Dentures & Partials in Bethlehem, PA

Dentures replace missing teeth with a removable set, and a partial denture does the same where some of your own teeth remain. At Always About Smiles, our Bethlehem, PA dental office, I design esthetic, custom-fitting dentures around your face and your bite, so they look and feel like they belong to you.

Removable dentures may be a very good option to solve the problem of missing teeth. When properly fitted and designed, dentures – which are strong, comfortable, and virtually indistinguishable from natural teeth – can provide extra chewing comfort, maintain facial structure, and ensure a radiant smile. Whether it's removable or partial dentures, I can customize a comfortable, functional, and esthetically pleasing denture solution to suit your needs.

If a person is able to hang on to some of their own teeth, then a partial removable denture may be an option. Partial dentures usually work better and are more comfortable than full dentures for two reasons. One, you still have areas where you can chew on natural teeth without putting pressure on and pinching the gums under the denture. And two, they stay in place significantly better because they can hook onto remaining teeth.

I'll design and create esthetic and custom fitting dentures that will help restore the soft facial tissue and recreate the lost height of the jawbone. I'll also determine the optimum teeth bite and chewing muscle positions so that they fit your face. By creating a bite and smile where the facial muscles are relaxed, your dentures will provide you with comfortable chewing and speaking functions; and most of all, you will look younger!

A full denture replaces a whole upper or lower set of teeth; a partial replaces some of them and hooks onto the teeth you still have. Partials are the least expensive way to replace missing teeth and are often a person's best choice, or they can be used as a temporary measure until you are ready to do fixed bridge work or implants.

Dentures are quoted as a set fee covering the design, the fittings and the finished denture, and you have that figure before we begin. A partial is usually the least expensive way to replace missing teeth; a custom-designed full set costs more because more of the work is design. Financing is available.

Several weeks and several appointments, because a denture is fitted in stages rather than delivered in one go. I take impressions, then check the bite and the position of the teeth with you before the denture is finished, so nothing is settled until you've seen it. I'll give you the schedule at the first visit.

Most denture appointments need no anesthetic at all, because they're impressions, fittings and adjustments. Where numbing is needed, a super numbing gel goes on first and I buffer the anesthetic chair-side, which makes the numbness more rapid and profound. Neck pillows and warm blankets are part of the comfort menu, and nitrous oxide is there if you'd like it.

A well-made denture serves for years, and it's normal for the fit to need attention as the gums and jaw change. Dentures and partials carry a three-year warranty under our Peace of Mind Limited Dental Warranty if a tooth chips or breaks, or a flange breaks under normal use. Dropping the denture isn't covered.

Often, yes, and the answer is usually in how they fit rather than how old they are. At least half of denture wearers have ongoing problems with their dentures. If yours pop out, look flat, leave sore spots, or leave you unable to chew your food, bring them in and I'll tell you whether a new set, a reline, or implants underneath would serve you best.