Therefore you will need to ensure that your remaining teeth and gums are in good condition. This artificial appliance must lie on clean healthy surfaces even when all your teeth have been lost.
When a diseased or damaged tooth is lost, the hole (socket) in the gum heals initially by a blood-clot and then by the jaw bone and gum shrinking to cover it. As the muscles of the face lose the support of the lost teeth and jaw bone, the face can start to sag and fall inward. A denture will replace both the missing teeth and gums, and restore chewing function.
There are a number of stages in making a denture, these being:
The base of a denture is called a plate and can be made of either acrylic (plastic) or metal, and the teeth are normally acrylic (plastic). If only some teeth are being replaced it is known as a partial denture: if all the teeth are being replaced it is called a full denture. If you are having a tooth extracted and the denture put in place straight away, this is called an “immediate” denture.
Plastic partial dentures are relatively easy and inexpensive to make. They are most suitable when quite a large number of teeth are missing. Metal partial dentures are much stronger than plastic and therefore can often be made much smaller and thinner. Being more intricate to design and manufacture, they are usually more expensive. The dentist will advise you as to which types are available, and which will be most suitable for your mouth. Factors which influence your decision may be cost, the final appearance, the amount of your palate to be covered by an upper denture, and the size you know can tolerate from previous experience.
An immediate denture is made before your own teeth are extracted, so that on removal, the denture is fitting “immediately” into the hole (socket) produced. This technique has obvious social advantages, but also dental disadvantage, mainly that the socket, healing by shrinkage, will form a gap between your denture and gum, making it loose and possibly unsightly. The immediate denture is therefore considered to be a temporary denture for 2-6 months when a well fitting denture can be made.
Here are a few tips to make it easier for you to get the best from your new dentures.