Edentulous means that you have no original teeth remaining in your oral cavity. Therefore, you are completely toothless. Partially edentulous is really an oxymoron like jumbo shrimp. You cannot be “partially,” edentulous but you can be partially toothless. Confusing? The plain fact is that if you are missing several of your teeth and they are scattered throughout your mouth (not all of them being in a row), we still have treatment options for you!
Partial Dentures
While full dentures restore all of your missing teeth when you are edentulous, partial dentures can replace more than a few missing teeth even if they are not in a row. When you are missing several teeth throughout your mouth it can be difficult to enunciate words clearly, and to chew foods. These are things most people take for granted, but when you have difficulty doing them, it can affect your quality of life and your self-confidence. Partial dentures can complete your smile by filling in the empty spaces where teeth are missing on your bottom or top arch. Even if you think you are doing okay with several missing teeth, tooth loss can lead to more tooth loss, until you are completely toothless. Rather than let that happen, you can enjoy the benefits of partial dentures which include:
- Partials restore the function and esthetics of your smile, and as a result your self-esteem.
- Partials restore the ability to speak clearly and chew a variety of healthy foods.
- Partials provide the ability to address a wide variety of missing teeth configurations.
- Partials are removable so you can still care for your other teeth and keep your partials clean, too.
