Dentures have been a dentistry solution for centurys. We’ve heard stories of George Washington’s wooden teeth, and have seen media images of teeth floating in cups of water. But modern dentistry has evolved significantly, even over the past ten to twenty years, in regards to dentures. And what may have once seemed like a last-choice solution for multi-tooth loss, is actually now a comfortable, maintanable and visually appealing solution.
History of Dentures
The history of dentures can be dated all the way back to ancient Egyptians, who repurposed human teeth to create their dentures. Other ancient societies used animal teeth to replace missing one’s in their populations. But was the Japanese that first created a full set of dentures, using wood from the Japanese box trees as the material for the dentures. Wood became a common material for dentures throughout many cultures, in addition to animal bones (such as ivory).
The first pair of porcelain dentures made was done so by Nicolas Dubois De Chemant in the 1770’s. From that time on, there was much experimentation with materials for false teeth, eventually landing on the acrylic resin material used today.
How Have Dentures Changed in the Last Few Years?
While the history of dentures is long, the evolution of the product and intent to find the best, most comfortable set of false teeth has never ceased. There are a few types of dentures that patients, these days, can request from their dentist:
- Partial Dentures: This is a good option for patients who have lost some, but not all, of their teeth.
- Full Set: These are for patients who need to replace all of their teeth with a prosthesis.
- Removable Dentures: These are the type of dentures that likely come to mind when you think of ‘dentures’. These can be removed for cleaning or at night
- Fixed Dentures: This is a permanent prothestic that allows you to have a full set of teeth in your mouth all day and night, and cannot be removed.
There are a few recent improvements to dentures that really stand out as making these prothestics more comfortable than they were in the past:
- There is little need for glue or adhesive with modern dentures. A primary complaint that patients used to have about dentures was that they would ‘slip’. These days, technology has evolved to prevent slipping without the glues, and the dentures stay in place better than ever before
- 3D Imaging, like Dr. Bowyer accomplishes with the 3Shape IntraOral Scanner, make it possible to have a truly custom fit to your dentures. This advanced 3D technology is able to ensure that the dentures that are created for your mouth truly fit. This makes modern dentures significantly more comfortable than dentures in the past.
- Dentures these days are difficult to tell apart from natural teeth from visual perspective. If you get dentures from Dr. Bowyer, it is unlikely other’s will know that they are not your natural teeth! Just check out this example of Dr. Bowyer’s work:
If you would like to learn more about modern dentures and how they could improve your dental health, contact Dr. Bowyer to schedule a free consultation.