies restore even those teeth that do not have a crown part completely, but on condition that the root is in good condition: with the help of a pin-stump tab, a tooth stump is formed with support at the root, and then a crown is installed;
• aesthetic problems that cannot be dealt with in other ways, such as large chips, cracks, discoloration due to non-carious lesions or injuries;
• pathological abrasion of enamel – in this case, prosthetics is the only way to save teeth from destruction and loss.

Bridges

In the absence of one or more teeth in cases where implantation cannot be carried out, bridges are made. Their installation implies the presence of supporting teeth on both sides of the defect.

Bridges have an extensive classification and design features, depending on the area of ​​prosthetics.

• Sintered metal. Differ in durability and are established in the field of chewing teeth. But in some cases, the metal can shine through a thin layer of ceramic at the neck of the tooth, which gives the edge of the gums a grayish tint, so such structures are not installed on the teeth included in the smile zone.
• Ceramic on a framework from zirconium dioxide. Highly aesthetic constructions, in no way inferior in strength to the previous ones, but winning in terms of aesthetics.
• Plastic and metal-plastic. A budget option for prosthetics, but it has a short service life, so such designs are often considered as a temporary measure.

Advantages of dentures

The advantages of dentures in adults depend on its type. For example, the main advantage of inlays is the ability to save a tooth from further destruction and subsequent loss, even if only one root remains from it. And these are more durable constructions in comparison with filling material. During preventive examinations, dentists evaluate not only the condition of the oral cavity, but also the fillings. Modern filling materials are able to withstand the chewing load, but over time they are erased and stained, while ceramics are resistant to such factors.

Crowns are an opportunity to hide pronounced aesthetic defects, chips and fractures, to save a tooth from further destruction. Properly selected crowns made using computer technology can last a long time.

The situation is more complicated with bridges – they do more harm than good. Their main advantages: aesthetics and complete restoration of chewing function, and price. This is a budget option, although in the long run it is rather controversial.

Cons of dentures

It is difficult to evaluate and name the disadvantages that are characteristic of all types of prostheses: each has its own. For example, if we compare tabs and fillings, then the former lose in price, but their capabilities cannot be overestimated. In the long term, prosthetics with tabs will be the only right decision and will save you from further waste of time and money.

The disadvantages of making crowns include the need to grind teeth, and sometimes these are healthy tissues, as well as the limited service life of crowns – an average of 10-15 years.

There are even more disadvantages of bridge prostheses. It’s worth starting with the supporting teeth, which need to be ground and it is they who will take on the additional chewing load. As noted dentist Dina Solodkaya, teeth that serve as a support for a bridge prosthesis have a short “life”. Already after 10-15 years, they begin to collapse, and the question arises of the need to manufacture a new bridge prosthesis of greater length, if at all such a possibility remains. Therefore, in case of loss of one or more teeth, the best solution would be dental implantation – the only method that does not require grinding of neighboring teeth and allows you to completely stop the destructive processes in the bone tissue.

Prices for dentures

Prices for dentures vary and depend on the chosen design and region of residence. They also compare the cost of alternatives. For example, tabs are more expensive than fillings, but the former allow even hopeless teeth to be saved from removal and further destruction, while there is no chance of enamel chipping. On average, the price of a ceramic inlay starts from 15 thousand rubles.

The cost of crowns varies and depends on the material chosen, for example, one unit of metal-ceramic – from 7 thousand rubles, and the cost of a zirconium crown starts from 30 thousand (on average in Moscow).

Compared to implantation, bridges are cheaper, but in the long run they are more expensive. But, in addition to money, you also have to spend time and health.

Reviews of doctors about dentures

Fixed dentures are sometimes the only way to save a tooth from destruction and loss. With the help of computer technology, modern materials, accurate restorations are created that are indistinguishable from natural teeth. Careful and complete oral care, timely visits to the doctor are an opportunity to extend the life of prostheses for adults.

But if we are talking about the restoration of lost teeth, then fixed prosthetics is a disservice. This is a budget opportunity to restore lost functions and aesthetics in a relatively short period of time. But the orthopedic construction is not eternal, and its average service life is 10-15 years. After that, the design will have to be redone to a more voluminous, therefore, expensive one, which is additionally associated with financial expenses, stress and worries.

Within the framework of gentle dentistry, it is difficult to recommend the manufacture of bridges, and the only acceptable option in this case is implantation.

Popular questions and answers

There are many nuances in the choice of dentures for adults, their pros and cons, depending on the clinical picture and the wishes of the patient. Not surprisingly, many questions remain. And the most popular answers dentist, implantologist, orthopedist Dina Solodkaya.