A denture may be designed to replace the entire set of teeth or a partial adjustment depending on the need. In contrast to a bridge, a partial denture is designed to replace a few missing teeth. Patients can benefit from partial dentures in many ways. Missing teeth should not be left unfilled, as this can cause additional problems. There are distinct and clear advantages to replacing teeth as opposed to just leaving empty spaces, whether you use dental implants, a bridge, or dentures. 

Disadvantages of Dentures

• Bites are much weaker: The occlusal force may be far less in patients who have worn complete dentures for more than 15 years. A denture becomes unstable, and chewing strength is reduced when teeth are lost. 90% of those who chewed their food with natural teeth had more efficiency than those who chewed with dentures within the same timeframe. The denture-wearing patients had ten times less chewing force and 40 percent less ability to chew.
• The efficiency of mastication has decreased: The majority of denture-wearing patients could only eat soft or mashed foods, and about half said they did not eat many foods they could before, and about 20 percent claimed their prosthetics were more efficient. In another study, just under half of the denture users reported having poor chewing performance and eating far fewer fruits and vegetables than they ought to, which meant their diets lacked vitamin A.
• Gastrointestinal problems are often treated with medications: Compared with counterparts with greater chewing ability, women who wear dentures used more drugs, including 30 percent for digestive needs. Some edentulous individuals report difficulty chewing, which may be a result of eating foods low in fiber. Less efficient chewing of food also contributed to digestive problems and less nutrition obtained by such patients.
• There is a possibility of shortening life expectancy: Denture wearers may suffer from illnesses caused by diminished dental function and shortened life expectancies due to impaired swallowing and chewing abilities.

Your dentist will be able to help you decide what option is best for your mouth and you. It is possible to start with dentures and progress to implants; however, implants are the more permanent option.