The following dental information pages answers many of your questions on complete and partial dentures

Will I experience problems of speaking?

Speaking well with the new dentures will also take some time. Fortunately most patients learn to speak with their dentures by adapting to them quickly. Speaking problems may persist if the dentures are not made well. Some of the causes include improper tooth positioning, loose dentures, excessive denture thickness, etc. The dentist will advise new denture wearers to read aloud from a book or newspaper to help in adapting to the denture.

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Do I need to give rest to my dentures?

Wearing and using dentures puts a lot of strain on the tissues beneath it and therefore it is essential that they be given adequate rest to recover. This is best done at night or at any time the denture user sleeps. When out of the mouth, the denture should be placed in a bowl of water as drying of the denture would cause misfit of the denture.

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How do I take care of the dentures?

Like any appliance, dentures too need to be used correctly. When not in the mouth they should be kept in water. In addition the denture must be kept clean with the help of special denture brushes. Special cleansing solutions are also available for this purpose. A denture can break if it falls off. So care must be taken not to drop the denture.

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Can broken dentures be repaired?

Broken dentures can be repaired. However after the repair, the denture must be rechecked in the patient's mouth by the dentist to evaluate the accuracy of the repair and to see if the dentures fit well.

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What is rebasing and relining?

Rebasing and relining are techniques that are used to reestablish good fit in an old denture that has lost its fit. Rebasing refers to a procedure where the entire base of the denture is replaced by a new one retaining only the old teeth. Relining on the other hand is done when there is a slight loosening of the denture. Here a thin layer of material is added to the existing base to improve its fit.

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Can old dentures be made to fit well?

Yes old dentures may be made to fit well by the relining and rebasing techniques mentioned above. However badly worn out dentures or badly broken dentures may require to be remade.

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How many appointments does it take
to make a denture?

Denture making is a laborious process for both the patient and the dentist. The number of appointments depends upon the technique used, the patient cooperation, the condition of the oral tissues etc. Considering that everything is favorable it may take 5 to 7 appointments for the fabrication and insertion of the dentures. More appointments may be needed if the oral tissues are in a state of bad health.

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Steps in making a denture

The first appointment is usually spent examining the patient and the oral tissues and explaining the treatment plan to the patient. One or two subsequent appointments are for obtaining an accurate impression of the oral tissues. In the next appointment, the approximate position and height at which the teeth are to be placed is determined using wax rims. The next appointment is called the trial when the dentist tries out the dentures with the teeth still embedded in wax. During this trial the dentist may fine-tune the appearance of the front teeth to make them look esthetic. The final denture is delivered at the next appointment. One or two more appointments may be required to check for any post- insertion problems and to correct them.

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Does it take time to get used to the new denture?

Wearing a new denture is like wearing a new shoe. It takes time and patience to learn how to use it. Initial pressure points may produce some denture sores on the oral tissues, which have to be identified and corrected by the dentist. These are usually done during one or two appointments after the final insertion of the dentures. Getting used to a denture is a gradual process. Some patients are able to do this quickly and better than others. It must be remembered that the dentures are artificial substitutes for natural teeth and that they have their own limitations.

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What are immediate dentures?

An immediate denture is a specialized denture, which is designed to be inserted immediately after all the natural teeth are extracted. The patient does not have to go through the embarrassing period of being without teeth. The dentures are made on models which are made prior to extraction of the teeth and the denture is delivered soon after all the teeth are extracted. The healing of the oral tissues goes on below the dentures. Immediate dentures are more complex to make and maintain and are therefore more expensive.

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Is surgical reshaping of the jawbone required
before making the dentures?

The denture takes its support from the hard bony residual ridge, which is covered by firm resistant tissues. This is called the denture foundation. The denture is only as good as its foundation. In order to improve the quality of the denture, one has to improve and strengthen the foundation. This can be achieved through simple massaging and rest for the tissues by avoiding use of ill-fitting dentures. In some patients however, surgical procedures such as adding bone, trimming some sharp areas of bone or removal of excessively mobile tissues may be required to improve the denture foundation.