Dentures

Losing some or all of your teeth is understandably a source of great concern and even anxiety for our patients

Gaps in your smile can affect not only your confidence but also the function of your teeth. This leads to distress for the patient who struggles to eat many everyday foods, and strain on your remaining teeth which are having to work harder to compensate for those reduced bite and chew functions.

Thankfully there are a number of options available to replace the missing spaces in your smile and support you fully in regaining your eating, speaking, and smiling capabilities – at Truly Dental we can provide dentures, Dental Bridges and Dental Implants.

What is a denture?

Dentures are a set of removable false teeth made from either acrylic or metal which sit snugly over the gums. They can be designed to replace a single tooth, multiple missing teeth, or indeed a full mouth of teeth, eliminating unwelcome gaps that impact the appearance of your smile and restoring your ability to chew. 

When a number of a patient’s teeth have been lost – whether through tooth decay, gum disease, or indeed dental trauma – the gap or gaps created in your mouth are not only a concern in the short term, but can also snowball to cause greater complications for your appearance down the line. Without the natural structure provided by teeth, the facial muscles of your lips and cheeks are unsupported and will droop and sag at an increased rate, causing a prematurely aged appearance and wrinkling around the mouth. 

A full denture can be fitted following any emerging situation where all of a patient’s upper and/or lower teeth need to be removed, and replaced by an aesthetically matched artificial set of teeth. In this case your denture(s) will be fitted immediately after your teeth have been removed to fit comfortably over the gums and jawbone, so that once you are scheduled for treatment you won’t be left without teeth for any time. These full dentures can be either fixed in place or removable, depending on your needs and preferences.

A partial denture is less commonly what people picture when they think of dentures, however they are just as frequently employed. The design of a partial denture is to fill only the gaps in your remaining teeth, where a plate holding a number of false teeth is custom-made to the shape of your mouth and conforming to the gaps needed to complete each row of your teeth, is held securely in place by attaching with metal clips to some of your remaining natural teeth. This kind of denture functions similarly to a Dental Bridge and offers a fully removable alternative to that procedure. 

At Truly Dental we use acrylic and metal materials to create both full and partial dentures.

Acrylic dentures:

• Held in place by closely adhering to the underlying gum and bone. With partial acrylic dentures your dentist will often add metal clasps which fit around some of your natural teeth, reducing the risk of it becoming dislodged while remaining a removable option
• Often need to be placed so that the palate is covered, which can affect taste and may feel bulky in the mouth
• Can be used for both full and partial dentures 
• No preparation or disturbance of your original teeth is required 
• Less expensive than metal dentures 

Metal dentures:

• Made from chrome cobalt, a fully body-safe material
• Much thinner than acrylic dentures, making them feel less bulky and have reduced impact on taste and speech 
• Can only be used for partial dentures 
• Your dentist will have to prepare some of your remaining teeth so the denture can be easily removed and inserted
• More expensive than acrylic dentures 

If you or someone you know is experiencing any issues or has concerns about a current set of dentures, or to receive a full dental examination and discuss getting dentures for the first time, you can book a consultation with one of our friendly and highly experienced dentists who will be happy to discuss all of the available options to replace your missing teeth at Truly Dental.

Benefits of Dentures

• A relatively inexpensive, rapid solution to missing teeth 
• Improve your chewing ability and reduce strain on your remaining teeth
• Aesthetic dental technology has made tremendous advancements in the last 15 years, and an experienced dentist can create highly natural looking, colour-matched results with dentures
• Smile and speak with confidence again and hide any gaps in your smile 
• Fully under your own control, as your dentures can be removed by you at any time 
• Completely non-invasive treatment option with no need for surgery 

What to Expect When Getting Dentures?

Initial consultation

Your dentist will carry out a comprehensive examination to assess what types of denture are suitable for your case, including the taking of targeted dental X-rays to assess your teeth and jawbone condition. At Truly Dental we see ourselves as your partners in your dental care, so at this consultation your dentist will also discuss with you your hopes, preferences, and any concerns for treatment, to determine alongside the circumstances of your teeth and mouth health what the best and most appropriate treatment option is for you going forward. 

Once you and your dentist have decided upon the ideal course of action you will be given a detailed treatment plan, including an accurate estimate for the total time until completion of all stages, and a full breakdown of costs involved using our various payment plans. Only once you are happy to proceed with treatment, your dentist will take an impression (a 3D recording) of your mouth and remaining teeth, to allow for the fabrication of your denture to begin.  

Denture fabrication 

Your new custom-made denture will be constructed in a number of different stages by a dental technician following your initial consultation, where a record impression of your teeth is taken, including a record of your bite so this can be replicated on your denture. Your dentist will schedule you to return to the clinic for review after each stage is completed.

The dentists at this clinic work closely with our dental lab technicians to ensure that your unique denture mimics your natural teeth as closely as possible, advising and choosing with you whichever options are right for your smile. It takes between 3 to 5 visits to create a new denture – our dentists and technicians take time to carefully select tooth shape, size, and colour and to ensure your new set of teeth are easy to insert and fit comfortably.

If you have opted for a metal denture, at some of your appointments your dentist will have to make some very minor adjustments to some of your teeth to make space for your denture and allow it to clip on securely. This process is completely pain free and can be done without the need for dental anaesthetic. 

Once the fabrication model has been fully completed for your new denture, including replicating your original bite pattern and matching for shape and size, the clinic will receive a temporary wax rendering your new denture – from this you and your dentist will get an idea of how your final denture will look. At this stage we can discuss, revise, and change the colour of the teeth until you are happy with both the feel and appearance of the prosthetic. 

The lab technicians will fabricate your completed, permanent denture from this final revision using the materials decided on in your treatment plan. At this stage your dentist will schedule you to return for your final visit and will fit the denture in place. Some fine tuning may be carried out at this appointment to perfect your bite. You will also be given detailed instructions on how to properly care for your new denture by your dentist, who will also be happy to answer any remaining questions or concerns that you have. 

Aftercare

At your final fitting appointment, your dentist will let you know the ideal maintenance schedule for both your dentures and how to best look after and safeguard the remaining of your natural teeth, as well as when you should next book in for a dental check-up. 

After having teeth removed, the density and profile of your jawbone changes, and this ‘shrinkage’ will affect the fit of your dentures over time, as there is less bone for them to hold on to and rest on. Routine dental examinations with your treating dentist will ensure that your denture is providing the optimal support and function at all times, and allow them to catch any complications or issues arising early, to take action to offset or prevent them.

In most cases your denture will have to be changed after a period of 7 to 10 years. Dentures are an everyday, high-use and high-impact prosthetic, so even the most durable of materials will usually need to be replaced by the end of that time period, to ensure you are still receiving the full benefits and enhancement to your bite function and appearance.