8 Things You Need to Know About Digital Dentures

We live in a digital age where technology impacts pretty much every vocation. When it comes to dental technology, the technological dental advancements combine convenience with science.

And when we’re talking about dental restorations, convenience and science are combined with art, as dental restorations now are much more individualized thanks to advanced dental technology.

How Has Dental Technology Changed Over Time?

There aren’t many aspects of dentistry unaffected by technology.

Whether it’s improving a current technique or rendering a tool obsolete thanks to the invention of a new one, dentistry has seen a lot of advancements in technology over the last couple of decades.

Both the dentist and the patient benefit from dental technology advancements, as newer techniques are less invasive and more dependable than dental techniques used in the past.

Where some procedures previously required multiple office visits, sometimes even requiring appointments with multiple providers, thanks to advancements in dental technology many procedures can now be completed in fewer appointments and with the involvement of a single provider.

Advancements in dental technology also allow for quicker production and more natural appearance of dental restorations (from implants to bridges to Digital Dentures, and anything in between).

What Does Dental Technology Deal With?

Advancements in dental technology have:

• improved dental restorations
• reduced invasiveness of procedures
• reduced recovery times
• made sedation more comfortable (allowing for more communication as well)
• removed the need for some older less effective technology/tools
• improved imaging quality and reduced radiation exposure (by up to 90% when compared to standard film!)
• decreased pain
• increased customization options in cosmetic dentistry
• allowed for quicker and potentially less expensive manufacturing of dental prosthesis, including digital dentures.

Digital Dentures are a newer advancement in dental technology, and here are 8 things you may need to know about them.

1. What are Digital Dentures?

Digital dentures are dentures that are created from start to finish…digitally.

The impressions are done using digital scanning of the mouth, and the dentures are designed, based on these scans, in a computer and then printed using 3D printing technology.

2. How are Digital Dentures Made?

Thanks to advancements in dental technology, the teeth of digital dentures are designed on software. This allows for complete individualization.

If you have a photo of the way your teeth used to look, this photo can be used to help customize the style of your digital denture teeth.

The digital denture process uses a scientifically proven way to assess how your teeth should bite together.

This is recorded in your digital file.

This dental technology also assesses several other spacing and cosmetic related concerns with the teeth, including how far apart your teeth should be.

The digital denture is then crafted out of a solid block of a cured, very hard resin.

This resin doesn’t shift/change as it cures, which yields a closer fit to your palate/mouth tissues than conventional dentures.

This process results in a more comfortable fit from digital dentures than conventional dentures.

When everything is aligned correctly and your bite is good, you will feel more comfortable. Digital dentures provide this.

3. How Do Digital Dentures Look?

4. What If I Break or Lose My Digital Dentures?

Sometimes, accidents happen and dentures are lost or broken.

With conventional dentures, if you lose or break your dentures, you will need to begin the impression process all over.

But with digital dentures, since your denture design is saved as a digital file, a replacement is only a phone call away– and often ready in a day or two!

While accidents can happen, with digital dentures you have less of a chance of breaking your dentures or losing teeth.

Digital dentures are made of a resin that is 8 times stronger than the acrylic used in conventional dentures!

5. What Does the Digital Denture Process Look Like?

Digital dentures are made in two appointments.

That’s it! Two!

At the first appointment, a digital record is made for your dentures.

This does away with the previously lengthy dental process involving multiple appointments to get the impressions made just right and confirm fit, etc.

This digital record/file is also the reason replacements are easy and quick with digital dentures.

At the second appointment, you will receive your dentures!

6. How Long Do Digital Dentures Last?

With conventional dentures, most people will need to replace them every 5-10 years.

Digital dentures also need to be replaced, but because they are made of a stronger material than conventional dentures, they tend to last longer than conventional dentures, for most people.

7. How Much Do Digital Dentures Cost?

The cost of dentures can vary depending upon each person’s needs, but the cost of digital dentures does not necessarily increase in spite of the use of advanced dental technology.

Even better, replacement copies of dentures can be made at a lesser cost than a conventional set of dentures since all of the impression work/appointments can be avoided.

Dollar cost aside, digital dentures provide more total value than conventional dentures.

This is because conventional dentures require more appointments and realignment and adjustment issues.

Conventional dentures come with more issues than digital dentures, making digital dentures a better value overall.

8. Are Digital Dentures Better than Conventional Dentures?

Conventional dentures can be uncomfortable.

Conventional dentures also offer limited customization and can take a long time to replace if lost/broken.

While ultimately the type of dentures you select is a personal decision, the features that line up in favor of digital dentures include:

• Increased Comfort
• Better Bite
• Better Fit
• Fewer Appointments and Adjustments
• Quicker Replacement Process than with Conventional Dentures
• Complete Individualization Options (vs. limited, prefabricated design options with
  conventional dentures)

Contact us today if you would like to set up an appointment or have any questions regarding digital dentures, or you can complete the form below.