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Dentures & Partial Dentures
Dentures substitute for missing teeth, and are designed to be removable. They are custom fit to match your other existing teeth, and may actually work to improve your smile.
Dentures are available in two types - complete and partial. If all of the teeth on one arch are missing, a complete denture is made and installed. If some of the original teeth still exist and are healthy, a partial denture will be used to fill in the gaps in between the existing teeth. Partial dentures serve the dual purpose of filling in for missing teeth and keeping the remaining teeth from moving around.
Complete dentures can be made to be immediate or conventional. Conventional dentures are made about a month after all of the teeth have been removed and the gums and tissue have had adequate time to heal. Until this happens, the patient has no teeth. So in order to allow the patient to eat and function during the healing process, immediate dentures are prefabricated and installed as soon as the teeth are pulled. As the gums heal and shrink, the immediate denture will require periodic readjustments.
Dentures are designed to permanently replace missing teeth and are designed to last for a long time, but will likely have to be fixed, adjusted, or even remade due to wear and the normal aging process.
Dentures are made and installed for the following reasons:
- To act as a replacement when all of the teeth in one arch are missing
- To fill in for teeth that are missing in several locations but still have other good teeth remaining
- To improve or change facial features or a smile
- To correct imperfections in speech, chewing food, and digestion
What's involved if I want to get dentures?
Many visits to the dentist will be required over many weeks to complete the process. Very accurate molds are made to make a set of dentures, and many measurements taken as well. It may be necessary to schedule a couple of appointments just to try out your new dentures for color, shape, and especially fit. During the last appointment, the dentist will make the final precision adjustments and then install the denture, making sure the patient feels comfortable and the teeth feel natural.
When dentures are installed, patients may find that they are sore, have difficulty speaking and chewing food, and may be producing extra saliva, but this will go away as your existing tissue and muscles adjust to the new appliance.
As you leave, you will be given special instructions to care for your new set of dentures. Making sure they stay properly cleaned, continuing good oral hygiene, and follow-up dental visits are important parts of making the most of your life with dentures.
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