What are they?
A removable denture replaces missing teeth. ‘Partial’ dentures replace a few missing teeth and ‘full’ or complete dentures are needed if all the natural teeth are missing. Complete dentures are best made up of acrylic (plastic). Partial dentures can also be made wholly of acrylic. Alternatively, they can consist of acrylic teeth on a light metal alloy base: this type of partial denture is more secure and less bulky, but also more expensive.
What will my dentist do?
The Dentist uses a putty – like material to make moulds of your mouth – called ‘impressions’. A dental technician uses them to make models for the denture to be built on. Sometimes, second impressions are taken.
The technician makes wax blocks which fit the models. The dentist puts these in your mouth to record the position of your jaws in relation to each other. The dentist then trims and seals the wax blocks to show the technician how your teeth should bite together, and the shape to make the denture.
A trial denture us made and put in your mouth. The dentist will ask you how it fits, feels and looks before they make any final changes. The trial denture then goes back to the technician who permanently fixes the teeth. The denture is then ready to use. The dentist may want to see you again fairly soon to see how you are getting on with the new denture. If there are any problems, they can make small adjustments.
