Dentures

Dentures are a removable replacement for missing teeth. A full denture replaces a whole arch, while a partial denture fills in just a few missing teeth. If you are missing all of your teeth, a denture is one of the first options to consider.

We try to keep you in your natural teeth as long as they are not harming you. When teeth are broadly broken down or infected, or when someone comes to us already without teeth, dentures become the path forward.

Alongside traditional dentures, we make digital dentures, which tend to be faster and can look more natural. A nice benefit of digital is that your design is saved, so if a denture is lost or broken it can be remade from the file.

The traditional base is acrylic, with teeth made from strong dental plastics that come in different qualities. New materials keep coming to market, which makes this an exciting time for dentures.

It depends on the digital or traditional route and whether you still have teeth. A good rule of thumb is three to four appointments. The key step is the wax try-in, where you see and approve how the denture will look before it is finalized.

Usually not. If teeth need to be removed first, that part can be uncomfortable, but if you arrive without teeth the process is straightforward. We can make the extraction visits more comfortable with options from laughing gas to sedation.

We want you happy with them. At the wax try-in you approve the length, color, shape, and bite, and we can repeat that try-in as many times as needed, because once the denture is final those things cannot be changed.

On average about five years. Once teeth are gone, the jawbone changes shape over time, so a denture that fits today will likely need to be remade down the road. The change is fastest right after teeth are removed and slows over time.

Plan to clean the denture daily with a denture brush, and keep seeing your dentist even without natural teeth. We check the fit and screen for issues like oral cancer, and taking the dentures out at night matters for the health of your gums.

The best time is now, because the process takes longer than most people expect. It is better to start before you are in pain or unable to smile, so reach out and we will get going.