Dentures in the Centre of Hamburg
There is more than one method to replace missing or damaged teeth—but they are all subsumed under the term dental prosthesis. A dental prosthesis is necessary when the tooth is severely damaged, teeth are missing or a whole jaw has become toothless. The respective field of specialisation in dentistry is called dental prosthetics and deals with the preparation, manufacturing and application of dentures.
It is not easy for a layman to gain an overview of the various possibilities and treatments of modern dentistry. Nonetheless, here you can find it—including the pros and cons of each method. With our overview we want do enable you to gain the necessary knowledge of which therapy is suitable for which individual situation and which kind of patient.
Dentures
| Anaesthesia: | Local anaesthesia | |
| Necessary if: | Severe loss of substance of the natural dental crown, stabilisation of the tooth after a root canal treatment | |
| Advantages: | Conservation of the tooth |
Advantages of the Zahnklinik ABC Bogen
Our clinic has access to its own dental laboratory which means that we can establish direct communication between you, your doctor and the dental technician—without any loss of information or long waiting times. Be it the identification of the colour of your teeth, the trial-in-mouth, or whenever it is necessary for your individual treatment: Our dental technicians are on-site and receive all the required information to deliver optimal results on time.
All Advantages at a Glance:
- Quality on international level in regards to aesthetics, functionality, accuracy of fit, and durability
- The material of choice is made into dental protheses with state-of-the-art CAD/CAM-technology and a maximum of precision
- In our dental laboratory, we use elaborate and individual layering techniques to make your crown resemble your natural teeth in colour, structure and shape
- Continuous intensive training of our dental technicians
- Ceramics used in our laboratory deliver in terms of brilliancy, transparency and the refraction of light and are on par with your natural teeth
Types of Dentures
Generally, there are fixed, removable and combined dentures. In the following we introduce you to the most common types of dentures.
Permanent Dentures
The name says it all: Once applied, permanent dentures can’t be removed without medical assistance. This includes crowns, bridges and dental implants.
Because they offer the same kind of comfort as your natural teeth and a high degree of stability, fixed dentures often are the treatment of choice. This type of denture usually lasts five to 15 years.
Fortunately, dental implants are an exception to the rule: Once they’ve properly grown into the jaw bone, they can hardly be distinguished from your own tooth and last a whole life.
Bridges
With a dental bridge, you can not only close a gap in the line of your teeth, you can also restore the appeal of your smile and the ability to chew and speak without restrictions. For that purpose, the bridge is bonded onto the surrounding teeth that serve as pillars (bridge abutments).
The natural comfort of dental bridges is a clear advantage of this type of denture. On the other hand, the neighbouring teeth have to be prepared with a grinder in order to serve as pillars which causes the loss of dental substance.
Advantages of a dental bridge
- Fixed position in your mouth
- Very easy form of treatment
- Little effort needed
- Subsidised by health insurance
- High functionality and aesthetics
Disadvantages of a dental bridge
- Healthy neighbouring teeth have to be prepared with a grinder /risk of the tooth dying-off
- Carrying surrounding teeth could be overloaded / risk of a loss of teeth
- Risk of caries for the teeth carrying the bridge
- Risk of the loss of bone tissue in the affected area
- No extension possible
Telescopic Crown
If the jaw is not stable enough to carry a bridge, a telescopic bridge can be the ideal solution. It is made of so-called telescopic crowns that replace the pillars of the bridge (abutments) and close the gap without touching the lining of the mouth.
A telescopic bridge can also replace all missing teeth in the jaw, if at least four to six natural teeth are remaining. If those teeth are missing that would usually serve as pillars, the telescopic bridge can offer a solution as well.
Dental Crowns
If a tooth can’t be treated with a filling or an inlay because of caries or an injury, dental crowns can offer a solution. Like an artificial cap, the dental crown seals the damaged tooth.
There are all-ceramic crowns with a metal core, metal-ceramic crowns and all-cast crowns made of gold as well as metal-alloys. Because of their highly visible features, all-cast crowns and similar prostheses with a high amount of gold are rarely used. Crowns with a combination of synthetic material and ceramic are very popular because amongst your natural teeth they are barely recognisable as dentures.
Due to their natural look, dental crowns effectively emulate your natural teeth. Aesthetically, they perfectly fit into your natural line of teeth and offer optimal protection from further damage.
Dental Implants
The most secure and durable type of dentures are implants. They offer a range of possibilities to restore lost quality of life: high functionality similar to natural teeth, high durability, easy care and practically invisible amongst your natural teeth.
Since its beginnings, implantology has yielded more than 200 kinds of dental implants. They differ in shape, make-up, and the kind of anchorage in the jaw. Numerous unconventional types aren’t in use any more. Instead, spiral implants gently anchored in the jaw bone are particularly popular in today’s implantology.
Removable Dentures
As opposed to permanent dentures, a removable prosthesis can be extracted and inserted by yourself, which makes the cleaning easy.
Dentures not only offer a good aesthetical solution. Often, they are a medicinal necessity because tooth gaps negatively affect the healthy function of your mouth. For example, dental prostheses can prevent negative stresses and strains of your jaw and properly restore the ability to chew. The various types of removable dentures include complete dentures and partial dentures or telescopic prostheses.
Complete Dentures
A complete prosthesis, commonly known as false teeth, is a common kind of denture for a toothless upper or lower jaw. It enables you to eat and speak naturally and thereby increases the quality of life. It also makes for an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
If fitted precisely onto the jaw, a natural film of saliva builds up between the complete prosthesis and the lining of the mouth which results in a good hold.
Partial Prosthesis / Clasp Prosthesis
Like the name says, a partial denture replaces your natural teeth partially in case some teeth are remaining and only the gaps in-between have to be closed.
Often, a partial prothesis is fastened on the existing teeth with the help of a clasp. This way, natural teeth don’t have to be prepared with a grinder which makes a clasp prothesis a gentle alternative for the replacement of your teeth.
Advantages of a clasp prosthesis
- Easy to manufacture
- Relatively low costs
- Minimal treatment needed
- Extendable if necessary
Disadvantages of a clasp prosthesis
- Relatively complicated in everyday life
- Impaired articulation
- Lesser ability to chew compared to natural teeth
- Relatively loose kind of prothesis (especially lower jaw full prothesis)
- Aesthetics (i.e. visible clasps)
- Damage of carrying teeth possible
- Risk of regression of jaw bone (if the prosthesis wiggles in the mouth)
Combined Dentures
Permanent and removable dentures can be combined: The so-called combined dentures consist of a permanent and a removable element. Healthy teeth are sealed with a crown onto which removable connective elements can be placed. This is how combined dentures gain stability and still can be removed to be cleaned.
Depending on your individual needs, various kinds of connective elements are available like attachments, latches or push buttons. Because of their stability and comfort, combined dentures like the telescopic prosthesis have recently gained in popularity.
Telescopic Prosthesis
Because a telescopic prothesis consists of a permanent and a removable part, it is referred to as a combined denture. With a telescopic prothesis you can close one or more gaps in-between your teeth and it can easily be extended if necessary.
Via so-called telescopic crowns both parts of the prosthesis are connected. The inner telescope (primary crown) is permanently anchored in the jaw, while the outer telescope (secondary crown) is fitted onto the prosthesis. This lends a reliable stability to the construction.
Advantages of the telescopic prosthesis
- Extendable if necessary
- Relatively easy to clean and maintain
- Relatively balanced burden of the pillars (if sufficient in number)
- High stability
- Can be combined with dental implants
Advantages of the telescopic prosthesis
- Healthy tooth substance has to be removed from neighbouring teeth
- Pillar teeth can be overloaded (risk of an early loss of teeth)
- Risk of caries on the edges of the crowns of the surrounding teeth
- Aesthetically demanding (double crown usually bigger than natural teeth, junction with gums visible)
- Relatively costly (often low subsidy by health insurance)
Attachment Prothesis
Next to latches and push buttons, an attachment can serve as the connective element of a denture. For a good durability of the prosthesis, healthy neighbouring teeth have to be prepared with a grinder and sealed with a dental crown. The same procedure is used for the attachment prosthesis.
The attachment consists of two components: The so-called matrix is fixed onto the crown; afterwards the so-called patrice is precisely inserted into the prosthesis. The dental prosthesis stays in place thanks to static friction.
Material for Dentures
For the various forms of dentures different kinds of materials can be used, each with its advantages and disadvantages. Metal, synthetic materials and ceramics are available, while ceramics often are preferred due to their natural look. Generally, you can subdivide the materials into three categories:
- Metals (especially titanium) for dental implants as well as alloys of gold for cast crowns
- High-performance ceramics (zirconia) for artificial crowns
- Synthetic materials (for prostheses and artificial dental crowns)
Often, more than one material is used to manufacture the denture. For example, compound crowns consist of a metal body and an outer tooth-coloured ceramic layer.
Aesthetically, such a crown perfectly fits in with your natural teeth. A partial prothesis is made of a combination of different materials: The upper denture is made of synthetic material (plastic); metal clasps and artificial dental crowns are made of ceramic or of plastic.
The implant body can be made of titanium or ceramic, while all-ceramic implants have both a crown and an implant body made of ceramic.
Risks of Dentures
It can be risky to remove dental substance from healthy teeth so that the denture can be anchored. If a bridge treatment is advised, both teeth surrounding the tooth gap serve as pillars for the bridge. This means they have to be prepared with a grinder before the bridge can be attached. As a result, with this method healthy dental substance is lost and the risk for bone resorption increases due to a lack of stimulation from the dental root.
Much less risk is involved with dental implants because they replace the natural root of the tooth and grow together with the jaw bone. If you chose this rather pricy method, the jaw bone remains stimulated which in turn prevents the bone to degenerate.
Costs of Dentures
The costs for your individual denture vary greatly depending on the method, kind of denture and material. We are here to make sure to consult you on any costs involved, particularly after your examination and after your health insurance has sent your personal therapeutic and cost schedule. We are also happy to give you helpful advise and go through possible alternatives.