image:Mr. M's Complete Denture1.JPG image:Occlusal of Mr. M's Complete Denture.JPG Dentures are prosthetic devices constructed to replace missing teeth, and which are supported by surrounding soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. Conventional dentures are removable, however there are many different denture designs, some which rely on bonding or clipping onto teeth or dental implants. There are two main categories of dentures, depending on whether they are used to replace missing teeth on the mandibular arch or the maxillary arch. There are many informal names for dentures such as dental plate, false teeth and falsies.

Causes of tooth loss

Patients can become entirely edentulous (without teeth) due to many reasons, the most prevalent being removal because of dental disease typically relating to oral flora control ie:periodontal disease and tooth decay. Other reasons include tooth developmental defects caused by severe malnutrition, genetic defects such as Dentinogenesis imperfecta, trauma, or drug use.

Advantages

Dentures can help patients in terms of:

1. Masticatory - improving chewing ability by replacing the edentulous area with acrylic teeth. Thus enable better mastication and pleasure to enjoy food.

2. Aesthetic - providing the visual appearance of having natural teeth, providing support for their lips and cheeks, and correcting the collapsed appearance commonly seen between the nose and the chin.

3. Phonetic - Replacing the toothless area, especially the anteriors, to help patients to speak and pronounce certain words properly without air escapes.

Removable partial dentures

Removable partial dentures are for patients who are missing some of their teeth on a particular arch. Fixed partial dentures, better known as "crown and bridge", are made from crowns that are fitted on the remaining teeth to act as abutments and pontics made from materials to resemble the missing teeth. Fixed bridges are more expensive than removable appliances but are more stable.

Complete dentures

Conversely, complete dentures or full dentures are worn by patients who are missing all their teeth in an arch (i.e the maxillary(upper) or mandibular(lower) arch).

History

Around 700BC, Etruscans, in northern Italy, made dentures out of human or other animal teeth. These deteriorated quickly but, being easy to produce, were popular until mid 19th century

The first European sets of dentures date from the 15th century and most probably existed before that time. They were carved from bone or ivory, or made up of teeth sourced from graveyards, the recent dead or living donors who exchanged their teeth for profit. These dentures were uncomfortable, attached visibly to a base supported by any remaining teeth with a thread of metal or silk. The false teeth were often made with ivory from the hippopotamus or walrus, and usually rotted after extended use. Fact: date=February 2007