Dentures are essentially false teeth, but there’s no reason why they have to look false in any way! We understand how life changing it can be to have dentures that work efficiently, feel comfortable, and look natural, and there are several factors we consider when creating quality, befitting dentures for patients. In this blog, we explore the roles that good gum tissue aesthetics, well matched tooth shape and texture play in creating natural looking dentures.
Gum tissue aesthetics
When looking for natural looking partial dentures a key consideration is the aesthetics of the denture gums and in particular the colour, to ensure they match your natural gum as closely as possible. If you have a big smile and the transition from the denture flange (the pink gum work on the denture) to the natural gums is poor, you will be able to easily spot the inauthenticity. This is made trickier by the usually limited number of denture base shades available, which will not meet the huge range of gum pigmentation found in the general population.
Another potential challenge may lie in the dental base. If the dental base is not naturally textured or has a lack of sufficient curvature around the teeth, or lacks intricate detailing to help them look natural, then it will be difficult to achieve a flawless appearance. This can be avoided by having naturalistic shaping around denture teeth and gums but also having a highly skilled dental technician/dentist. Additionally, there should be layered acrylics used to replicate the appearance of natural tissue and include naturalistic details such as replica blood vessels. This should ensure that the result of the dentures is highly natural-looking and almost indistinguishable from natural teeth.
Shape and texture of teeth
The shape and texture of teeth also plays a vital role in creating natural looking dentures. It is common for most dentures to have a limited number of options when it comes to tooth shape. In some scenarios, there is even a chance that standard teeth are pre-installed and tooth shape may not be customisable. In this case, getting dentures which allow for complete customisation of teeth is essential. This involves selecting from sets of teeth and potentially mixing and matching from these sets. Some dental practices may even allow you to choose each tooth in the denture individually to ensure you get the most realistic set of denture teeth possible.
The placement of the teeth is also essential in having dentures look as natural as possible. This includes having a slight gap between teeth, a partial rotation of certain teeth, and other potential variations to add to the realism.
The texture of the denture teeth is another important element. In many cases, denture teeth are made flat and look highly artificial, especially when they are made of acrylic. Even if ceramic teeth are used, they can often look quite artificial due to the smoothly glazed surface, which can look particularly poor under natural light. Consequently, it is essential to have denture teeth which possess a textured surface, ensuring that they appear as real as possible in multiple scenarios and different lighting.
Our dedicated denture clinic boasts a dental technician and laboratory on site and with 50+ years combined experience between us, there are not a lot of dental challenges we cannot overcome. But don’t just take our word for it, check out what our patient’s say about us.
