The Basics of Dentures
There are two different types of complete dentures: conventional and immediate. With conventional dentures, you wait for your gum tissue to fully heal after the unsavable teeth have been extracted before you are fitted for the dentures. This ensures your dentures will fit and continue to fit in the future. However, it can take months – typically eight to twelve – for your gums to heal completely.
On the other hand, immediate dentures are made before your teeth are removed and then placed immediately after the teeth are extracted. Because your gums will continue to heal and shrink, it will require more follow-ups and adjustments to the denture to ensure they continue to fit well. However, you won’t need to go any period of time without teeth, meaning your appearance and ability to chew will be much better.
Another option we might consider is partial dentures. Partial dentures are ideal when you’ve lost some teeth but still have plenty of healthy teeth in place. You can get either removable or fixed partial dentures, depending on your situation and preferences.
What It’s Like to Have Dentures
We’re often asked by people what the experience of having dentures is like. As with most prosthetics, it can take a little bit of time getting used to. If you’ve ever had a cap placed or even a filling, you’re aware of how little changes can feel so dramatic in your mouth. Obviously, with dentures, there’s a lot of change going on, which will certainly take some time to adjust to.
That said, the benefits of dentures far outweigh the initial awkwardness of them. In addition, we’re always here for our patients to make sure their dentures are fitted properly, and we’re able to make adjustments to them if any discomfort persists.
How We Fit You for Dentures
If we have decided that dentures are your best option after an examination, we’ll begin measuring your mouth and jaw and making a series of impressions. From these impressions, we will create a model of a set of dentures that you can try on. We’ll spend time with you to make sure they fit well and to make any adjustments needed.
Once we agree on the model, we’ll have it sent to our lab to cast the final denture. After we receive the dentures, you will come in for another appointment to have a final fitting of them, and we’ll likely have some follow-up appointments to make adjustments and to ensure everything is working properly.
