A denture is a removable dental appliance replacement for missing teeth and surrounding tissue. They are made to closely resemble your natural teeth and may even enhance your smile. There are two types of dentures – complete and partial dentures.
Complete dentures
These appliances are used when all of the teeth are missing. Our hand-crafted dentures look beautiful, natural, and feel comfortable and secure. They help to fill out facial contours, and allow you to eat the foods you love. Our master technician hand makes each denture to exacting standards of fit and aesthetics. Dentures are very durable appliances and will last many years, but may have to be remade, repaired, or readjusted due to normal wear.
A Complete denture may be either “conventional” or “immediate.” A conventional denture is simply a replacement denture once an original denture wears in the normal course of function. Immediate dentures are made in advance and immediately placed after the teeth are removed, thus preventing the patient from having to be without teeth during the healing phase. The gum tissue will undergo changes during a healing period which typically lasts anywhere between 4 to 6 weeks after the teeth are extracted. During this period the gum tissues gradually shrinks and heals, which results in a need for adjustments to accommodate the changes. Once this phase has passed, your immediate denture is relined or remade to conform to the shape of gums.
The process of getting dentures requires several appointments, usually over several weeks. Highly accurate impressions (molds) and measurements are taken and used to create your custom denture. Several “try-in” appointments may be necessary to ensure proper shape, color, and fit. At the final appointment, your dentist will precisely adjust and place the completed denture, ensuring a natural and comfortable fit. It is normal to experience increased saliva flow, some soreness, and possible speech and chewing difficulty, however this will subside as your muscles and tissues get accustomed to the new dentures.
While dentures come with great benefits, there are some potential disadvantages. For one, complete dentures can feel bulky, especially an upper set which covers the roof of the mouth. Lower complete dentures can feel unstable. The instability stems from the various muscles such as the tongue that can shift them. Additionally, with time, the underlying jaw bone supporting the denture shrinks resulting in progressive loss of denture retention and movement of the denture during chewing activity. Eventually this progressive conditions will lead to challenging complications. Implant-supported-removable-dentures (also known as Snap-on Dentures) or full-arch-implant-supported-fixed-bridges are far superior in fit and function when compared to traditional complete dentures.
Removable partial denture
Partial dentures are used when some natural teeth remain. These dentures are made of a metal substructure, hard acrylic base, plastic teeth, and metal clasps. Flexible base partial denture provide a more aesthetic look when compared to traditional removable partial dentures since they don’t require a metal substructure. In either event, the installation process is simple, and natural teeth are spared.
Similar to full dentures, the process of fabricating partial dentures requires several appointments and essentially follows the same processes as a complete denture.
A Partial denture not only fills in the spaces created by missing teeth, it prevents other teeth from shifting. However, partial dentures are often perceived as uncomfortable and a bit complicated to use. Function cannot be compared to bridges or implants which effectively feel and look like natural teeth. Implant supported removable partial dentures are far superior in fit and function when compared to traditional partial dentures.