Dentures - Greenbelt

Your Options for Flawlessly Repaired Smiles

Model of dentures in Greenbelt on table

Extensive tooth loss is often painful, embarrassing, and stressful. Whatever the cause of your lost teeth, the McCarl Dental Group, PC team is here to help restore your full, healthy smile. There’s nothing more important to our team than helping patients regain their confident smiles, and we offer a variety of traditional dentures and implant-retained prosthetics to ensure patients get the best possible treatment options to meet their needs. When you’re ready to learn more, call our team to schedule your tooth replacement consultation to discuss your options for tooth replacement with dentures in Greenbelt.

Why Choose McCarl Dental Group, PC for Dentures?

  • Dental chair icon Personalized tooth replacement 
  • Microscope icon Innovative dental  technologies
  • Three human figures icon Skilled dental professionals

What Are Dentures?

Woman in blue puffy jacket smiling outdoors

When you’ve experienced advanced tooth loss or complete tooth loss, you will need a partial or full denture to restore your smile. A gum-colored base material is molded to fit between remaining healthy teeth or snuggly against the gumline. Then, natural-looking replacement teeth are positioned on top of the base material. Once in position, your denture will allow you to speak, chew, and smile with confidence again.

Who’s a Good Candidate for Dentures?

Dentures can be an excellent option for anyone who might be missing one, several, or an entire arch of teeth. Their versatility and natural appearance make them a popular option among those experiencing tooth loss. Of course, before moving forward with any kind of treatment, our team must first conduct a thorough consultation, as there may be additional services required before receiving a new set of teeth. No matter the situation, you can expect that we will take the time to prepare your mouth for a long-lasting, beautiful smile.

Effects of Missing Teeth

Missing teeth affect millions of people each year. While gum disease is the most common culprit of tooth loss, facial trauma and dental decay can also lead to the same result. When teeth are no longer present, it makes it much harder for you to eat your favorite foods, speak coherently, and even smile with assured confidence.

As a result, your emotional, mental, and physical health can deteriorate if left untreated. Not only will you face the possibility of malnutrition because of the inability to eat nutrient-rich foods, but you might also suffer low self-esteem and lack of motivation to keep your oral and overall health in the best possible shape.

What Qualifies You for Dentures?

The good news is that most people who have missing teeth may be eligible to receive dentures. As a proven effective prosthetic that countless individuals have relied on, they make it easier to eat, speak, and smile, eliminating the fear and anxiety that tooth loss can cause.

When meeting with our team, we will survey your existing smile to determine how best to move forward. Do you need a partial denture or a full one? Are you interested in an implant denture? Do you need additional preliminary treatment to address existing decayed or damaged teeth? These are all questions that will be answered during your visit to our McCarl Dental Group office in Greenbelt.

Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options

You may find that dentures are not the most ideal solution for your incomplete smile. Fortunately, other options might be more suitable, such as:

  • Dental Bridges – Using healthy abutment teeth as anchors for the dental bridge, the two crowns fit over these pearly whites while the remaining pontics (artificial teeth) rest on top of the gums to create a full smile.
  • Dental Implants – Using titanium posts that are positioned and placed into the jawbone, dental implants are longer lasting and fuse with existing bone to support a custom denture that is secured on top.

Your Options For Dentures

Dentist showing a denture to a patient

At McCarl Dental Group, PC, we don’t recommend one-size-fits-all dentistry plans. We know that every smile is different, and we always want to customize your treatment to address your individual goals, schedule, and budget. We are happy to offer all of the following denture options:

Retrofit Dentures

A retrofit denture allows us to use an existing partial or full denture and refit it to attach to dental implant posts. This option allows for a more affordable dental implant-supported denture plan. Our dental lab will reline your existing denture, and as your denture is being reshaped, we will place dental implant posts. Then, we’ll attach your denture to the implants to improve the stability and longevity of your partial or full denture.

Implant Dentures

These restorations are crafted like the retrofit dentures, using two to four implant posts for a partial and four to six dental implant posts to support a full denture. However, rather than using an existing denture, we’ll custom craft a new prosthetic. In most cases, we'll recommend a fixed denture, but removable implant denture options are also available. During your treatment planning consultation, we’ll work with you to determine which is the right option for you.

Traditional Dentures

Crafted using a gum-colored base material to support a full row of replacement teeth, traditional dentures are molded to fit against the gums. The close fit creates suction that holds the denture in place. Some people choose to use a small amount of denture adhesive to improve the stability of removable dentures.

Traditional Partial Dentures

Traditional partial dentures fill the gaps in patients’ smiles. The base is molded to fit between remaining teeth. Because there are healthy teeth remaining, these prosthetics utilize clasps to anchor the partial denture to surrounding teeth. You can easily remove your traditional partials for cleaning and overnight storage.

Benefits of Dentures

Patient with dentures receiving checkup at McCarl Dental in Greenbelt

There are many benefits to using dentures to restore your smile rather than struggling with untreated tooth loss. Millions of patients living with these prosthetics are already able to embrace a better quality of life because of their durability, fit, and more attractive and natural appearance. When considering full or partial dentures to replace your missing teeth, you can expect that our McCarl Dental team will go over the following benefits with you:

Psychological Benefits

Your smile is not the only thing that will benefit from receiving dentures. Your smile is the first thing people see when they look at you.  Your new teeth can help to make a good first impression, which serves to boost your confidence. When you enjoy the way your dentures look and feel, you’ll begin to notice an improvement in your mental and emotional health as well. Days spent feeling hopeless about your missing teeth will turn into joy and excitement, as you begin to look forward to the many activities you previously missed out on.

Clear Enunciation

Missing teeth are known to cause speech impediments. Because they are crucial in being able to form words and sounds, slurring can be a common occurrence when gaps exist. However, with dentures, your teeth can be restored, allowing your tongue to work together with your dentures to create familiar and clearer speech. As a result, you will feel less embarrassed and more confident as you speak to others and engage in conversation with family and friends.

Improves Nutrition

Teeth are used to bite and chew through food. When missing, it can be difficult to consume some of the most nutritious and delicious options available. This can lead to malnutrition, which can negatively affect your oral and overall health. With dentures, though, you can resume eating your favorite foods and begin to experience a positive change in how you feel. As you eat nutrient-rich meats, fruits, vegetables, and greens, your smile and body will reap the benefits.

Preserves Oral Health

Living with dentures can mean enjoying better oral health. When natural teeth are lost, gaps can pose significant problems when it comes to the appearance of your smile. By installing a partial denture, natural teeth can remain in place, preventing a shift that requires orthodontic treatment. With full dentures, the ability to eat and use your teeth helps to keep your facial features from collapsing while also making it easier for you to keep your new smile clean and healthy.

Expands Opportunity

Replacing missing teeth can be a great way to expand your opportunities. Whether you’re a young person who is interviewing for a job, a busy professional who is seeking advancement, or a retiree who is ready to meet someone new, the confidence you can expect to find with these prosthetics will help you to make a stellar first impression every time.

Adjusting To Life With Dentures

Senior man sitting in dental chair

It can be difficult to adjust to a new oral appliance of any kind, but dentures can be especially difficult to get used to. Below, we’ve outlined some tips to help you adjust to your new prosthetic:

  • Keep wearing your dentures. Even if you can’t make it a full day with the dentures in place, you should wear them for a few hours each day and increase the time you wear them to build tolerance.
  • Begin eating soft foods and liquids. Then, gradually introduce difficult to consume foods. Take care to cut food into small bites and chew slowly.
  • Practice talking by reading aloud, singing, or saying tongue twisters.