We all have watched a movie or film where a senior person removes their full set of teeth before going to sleep. Most of us have probably wondered about the name of the teeth and why they are in existence. Well, false teeth or dentures can be used in instances where one loses their natural teeth due to decay, injury or damage. The dentures and false teeth can be used to replace the missing teeth and eventually restore the smile. The difference between dentures and false teeth is that dentures represent an entire or partial row of missing teeth while false teeth refer to a single missing tooth. However, both carry the same function and application. False teeth are artificial teeth that are made from acrylic designed to match a person's natural teeth. The base is referred to as a plate which can either be made from metal or acrylic. The false teeth are not permanently fixed into the mouth meaning that they can be taken off and restored whenever there is a need to. They are comfortable and natural looking meaning that they are indistinguishable from real teeth. The various types of false teeth available are complete dentures, partial dentures as well as conventional and immediate dentures.

1. Complete Dentures – Complete dentures fully encompass the meaning of dentures as defined earlier. These are the types of false teeth which are used to replace an entire jaw of missing teeth in either the upper or lower decks. These are mostly used for the people who have lost most of their natural teeth through fatal and severe accidents or disease and illnesses. The false teeth are used to replace the lost natural teeth making sure the person feels confident and has an increased self-esteem.

2. Partial Dentures – Partial dentures do represent what is referred to as false teeth from the definition as they only refer to a small number of lost natural teeth. The false teeth are intended to fill in the gaps left behind by the missing teeth. They are usually attached to the natural teeth through devices known as precision attachments or metal clasps. They are mostly used for patients who are missing either one or a few natural teeth and wish to replace them.

3. Conventional and Immediate Dentures – The conventional types of ventures are those moulded over the mouth cavity only after a few weeks of gum healing from the time the teeth were removed. On the other hand, immediate dentures are moulded as soon as the teeth are removed with no healing time given. The advantage about conventional dentures is that they feel entirely comfortable once moulded to the healed gum in spite of the long toothless waiting period. Immediate dentures, on the other hand, offer the appeal of having your teeth immediately fixed without toothlessly waiting for the gums to heal. However, they will require timely adjustments for them to fit in the mouth comfortably.

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