Complete Dentures

Complete dentures are fabricated to replace all the teeth in an arch when a patient has no remaining teeth. There are many variables involved in whether or not a denture is successful, including the amount of remaining bone, arch shape, gum tissue, and tissue attachments. There are two types of dentures that can be fabricated. First, if a patient already has their teeth out, then a conventional complete denture can be fabricated. This procedure generally takes 4-5 weeks from start to finish and allows the patient to have a “try in” of the denture to approve the look and feel of the denture prior to it being finalized. Alternatively, if a patient needs their teeth out and does not want to go any period of time without teeth, then an immediate denture can be fabricated. An immediate denture is fabricated prior to the teeth being extracted, and this denture can be placed at the appointment where the teeth are taken out. The advantage of an immediate denture is that the patient has teeth immediately, the disadvantage is that the immediate denture will need to be relined by the dentist roughly 6 weeks after the extractions are completed, and a new denture will need to be fabricated about 6 months after the reline.