Dr. Maged Mohareb of Prestige Denture Clinic in Clark County works on a set of dentures in his office.
According to Dr. Maged Mohareb of Prestige Denture Clinic in Clark County, when getting dentures it’s important to see a clinic where the same person who takes molds of your gums builds your dentures. Otherwise you may end up with teeth that don’t match the rest of your body.
Whether it’s dentures or partials, most anyone would rather have real healthy teeth over fake ones. Dr. Maged Mohareb of Prestige Denture Clinic in Clark County knows this and as a result understands people who need or have fake teeth can be reluctant about it.
“I hope to never have to serve you,” Mohareb said. “But if you need dentures don’t neglect. It’s your body and it’s what’s best for your body.”
According to Mohareb, losing a tooth should never be ignored. He said often when someone experiences the need to get a fake tooth or set of multiple teeth they resist simply because of the stigma.
“If you decide to leave a spot where you’ve lost a tooth alone it can actually be really damaging to the rest of your teeth,” Mohareb said.
He said while it seems harmless to leave a gap, the neighboring teeth will end up naturally filling the empty space and cause alignment problems.
“Basically if you were to leave it alone you’re likely to end up with even more issues,” Mohareb said.
In the denture industry Mohareb hears about lots of people having bad first experiences and thus they neglect returning when other issues develop. Anytime a tooth is loose or in severe pain it will probably need to be taken out and you should come in to see a denturist, he said.
“I know a lot of times people end up with loose fits their first time with fake teeth or the bite is wrong,” he said. “Oftentimes with women they are extra sensitive about how dentures look. A bad experience isn’t worth not taking care of your mouth though, there are good denturists out there.”
Mohareb said when picking out dentures or partials, don’t let price be the driving factor.
“When it comes to your body, never go cheap,” he said. “So many people want to know price first when they call, but you know what, it’s not about price. You need quality in your mouth.”
After getting dentures, Mohareb said the same rule about putting your body ahead of convenience applies. He said when you know teeth are fake it can be easy to say to yourself “they’re already fake so if I don’t clean them tonight it’s not a big deal,” but more damage can occur.
“Damage may not directly apply to your body if you don't regularly clean your dentures as opposed to if you don’t regularly clean real teeth, but it still will indirectly,” Mohareb said.
He said bacteria more easily builds up on dentures which can in turn lead to your stomach absorbing more bacteria than usual and sickness occurring.
Along the lines of keeping dentures clean, Mohareb said they should only ever be in two places — your mouth and the container.
“Don’t put them in your pocket, your wallet, on the counter or anywhere else,” he said. “You also have no idea how easy it is to lose them if you don’t and honestly, dentures aren’t cheap.”
When it comes to spending, Mohareb said if you can afford it, always go with implant overdentures. Implants keep the dentures attached to the gum much tighter.
“They’re life changing for people,” he said. “Average real teeth have 44 pounds of bite force. Bad dentures have four to seven pounds, good dentures 12 to 15 and implants 33.”
He said they can be far more comfortable as well.
Another factor to consider when buying is the process of how your dentures or partials are being made. Mohareb said it’s best to go to a clinic where the same person who takes your gum molds is the same person who builds your dentures. He said otherwise the molds can get sent back to a lab where other people, who have no idea what the rest of your body type looks like, choose the type of teeth shapes for you.
“I’ve unfortunately seen people whose dentures look fake just because you can tell their teeth don’t match their body,” Mohareb said.
Finally, a common misconception about dentures is that if you get teeth removed, there’s no need to wait for your gums to heal to have teeth again.
“There are immediate dentures you can get right after so you don’t have to miss work or not eat and they won’t mess up the healing of your gums,” Mohareb said. “After six months you just need to have them realigned to fit how the gums healed.”
