Dentures are used to replace or protect missing or badly damaged teeth. Beyond aesthetic considerations, a healthy and complete dentition is indeed essential to stay healthy.
“The jaw is the first joint in our body, explains Dr Guillaume Gros, dentist in Tours (37). When one or more teeth are amputated, this imbalance can affect the whole body, like a domino effect: the patient then risks joint or even muscle pain, for example in the back. »
Also, to spare the muscles and the tendons, the dentist installs a prosthesis, ie one (or more) false teeth which will make it possible to “wedge” the jaw and, therefore, to preserve the balance of the whole body.
It’s not just boxers who lose teeth! “Of course, following a trauma to the jaw (a blow or a fall, for example) you can lose a tooth and need a prosthesis, explains Dr Guillaume Gros. But most often, it is caries and periodontitis that lead to the installation of dental material. »
Caries is an infectious disease that damages the structure of the tooth: under the action of bacteria, the sugars consumed are transformed into acids and attack the tooth in depth… until its devitalization.
Periodontitis is also a disease caused by bacteria. However, this time it is the tissues that surround and support the teeth (the gums, the ligament and the alveolar bone) that are attacked. If left untreated, periodontitis can also lead to the loss of some teeth.
Don’t panic: brushing your teeth, using dental floss or getting your teeth cleaned regularly are all small gestures that protect us from these pathologies…
Forget the clichés: dentures are not just for the elderly! “In general, we still wait until the age of 18 before offering a prosthesis to a patient, explains Dr. Guillaume Gros. Indeed, before this age, bone growth is not complete and the solutions can therefore only be temporary. »
There are two types of dentures: fixed and removable.
Once in place, the fixed prosthesis cannot be removed: it is welded to the jawbone. The best known is the crown: this is used to protect a dilapidated tooth whose root is healthy. It is actually a “cap” installed on the tooth to preserve it. Sometimes, if the tooth is very damaged, it is necessary to reinforce the crown with a pivot, that is to say a rivet implanted in the heart of the tooth to support it.
Conversely, when one or more teeth are missing (not even the root remains), then a bridge must be installed. The idea is to place one or more false teeth to replace the missing ones by pressing the prosthesis on the remaining teeth and the gum.
Removable prostheses can be removed. Here again, it is a question of replacing missing teeth by pressing the prosthesis on the gum, the remaining teeth and/or the alveolar bone.
“The dentist opts for a removable model when the patient is missing a lot of teeth,” explains Dr. Guillaume Gros. But, for questions of comfort, the fixed prosthesis remains more pleasant to wear. »
However, some brands have managed to develop special “glues” that fix removable prostheses to the jaw to prevent them from moving, especially at mealtimes.
Fixed dental prostheses (the crown and the bridge, therefore) can be made of metal or ceramic. “Although metal is obviously less expensive, it is also less pleasant to wear,” explains Dr Guillaume Gros. First, there is the aesthetic aspect: while the dentist can make the ceramic tooth have the same color as the rest of the teeth, a silver, titanium, copper or even gold prosthesis will necessarily be more conspicuous.
“Furthermore, with a metal prosthesis, there is a risk that the patient will suffer weak electric shocks at times,” adds Dr. Guillaume Gros.
In the case of removable prostheses, several materials are involved. In general, the teeth are made of beige composite resin, for as much discretion as possible. The plate that rests on the gum is made of hypoallergenic metal. “Ceramics are used very little in the case of removable models: this material is not flexible enough”, explains Dr Guillaume Gros.
