A denture is a removable replacement for missing teeth and surrounding tissues.

Two types of dentures are available – complete and partial dentures.

Complete dentures are used when all the teeth are missing, while Partial dentures are used when some natural teeth remain.

This patient had her existing dentures replaced with a new set.  Properly fabricated dentures can improve facial appearance significantly.

There are different types of complete dentures:

Conventional Dentures

Complete dentures made after the teeth have been removed and the gums healed.

A conventional denture is ready for placement in the mouth about 8 to 12 weeks after the teeth have been removed.

Immediate Dentures

Unlike conventional dentures, immediate dentures are made in advance and can be placed as soon as the teeth are removed. As a result, the patient does not have to be without teeth during the healing period.

However, due to bone and gums shrinking especially during healing time, immediate dentures will require more adjustments to fit properly.

Immediate dentures generally should only be considered a temporary solution until conventional dentures can be made.

Partial Dentures

If you have some of the teeth missing, you can a partial denture. It has a metal framework that attaches to your natural teeth. Partial denture is an option when the placement of a bridge is not favorable.

Dentures do not need to appear unattractive. Dr. Lyssova will help you select size, shape, and shade of the denture teeth to assure natural, esthetically pleasing look for your dentures.

Flippers or Transitional Partial Dentures

“Flipper” is a layman term for a transitional partial denture.

Flippers are designed to enhance esthetics and/or function for a limited period of time, after which it is to be replaced by a definitive prosthesis.

Usually it replaces one or just a few teeth.

Flippers are recommended for patients who:

• Have lost or are loosing their teeth due to trauma, fracture, or a failed root canal treatment with subsequent extraction of the tooth.
• Change of deciduous dentition (baby teeth) for a permanent (adult teeth) dentition.

Advantages:

• Short fabrication time.
• Ease of fabrication procedure. They don’t require multiple appointments for impressions, fittings, etc.
• Low cost.
• Instant replacement of a tooth to be extracted. Often flippers are fabricated prior to the extraction procedure so the patient never has to be without a tooth, anterior or posterior.

Disadvantages:

• Flippers are removable prostheses that need to be taken out for proper oral hygiene.
• Flippers are not designed for full function. That should be taken into consideration when chewing hard foods.
• They can slightly affect speech since a foreign object is introduced to the oral cavity. That disadvantage can be overcome by practicing speaking with the flipper in place.
• It will have to be replaced by a permanent prosthesis for proper function, esthetics, and phonetics.