Are you looking for a new career in the healthcare field? Denturism is an exciting career field you may not have considered. People in this niche field provide dentures and dental services for their patients. Before you choose this career, you should know more about the services you’d be providing.
Here’s everything you need to know about dentures and dental services.
Types of Dentures
As you probably know, dentures are used to replace missing teeth. There are a few different types of dentures. The different types of dentures are designed to meet the varying needs of patients.
Complete dentures are oral prosthetic devices that replace all the teeth within an arch. They’re usually made of acrylic, and they rest on top of patients’ gums. They’re the type of dentures you probably think of when you hear the word “dentures.” Some patients only have an upper denture, while others only have a lower denture. Of course, patients may also need complete dentures on both their arches.
Removable partial dentures are used for patients who still have some of their natural teeth. These dentures can replace one tooth or several, depending on patients’ needs. Clasps hold the partial dentures in place.
Dentures over implants are another type of denture you could create. They’re used for people with no teeth on one or both arches, just like complete dentures. However, they’re a bit different. While complete dentures just sit on top of the gums, dentures over implants are supported by dental implants. A dentist or oral surgeon will need to insert the implants. Then, a denturist can create dentures the patient can simply snap into place.
How Dentures Are Made
As a denturist, you’ll get to design and construct dentures in a laboratory. The process is a bit different for each type of denture. During your college program, you’ll learn how to make each of the different types. You’ll get lots of hands-on practice, so by the time you graduate, you’ll be able to confidently make all types of dentures.
Multiple appointments are needed to provide dentures to patients. First, denturists perform an examination of their patients’ mouth. They measure the patient’s jaws to find out what size and shape the dentures should be.
Next, denturists create a wax model of the dentures. The patient gets to try on this replica to see how the finished dentures will feel. The denturist also checks the patient’s bite to make sure the dentures will be comfortable.
If the wax model is comfortable, the denturist proceeds to create the real dentures. Once the dentures are ready, the patient returns to pick them up. The denturist may need to make some final adjustments to ensure the dentures are perfect.
Dental Services Provided by Denturists
Denturists provide both dentures and dental services. You may be wondering what types of dental services denturists are allowed to perform. Since denturists are responsible for making dentures, they’re also in charge of fixing them. If patients drop their dentures, they may come to you for repairs.
Denturists also reline or rebase dentures. When people wear complete dentures, their jawbones shrink over time. That means the dentures will eventually get loose and slip out of place. Relining or rebasing dentures means putting a new underside on the dentures to give patients a snug fit.
Another dental service is recognizing oral abnormalities that should be referred to a dentist. Denturists may use various oral screening tests to detect abnormalities that are hard to see with the naked eye. For example, denturists could notice abnormalities that could indicate oral cancer.