Facts About Lost Teeth and the Need For Treatment

The ADA Specialty Scan--Prosthodontics gives the following statistics about missing teeth:

• more than 35 million Americans have no teeth (are edentulous) and 178 million U.S. residents are missing at least one tooth
• among seniors, the ratio of edentulous people is 2 to 1, about 23 million are edentulous and 12 million are edentulous in one arch
• nine out of ten edentulous Americans have dentures
• the number of partially edentulous Americans is expected to rise to more than 200 million over the next 15 years
• about 15% of the edentulous population has dentures made each year

Source: American College of Prosthodontics

Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc.,
Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics
(661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com
5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Removable Partials Are Terrific

Sometimes the easiest way to replace missing front teeth is with a conventional removable partial denture.  This patient's four front teeth are actually part of the partial.

Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc.,
Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics
(661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com
5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309

How To Care For Dentures

Careful daily removal of the bacterial and fungal biofilm present in the mouth and on complete dentures is important to minimize denture inflammation (stomatitis) and to help contribute to good oral and general health.  The latest evidence in the literature recommends that patients who wear dentures should do the following:

1. daily cleansing by soaking is superior to denture creams and pastes and less abrasive
2. denture cleansers should only be used outside the mouth
3. dentures should be thoroughly rinsed after cleaning before reinsertion into the mouth
4. dentures should never be placed in boiling water, because they will warp
5. dentures can be soaked in diluted bleach solutions but only for 10 minutes or less

Your local Board Certified Prosthodontist (denture specialist) can help you with your dentures.

Source:  evidence-based guidelines from the AmericanCollege of Prosthodontists as commissioned by the American Dental Association

Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309

How To Care For Dentures

Careful daily removal of the bacterial and fungal biofilm present in the mouth and on complete dentures is important to minimize denture inflammation (stomatitis) and to help contribute to good oral and general health.  The latest evidence in the literature recommends that patients who wear dentures should do the following:

1. daily cleansing by soaking is superior to denture creams and pastes and less abrasive
2. denture cleansers should only be used outside the mouth
3. dentures should be thoroughly rinsed after cleaning before reinsertion into the mouth
4. dentures should never be placed in boiling water, because they will warp
5. dentures can be soaked in diluted bleach solutions but only for 10 minutes or less

Your local Board Certified Prosthodontist (denture specialist) can help you with your dentures.

Source:  evidence-based guidelines from the AmericanCollege of Prosthodontists as commissioned by the American Dental Association

Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Experts Agree: Standard of Care for a Lower Denture is Two Implants for Retention

The standard of care for an edentulous mandible (no lower teeth) should be the two implant -retained mandibular overdenture (IRMOD).  The authors conducted a 2011 survey of U.S. academic prosthodontic experts to determine their opinions.  Methods:  a Delphi method survey was used in which consensus was defined as a 70% agreement level among panelists.  Results: Consensus favored the IRMOD for 9 of the 10 parameters assessed--retention, stability, speech, masticatory efficiency, comfort while eating soft foods and hard foods, confidence in intimate situations, satisfaction and self esteem.  The exception was aesthetics for which the majority favored the IRMOD but the number was below consensus ranking.  Conclusions:  The panelists reached consensus that they would recommend an implant retained mandibular overdenture instead of a complete denture only as the first choice of care when restoring an edentulous mandible of a healthy patient or a patient with mild systemic disease but not for patients with severe systemic disease.  

Source:  JADA,August, 2012

Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309