Dentures/Partial Dentures

A denture is a removable prosthetic appliance that replaces missing teeth. Dentures help patients regain function and prevent facial muscles from collapsing. With today’s advances in denture making, they can be made to look natural giving patient s confidence when eating and speaking. Dentures can easily be removed and cleaned.
There are two types of dentures: complete and partial. Complete dentures are made when someone is missing all of their teeth in one or both arches. An upper complete denture fits over the roof of the mouth while the lower is horseshoe shaped and fits over the lower jaw. These are custom-made. Complete dentures may take a while to get used to and may require several appointments to adjust them to fit comfortably in the mouth. Occasionally adhesive still may be necessary to hold the dentures in depending on the patient’s mouth.

Partial dentures are made when a patient is missing some of their teeth. A partial denture clasps to existing teeth to hold the denture in place. This also can be easily removed.

Procedure

• Impressions are initially taken of the upper and lower jaws as well as other measurements. This information is relayed to the dental laboratory.
• Next, there will be a try-in phase where we will check to make sure your final dentures will fit properly. Then we will have another try-in to make sure your teeth occlude properly and you are happy with the esthetics of the teeth.
• Finally, your dentures are delivered.
• Dentures will need to be relined from time to time to regain comfort and proper fit. This is because the tissues and bone in the jaws change over time.

Dentures should be removed every night and soaked in water so they don’t dry out. There are several cleaners that can be added to the water to help keep your dentures looking as new as possible. Dentures should be brushed and cleaned daily just like natural teeth. This helps prevent staining and build-up from forming on the dentures. As always, if you have a question, please call.