Getting Dentures At A Young Age

Dentures are usually associated with older adults. However, it is not uncommon for younger patients who have lost a few or many of their teeth to consider dentures as a viable option.

Getting dentures at a young age is becoming more popular, and statistics verify this. According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), many young adults aged 20 to 34 years do not have all of their natural teeth. The lab says this age group has an average of 26.9% of their natural teeth and that figure drops for those aged between 35 and 49 years. Clearly, getting dentures is no big deal for young people.

How Young People End Up With Dentures

There are many reasons for getting dentures at a young age. Tooth loss can happen from gum disease or cavities. Teeth can erode as a result of medical conditions like bulimia or gastrointestinal acid reflux. Having dentures at a young age may also be the result of some form of trauma to the mouth, teeth, and gums. This can be in the format of an accident or sports injury.

When you consider these possibilities, it becomes clearer that false teeth are not restricted to old people as wearing dentures at a young age is not so uncommon.

Reasons To Consider Dentures At A Young Age

There are several reasons young people should consider dentures to replace missing teeth. Here is a list of some of the most common:

Increase Your Confidence

When you have gaps in your smile from missing teeth, it affects your appearance. When this happens, it also impacts the way you feel about yourself. With dentures, your smile is restored, and you will lose that self-conscious feeling when participating in social activities.

Improve Your Eating Habits

Missing or damaged teeth will change the way you eat and the foods you eat. For overall good health, you need to have proper nutrition. Young people with dentures can enjoy consuming certain foods that may have been difficult to bite and chew with teeth missing.

Keep Your Other Teeth From Getting Damaged

When you have gaps between your natural teeth created by missing teeth, it puts excessive pressure on the teeth that remain. This can cause additional wear, position shifting, and damage to where some of the healthy teeth end up having to be removed.

Are More Comfortable Than Before

False teeth are no longer big and bulky and difficult to wear. Advancements in denture technology have progressed to the point where they fit better and look much like the natural teeth they are replacing. Dentures are also lighter than they used to be.

Are Appropriate For Young Patients

Dentures for young adults are an appropriate solution to missing or damaged teeth. They are not just for the elderly. Being young with dentures is not a huge concern as they are made to look like your natural teeth and are difficult for anyone to identify as not being natural.

The Different Types of Dentures For Young Adults

Young adults generally have the same choices as anyone else when it comes to different types of dentures. Two of the most common options are full or partial dentures.

Full dentures are designed to replace all teeth in either the upper jaw or lower jaw. They are also used to replace all teeth in both jaws. A full denture is a plate-like item that is flesh-colored and has fake teeth attached to it. The plate sits on the gumline of the jaw the teeth are being replaced.

Partial dentures are the logical solution to replacing single or small groups of teeth between natural teeth. These appliances contain fake teeth attached to a base that is made to look like your gums and fit to sit between natural teeth, which hold them in place. There may be small metal anchors connected to the remaining teeth used to lock the partial dentures where they are designed to sit. They look like your natural teeth.

Getting Used To Dentures

Regardless of whether you are getting dentures at a young age or if you are older, it may take some time in getting used to wearing dentures. Typically, it will take between a few weeks to a few months to get into the routine of having a foreign object in your mouth. You may have to relearn how to eat certain foods, how to speak clearly, and how to care for your false teeth. Most young people with dentures indicate that speaking and eating with dentures takes the most getting used to.

Rest assured that these issues will fade over time as your mouth muscles and tongue adapt to the changes in your mouth. Two ways to assist with the transition include singing words and speaking slowly to form words with your mouth. This will make speaking easier once you are accustomed to having dentures in your mouth. Eating becomes easier if you start by cutting food up into smaller pieces and chewing slowly.

In Conclusion

As you now know, getting dentures at a young age is not unusual nor is it strange. There are several logical reasons why a young person may end up with false teeth. There are also as many reasons why dentures are the appropriate choice for some young adults.

They will take some getting used to, regardless of your age, but the benefits of getting dentures at a young age make all the effort worthwhile.