Technically, you can make false teeth out of anything hard enough to bite and chew food.  But not every material offers the same kind of support and toughness, plus it has to be able to fit in your mouth without falling out every time you take a bite.  So when you get a set of new dentures on Long Island, you can count on them to use a very particular set of materials.

The Teeth

The replacement teeth used for dentures need to be very hard, but they also need to be the sort of off-white color that matches the natural color of enamel and dentin.  That’s why porcelain has been king for a long time:  porcelain is naturally white and with the right mix can become the right shade of off-white.  It’s also easy to shape before you bake it and incredibly durable afterward, plus it’s slightly harder than natural teeth.  Unfortunately, that means it can grind down the opposite teeth if they’re still natural.

However, you’re more likely to get an acrylic resin (a kind of very hard plastic) when you get new dentures on Long Island.  The resin isn’t as hard as porcelain, which can be a good thing, and it’s also much cheaper, easier to colorize, and better at bonding with the denture base.  They do wear down faster than porcelain, but that still means they last for years.

The Framework

The framework, or plate, of a dental appliance is the part that fits over the gums and any surrounding natural teeth.  This is the part that needs adjustment as your gums shrink after a tooth removal.  For full dentures that need to have the same pink color as natural gums, the plate is usually made from more acrylic resin or another kind of plastic that’s flexible and related to nylon.  The flexible plastic is better at hugging your gums, but you’ll still need to adjust them eventually and it isn’t as durable as the hard resin.

But if you get partial new dentures on Long Island, your plate is more likely to be metal, a chrome-cobalt alloy to be specific.  Metal is a lot more durable than either kind of plastic, but it doesn’t look anything like your natural teeth.  The reason it’s good for a partial denture is because the plate can hide behind your natural teeth and your smile will show only your teeth and gums.

Every material has its good and bad qualities, but thanks to modern technology and 3D imaging it’s easier than ever to create dentures that fit your gums and look as natural as your real teeth.  So no matter where you go for new dentures on Long Island, you can be sure you’ll get the best quality available.