If you're considering getting dentures to replace your missing teeth, you may be curious about these natural looking tooth replacements. Today our Surrey and Langley dentists share a little about the history of dentures and how they are made now.
A Brief History of Dentures
Throughout history humans have used dentures to restore the function and appearance of their smile. Dentures have helped to make people feel more confident about their smile, and to improve their ability to chew and speak clearly. Here's more about how dentures began and how they have improved over the centuries:
The Earliest Dentures
Way back, around 700 BC in northern Italy, people constructed dentures out of a mixture of human and animal teeth.
Dentures in the 1700s
By the time the 1700's rolled around, dentures were often carved out of elephant, hippopotamus, or walrus ivory. These dentures were a popular way to replace missing teeth for those who could afford them.
Rumour has it that George Washington had some of the highest quality dentures available in his time. It is believed that his dentures were made from carved hippopotamus ivory imbedded with a collection of donkey, horse, and human teeth.
Dentures in the 1800s
18-karat gold plates inlaid with porcelain teeth were created by Claudius Ash, for his rich clients in the 1800's. Later in the century, Ash went on to create more affordable dentures made from hardened rubber with porcelain teeth.
Dentures Today
Denture technology has certainly come a long way since those early days! Today's dentures give a more natural look, feel and function than ever. Materials such as acrylic resin or porcelain have replaced the animal teeth and gold plates of days gone by.
Porcelain Dentures
Porcelain provides artificial teeth with a very natural look and feel. Dentures with porcelain teeth offer a number of benefits:
- A translucent appearance which gives the dentures a natural look.
- Porcelain teeth feel more natural than acrylic resin teeth, making them somewhat easier to adjust to.
- Porcelain teeth are very hard and long lasting.
Nonetheless, there are drawbacks to porcelain dentures:
- Compared to acrylic resin teeth, porcelain teeth are much more fragile and easily broken or chipped if dropped on a hard surface.
- The extremely hard nature of porcelain dentures means that they can cause natural teeth which bite against them to wear down quickly.
Acrylic Resin Dentures
Acrylic dentures offer a number of benefits including:
- Dentures made with acrylic teeth are typically less expensive compared to porcelain dentures.
- Acrylic dentures are lighter than dentures made from porcelain.
The main drawback of acrylic resin dentures is that these dentures tend to wear faster than dentures with porcelain teeth. If acrylic dentures are cared for properly, you can expect them to last approximately 5-8 years, at which time they will need to be replaced.
The Denture Plate
A denture plate is the part of the dentures that holds the teeth in place and rests on the gums. No longer carved out of ivory or formed out of gold, today's plates can be made from a range of different materials, including rigid acrylic resin, flexible (nylon) polymer, or cobalt metal.
Acrylic denture plates are designed with an artificial gum line, tinted to look just like the natural gums of the patient. Metal denture plates are a more durable option and can offer a better fit than acrylic resin plates. These denture plates are most often used for partial dentures where the plate is hidden behind remaining natural teeth.