Complete and Partial Dentures
Dentures are removable oral appliances that replace missing teeth. They help with speech, and chewing, add support to your lips and chin as well and improve the appearance of your smile. The dentists at Minto Family Dental work closely with our dental technicians to suit each patient's individual needs.
- Complete dentures replace an entire arch of your missing teeth and rest on top of your gums and rely on your palate (roof of the mouth) or lower jawbone ridge for support.
- Partial dentures are similar to complete dentures as they rely on your gums and underlying bone for support, however, they come with clasps that surround your remaining natural tooth for support to provide additional stability.
Your dentist will assess your needs by thoroughly examining your mouth for suitability for dentures, they will look at:
- All your existing teeth, checking for any mobile teeth as they may have to be removed before having new dentures
- Examining existing restorations, fillings, and crowns
- The health of your gums
- The way the teeth bite together
The procedure will be explained to you and a customised treatment plan will be given stating all stages and costs.
The procedure involves 4 appointments:
Appointment 1: Scans will be taken of both your upper and lower teeth. These are sent to the lab where the technician will fabricate a special tray designed to fit your mouth perfectly and a wax bite block to record the way you bite your teeth together.
Appointment 2: your dentist will use the special tray to register the way you bite down together, this is sent to the lab for the technician to construct a trial denture. The shade of the teeth will also be taken in this appointment.
Appointment 3: the trial dentures are set in wax and will be tried in to ensure they fit correctly and comfortably, adjustments will be made at this stage. This will go back to the lab for the last stage of completion.
Appointment 4: your dentures will be fitted by the dentist and any minor adjustments required will be made so you can walk home with a beautiful smile.
