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A denture replaces missing teeth with a piece that comes out again — a few teeth, or every tooth in one jaw. Which kind fits a mouth depends on how many natural teeth are left, and on several other things a dentist has to weigh up.
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Is This You
A denture is not the first answer to every gap. These are the situations it is usually raised in.
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Gaps with sound teeth still standing either side are what partial dentures are made for. The clasps grip those teeth, which is also why a partial only works while there are teeth left to grip.
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Teeth too broken down or too loose to restore are sometimes removed for the sake of the rest of the mouth. Where several go together, a denture is one way of replacing them in one piece rather than one at a time.
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A full denture replaces a whole arch as a single piece. An upper is held against the palate by suction rather than attached to anything, and it takes getting used to.
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An immediate denture is made before the extractions and worn straight afterwards, so there is no stretch without teeth. The trade-off is that it is built to a mouth that has not healed yet, so it needs adjusting once healing is done.
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A denture that will not sit still is a fit problem. Implants set beneath a denture to hold it are one option where fit is the difficulty; reassessing the fit of the denture itself is another. A dentist works out which applies.
The Options
Dentures are not one thing. Which type suits a mouth depends on what is still in it — so here is what each one is, and what each one asks of you.
A partial replaces a small number of missing teeth and leaves the rest alone. It carries one or more false teeth on an acrylic base, with clasps — metal or flexible — hooking around the natural teeth either side to hold it in place. It comes out at night and for cleaning. A partial leans on the teeth that are left, so it is only an option while there are healthy ones there to hold it.
A full denture stands in for every tooth in one jaw as a single piece, upper or lower or both. Nothing anchors it: an upper stays put by suction, sometimes with adhesive as well. It takes getting used to — eating and speaking with one both take practice, and a lower is generally harder to keep steady than an upper.
An immediate denture is made in advance of the extractions and fitted straight afterwards, so there is no period without teeth. The trade-off is that it is made to a mouth that has not healed yet. As the gum and jaw settle, the fit drifts, and an immediate denture is commonly replaced by a conventional one once that has run its course.
A conventional denture is made after the gum has healed from the extractions, so it is fitted to the shape the mouth has actually settled into rather than the shape it started with. The trade-off is the wait.
Sometimes called an overdenture, or a clip-on denture. Instead of resting on gum alone, it clips onto a small number of implants — two to four is the usual range — placed in the jaw. That is one option where a denture will not stay where it is put. It does mean surgery, and it depends on there being enough bone in the right places. Not everyone is a candidate, and a dentist assesses that before anything is planned.
How It Goes
This is the general order things happen in, not a timetable. How much of it applies depends on what is still in the mouth.
How many natural teeth remain, and whether they can be kept, drives everything else. Bridges and implants replace missing teeth in other ways, so a denture is weighed against those rather than assumed. A dentist assesses which options the mouth can support before any of them is planned.
Natural teeth are worth keeping wherever they can be kept. Removal comes into it only where a tooth is beyond restoring, and it is a judgment made tooth by tooth rather than all at once.
Gum and jaw change shape after extractions. Healing takes time and how long it takes varies from person to person, which is why a conventional denture is made after that settling rather than before it. An immediate denture covers the stretch in between, in exchange for needing adjustment once the mouth has finished changing.
A denture comes out daily to be cleaned, and comes out overnight. Fit is worth having looked at rather than left alone: a denture that has stopped sitting well is a question for a dentist rather than something to work around.
Before Anything Begins
The consultation comes first, whatever you are here about. It costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
The Money Part
The consultation is free and there is no obligation. You leave with the cost in writing before anything is booked, so the decision is yours to make away from the chair.
If a plan turns out not to be for you, that is a perfectly good outcome of a consultation.
Quick Questions
If yours isn’t here, the consultation is the place for it — or call and ask.
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A denture that fits well needs little or none. An upper is held by suction, so it can usually sit against the gum unaided. A lower rests on a narrower ridge, and that is where denture paste tends to get used. Where a lot of it is needed, the fit is the thing worth looking at rather than the paste.
Out of the mouth, every day. A soft-bristled brush, mild soap or a cleaner sold for the purpose, then a proper rinse so nothing is left on them. Warm water only — heat can warp the material. They soak overnight, since they are not worn during sleep anyway.
Different at first, and it takes practice. Soft, easy foods are the sensible starting point, widening out from there. Food cut small is easier to manage than a full mouthful, and chewing on both sides at once spreads the load so the denture is less likely to tip. Sticky and hard foods are the difficult ones, and bones and fruit pits deserve care — they can damage a denture.
No. Partial dentures exist precisely because some teeth are still worth keeping. Natural teeth are preserved wherever they can be, and removal is considered only where a tooth cannot be restored.
A bridge is fixed: it cements to a sound tooth either side of the gap and stays in the mouth. An implant replaces a tooth from the root up, set into the jaw. Both do a related job in a different way, and neither suits every mouth. A dentist assesses which of the three a case can actually support.
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About an hour with Dr. Duaa. A scan, straight answers, and a written plan you take home.
Parking at the door. Nothing is treated on the day, and there is nothing to sign.
