Dentures & Partial Dentures

Removable prosthetic appliances have been the mainstay of tooth replacement for many years. The reason for this is that they are easy to fabricate, are a painless procedure, are minimally invasive and are relatively inexpensive.Today most often cemented bridges or implants are the treatment choice.

When full dentures are made today they are usually completed and inserted the day the remaining teeth are extracted. This enables patients to go about their daily routine without feeling self conscious about lack of teeth. These immediate dentures may have beautiful esthetics or may be lacking some due to the fact that they could not be evaluated in the mouth while your remaining teeth are present. In this case a second denture is fabricated after healing, the firs denture can then be adjusted and relined and used as a backup denture. I always recommend that my patients have a backup!

Partial dentures are held in place by metal or new type of flexible plastic clasps. Some tooth preparation is necessary most of the time to make areas for the frame of the partial denture to rest on the teeth.

Full dentures should be removed from the mouth every evening, brushed and soaked, the mouth tissues brushed gently rinsed and allowed to breathe for 30-60 minutes. Sleeping with the dentures is acceptable if the cleaning is done properly first. Partial dentures trap a lot of food debris. As good as they are in replacing teeth and helping you chew properly they are not good for the teeth. They put extra forces on the teeth and are food trappers. For this reason they should be removed after all meals, rinsed and teeth brushed or rinsed.

Both types of dentures need relines periodically because your supporting bone changes with time and that effects their fit. Seeing the dentist and hygienist when you have either type of device is important to check the soft tissue for chronic irritations or growths ant to examine the remaining teeth and evaluate the gums.

Most full dentures can last from 5 '“ 10 years and then need relines. Some patients may need it sooner if they lose weight. Patients with dry mouth from medical conditions or medications will need adhesives to help retain the dentures more firmly and also can be prescribed artificial saliva to help them. Lower full dentures are usually the more difficult denture to retain and the longer the teeth are missing the less support. For this reason implants are usually used to help maintain the denture exceptionally well.