Complete Dentures

Complete dentures can be either “conventional” or “immediate”. Made after the teeth have been removed and the gum tissue has begun to heal, a conventional denture is ready for placement in the mouth about 8 to 12 weeks after the teeth have been removed.

Unlike conventional dentures, immediate dentures are made in advance and can be positioned as soon as the teeth are removed. As a result, the wearer does not have to be without teeth during the healing period. However, bones and gums shrink over time, especially during the healing period following tooth removal. Therefore a disadvantage of immediate dentures compared with conventional dentures is that they require more adjustments to fit properly during the healing process and generally should only be considered a temporary solution until conventional dentures can be made.

Dentures can help patients in a number of ways:

• Mastication – chewing ability is improved by replacing edentulous areas with denture teeth.
• Aesthetics – the presence of teeth provide a natural facial appearance, and wearing a denture to replace missing teeth provides support for the lips and cheeks and corrects the collapsed appearance that occurs after losing teeth.
• Phonetics – by replacing missing teeth, especially the anterior’s, patients are better able to speak by improving pronunciation of those words containing sibilants or fricatives.
• Self-Esteem – Patients feel better about themselves.