Partial dentures

What is a Partial Denture?

A partial denture is a removable dental appliance used to replace one or more missing teeth. A partial denture fills in gaps by attaching to remaining natural teeth or dental implants with metal or plastic clasps. It is typically made of acrylic resin and sometimes metal framework, customized to blend with the natural teeth for a natural appearance. Partial dentures restore chewing function, improve speech, and prevent adjacent teeth from shifting out of place due to the empty spaces left by missing teeth.

How do I know if I need a denture?

• Loose or Missing Teeth: When multiple teeth are loose or missing and cannot be restored with crowns, bridges, or implants, partial dentures offer a solution to restore your smile and oral function.
• Difficulty Chewing: If you struggle to chew food due to missing teeth or dental pain, partial dentures can restore comfortable eating.
• Gum Recession: Severe gum recession, often from advanced Gum disease can lead to tooth loss, necessitating partial dentures to replace missing teeth and restore oral function.
• Pain or Infection: Chronic gum pain or recurrent infections may indicate advanced dental disease requiring extraction of teeth and the use of partial dentures.
• Deteriorating Oral Health: If you have extensive dental issues like decay, gum disease, or structural damage that other treatments cannot effectively address, partial dentures may be recommended to improve your oral health and overall quality of life.

General Procedure:

Getting partial dentures involves an initial consultation to assess suitability, followed by treatment planning and dental impressions for creating models of your mouth. A temporary partial denture is crafted for trial fitting, with adjustments made for comfort. The final partial denture is then made from durable materials and placed during a delivery appointment, accompanied by care instructions. Follow-up visits ensure proper fit and function, with adjustments as needed for optimal comfort and performance.

• Before your appointment, discuss any medical changes and other replacement options with your dentist.
• Review insurance coverage for the denture(s) if any.
• Get your dental cleanings up to date and restore your teeth as diagnosed at your hygiene appointment
• Wear comfortable clothing, maintain oral hygiene, and address any concerns with your dentist beforehand for a smooth procedure

What can I expect?

• During the initial impressions appointment, you may feel some discomfort when the impression material is sitting in your mouth. The assistant will direct you on what to do to minimize the discomfort during this procedure.
• If this is your first time wearing a denture, you may feel like it is a mouthful of plastic sitting in your mouth. This is normal; you will adapt to the feeling and eventually be very comfortable eating and speaking with your denture inserted.
• Sore spots will develop on your gums after inserting your denture and this tells us where your denture needs adjustments. Salt water rinses can be done to relieve some pain before your denture is adjusted

How long will the appointment be?

This process will take at least 3-4 appointments, not including further adjustments or relines in the future.

Appointment 1: We are required to take impressions (i.e. molds) of your upper and lower jaw. Regardless of whether you are getting an upper or lower denture, we need to take impressions of both arches, so that the lab could design your denture to fit your bite. This will take about 30 - 45 minutes

Appointment 2: This appointment could either be the insert of your final denture, or a wax try in. Sometimes, the lab sends your denture back in wax before finishing it. In this case, we will ask you to come back to the office to try it in and confirm the fit, make note of what needs to be changed, if any, and send it back to the lab to finalize the denture. This appointment will take between 15-30 mins.

Appointment 3: We will call you to schedule an appointment for the insert of your final denture when it is back from the lab. At this appointment, we will insert the denture, have you practice inserting it and taking it out, and review the instructions for cleaning, caring, and adapting to your denture. This appointment will be about 30 - 45 minutes

Appointment 4: A follow-up appointment will be booked for you in approximately 1-2 weeks. At this appointment, we check for any sore spots and make adjustments as needed and check on how well you’re adapting to your denture

At appointment 1:

• Try in the trays to ensure it fits in your mouth.
• The assistant will mix up the impression material and place this on the impression trays.
• The tray will be placed in your mouth with the impression material and will set for 1-2 minutes. This will be done for both arches.
• Shade matching and bite registration may be done
• When the impressions have been noted to be well done, your first appointment will be completed.
• No fee is associated with this appointment and we will give you a call when the case is back from the lab.

At appointment 2:

• If the lab sends your denture back in wax, we will try it in.
• The denture will be inserted and the dentist will check if it is fitting correctly.
• No fee is associated with this appointment and we will give you a call when the final denture is back from the lab.

At appointment 3:

• Your finalized denture is back and we will insert it at this appointment.
• You will practice inserting your denture and taking it out with the help of the assistants and dentist.

At appointment 4:

• You will return to the office with your denture and advise the assistant and dentist where the denture is causing sore spots.
• The dentist will make adjustments with their hand dremel or pliers (if there are metal clasps).
• We will adjust little by little so that the denture doesn’t fit too loosely and arrange follow-up appointments as needed.

Your initial adjustment period

Leave the denture in for the next 24 hours. Feelings of fullness and increased salivation will decrease over time. Sucking on a piece of hard candy may help with the gagging sensation. Expect sore spots to develop during this initial adjustment period.

Eating with your denture

Cut up food into bite-sized pieces and avoid eating sticky foods with your dentures. When chewing on one side, you will find that the opposite side of the denture will drop since the denture rests on your gums and is a removable appliance. Eating with food on both sides of your mouth may be helpful.

Learning to eat with dentures takes time and eating with dentures will not be as easy or efficient as eating with your natural teeth. Please be patient since your muscles will need to be re-educated so they can retain the denture.

Talking with your denture

With dentures inserted, your phonetics will be affected; especially the “f” and “s” sounds. Adjusting takes time; so, read out loud to speed up the process. For example, you may count out loud from 50 to 80. Your muscles will need to be re-educated so they will retain the denture. The feeling of crowding of the tongue will decrease with time.

Oral hygiene and cleaning your denture

Cleanse and gently massage your gums daily with a soft toothbrush. Soak your denture in commercial denture soaking solutions found at your local pharmacy and you may brush your dentures with a soft toothbrush and water. However, NEVER use toothpaste to brush your dentures; it is too abrasive.

Do’s and Don’t’s

Leave your dentures out at night while you sleep. Only use denture adhesives as advised by your dentist. Come in for your regular check-ups and bring your denture with you so we can clean your denture for you.

NEVER attempt to adjust, repair, or refit your denture yourself. If you are experiencing issues with your denture, please give us a call to book an appointment.

Denture adjustments

As sore spots develop after the initial adjustment period, this indicates that the denture requires adjustments. A follow-up visit is usually arranged in approximately one week to adjust the denture as needed; contact the office to confirm your appointment.

Denture reline

In 3 to 6 months, your denture may not be sitting properly due to bone resorption. In this case, please give our office a call and the dentist will assess to determine whether a reline is required.

Please note

Dentures are not permanent appliances to replace the missing teeth. Changes will continue to occur in the bone and soft tissues of your mouth.