Dentures replace the missing teeth in your mouth. You can have a denture to replace just one tooth, a few teeth or all of your teeth. They are all removable options of tooth replacement- meaning they can come in and out of your mouth for cleaning and maintenance.  

Full Dentures: replace a full arch of teeth. Either all of the upper teeth or all of the lower teeth. If you have no teeth at all you would have a full/full set of dentures.  Full dentures are made of a plastic resin called acrylic. They are made to fit your mouth. You can’t use someone else’s dentures, they won’t fit. The base of the denture is secured over the palate of the mouth for the upper denture, or suctioned to the lower jaw for the lower denture. Full dentures take a little while to get used to, but are a great option, both financially and for longevity to replace a full arch of teeth.

Partial Dentures: replace one or some missing teeth and often will utilise your natural teeth to help it stay in place. A partial denture can be made of either acrylic or chrome. Chrome dentures are considered more superior in comfort as they are thinner and less bulky than the acrylic version.  

The partial denture fits around your natural teeth and often uses a clasp to latch onto your natural teeth for support and retention. A partial denture is a cost effective option to replace missing teeth and usually costs less than a dental bridge. You would need to discuss with our Dental Prosthetists to get a costing for your individual needs. 

Implant retained dentures: If you have a full denture, you might have the option to gain some extra retention (getting it to stay in its place) by having an implant retained denture. This works by having two or more implants placed into the jaw and having the denture click into those implants. An implant retained denture can still be removed for cleaning and maintenance. The denture is slightly more expensive than a regular full denture as there are more components required. Talk to our Dental Prosthetist to see if an implant retained denture could work for you. 

Temporary Denture:  replaces missing teeth for a short period of time whilst waiting for a more permanent solution to be available. A temporary denture can be made to replace a tooth that needs to be removed, but you don’t want to have a gap while the gum is healing, or it could be used to sit over an implant while waiting for the implant to integrate. 

Immediate denture: replace missing teeth the same day that a tooth is removed. For instance, if you had to have many teeth removed at the same time and would have difficulty chewing your food without an immediate replacement, or if a front tooth was being removed and you didn’t want to have a gappy smile whilst waiting for the gum to heal. An immediate denture is generally good for a couple of months, but often they need to have a reline (adding some acrylic to the denture) as the gums tend to shrink as they heal and the denture needs to change to continue to fit in the mouth. 

 If you have any further questions about if a denture might be the right choice for you, contact us today for a consultation with our experienced Dental Prosthetists