Denture

What are dentures ?

Dentures replace loose or missing teeth.

A cosmetic denture is a bespoke set of artificial teeth that have been enhanced to look and feel like real natural teeth. A high quality set of dentures will enable you to eat comfortably and speak clearly as well as looking incredible.

Dentures are often made of acrylic resin making them extremely durable and long lasting. Our ceramic technicians use the latest in digital imaging technology to select the perfect shade for both the gums and the teeth. This enables highly aesthetic and artistic dentures to be created. Read our denture FAQs.

A “Full” denture is one that replaces all the missing teeth in either the upper or the lower jaw. This type of denture fits snugly over your gums and is supported by the jaw. Due to the unstable nature of gums and continuous shrinking of the jaw, a full denture can be associated with long-term problems.

Another solution to removable dentures is to “fix” the denture in place using dental implants. See which option is best for you.

A “Partial” denture is one that replaces some of the teeth in either the upper or lower jaw. A partial denture is often supported by the remaining teeth. Permanent dentures fixed to implants or a bridge can be an alternative to a partial dentures.

There are two main types of denture: –

Acrylic (or plastic) dentures
Cobalt Chromium (or metal based) dentures are advised when at least some teeth are present

Advantages of Cobalt Chromium Dentures
Better chewing (more stable; less movement of denture)
Food more enjoyable (less coverage of the mouth)
Stronger (metal is very hard, plastic can fracture)
Lighter and thinner (plastic is more bulky)
More comfortable
More healthy (less gum coverage possible)

How long with the treatment take
The treatment involves understanding your functional and aesthetic needs and then we can provide you with potential options available to you. Depending on your requirements we can customise and tailor-make individual treatments plans to suit your needs and budgets.
Some of these appointments are involved Denture Stabilisation with the placement of dental implants and their healing if that is an additional option you have chosen. However, most of the appointments are involved in making sure that the dentures are aesthetically and functionally correct. This will involve taking records and careful assessment.

Stages in Denture Making
STEP 1 – The first impressions. Required to make moulds and a custom made special tray.
We will start the process with an assessment of your mouth and Initial impressions of your mouth using a specific two step technique.
STEP 2 –The second impression ( A very accurate impression is taken) and The bite stage.
Using this first impression to create a custom made tray. With this we take a very accurate secondary impression. This allows us to create well made and well fitting dentures. At this appointment we will also take records of how your teeth meet and bite. The complexity of your bite is recorded, and the colour and shape of the teeth chosen. The record involves choosing the correct shape, size and colour of your teeth to reflect your face. (It is helpful to bring along any old photographs you may have showing your teeth at this visit).
STEP 3 –The try-in stage.
The above allows us to provide you with a preview denture. This allows you to be certain that you are extremely happy with the denture in every way before the final version of your teeth are fabricated.
STEP 4 –The fitting stage.
The dentist will fit the denture after accurate and precise denture making process.
STEP 5 –The review stage.
To ensure total satisfaction we review the denture a few weeks later to make final refined adjustments aesthetically and functionally. Our aim is to provide you with dentures that give the confidence you are seeking.

Treatment
At our practices, the dentists have a consistently high standard of clinical work using modern denture-making techniques. The variables in cost are:
The laboratory – A modern laboratory will have better equipment and materials.
The technician – A methodical, passionate, experienced technician may spend much longer to produce a more comfortable, better fitting, bespoke cosmetic dentures.
The materials used – Denture making technology has really come a long way.We carefully select the ideal set of teeth for your needs based on the shape of your face, your smile and shade requirements. The quality and strength of plastics, the use of cobalt chromium, the use of gold or tooth coloured clips and many other variables affect the total cost of denture treatment.

We will carefully discuss with you and guide you which denture will best suit your needs and budget before we commence treatment.

Dentures for some patients can be difficult to get used to and hear some tricks to help get adopted to your new dentures or with implants can be used to improve denture stability

Implants can be used as additional or as a replacement option to improve chewing and confidence. You may want to consider dentures or dental implants in your decision making and understand if implants are better than dentures for you. It may help for you to know the top things to consider when choosing between the two treatment options.