You should never be without some teeth to avoid damage to the remaining teeth or issues with chewing. For every absence, there is a simple and economical solution for adequate functional and aesthetic rehabilitation.
In some situations of edentulism, when restoring the teeth with a fixed solution is not possible due to a lack of support (teeth) or the inability to use implantology (for clinical or economic reasons), removable dentures can be used.
It is always extremely important to replace lost teeth, both for proper restoration of chewing and to maintain occlusal balance, which is essential to avoid disorders of the temporomandibular joint and the cervical spine.
There are currently various removable dentures, ranging from total dentures to many other more pleasant options to wear. In the presence of some residual dental elements, a possible solution is a skeletal prosthesis, either with clasps (metal or aesthetic) or attachments. This is a partial removable denture that attaches to the residual teeth, providing excellent stability in chewing and a good aesthetic result.
Even in the case of total edentulism, if it is possible to place even just 2 or 4 implants, these can be used as support and anchorage for the so-called overdenture, that is a complete denture that attaches to the implants themselves with significantly greater stability thanks to implant support instead of mucosal support.
In the case of the loss of a single tooth (or not many), there are also currently available unilateral nylon removable dentures with invisible clasps, which are very easy to manage and provide excellent aesthetic and functional value.
In the design of a removable denture, especially if total, there are many elements to consider, and it is wrong to think that this is a simple or easy solution. Total dentures, as patients who wear them know well, are the most difficult to make, requiring constant adjustments and a lot of patience, especially in the initial phases when pressure sores and small lesions are inevitable. The continuous movements of the floor of the mouth and the tongue, along with muscle forces, make the creation of a correct removable denture very complex and difficult. The problem of denture retention is linked to the shape of the edentulous alveolar processes (i.e., the residual bone profile), occlusal balance, and the vertical height of the denture itself.
The concept of lingual space is very important, meaning the correct volume that the prosthetic body must have in relation to the tongue so as not to interfere with its various functions. The mandible also presents forward movements during tongue protrusion and lateral movements; this should illustrate how any type of dental prosthesis that limits lingual movements can also induce altered behavior in the individual. In the creation of a removable denture, the chewing capacity of molars and premolars must also be carefully considered, and the most current techniques that facilitate the process of food grinding should be applied.
