Immediate Dentures
WHAT ARE IMMEDIATE DENTURES?
Immediate dentures are upper and /or lower dentures that are fabricated prior to your teeth being extracted. They are placed into your mouth immediately after your dentist (oral surgeon, periodontist, etc) has extracted your remaining teeth.
HOW ARE THEY MADE?
Immediate dentures are made by the same steps as regular dentures. Diagnostic impressions are made and stone models are poured. Custom trays are then made on the stone models. Custom trays are more comfortable to manipulate in and out of the mouth as material is added to mold the borders and less impression material is needed to make the final impression.
WHAT WILL MY SMILE LOOK LIKE?
It is important for you, the patient, to be involved in the selection of the shape and color of the denture teeth to be used. Pictures of you smiling when you were younger can be very helpful in the selection process. Pictures and/or impressions of a sibling or a child that has the same smile and shape of teeth can be used as an additional guide.
WHAT IS A WAX TRY-IN?
Denture teeth are set in wax in the spaces where there are already missing teeth. These can be tried in the mouth to evaluate the color and occlusion (how you bite together) before the rest of the denture teeth are set. If no teeth are missing, the setup of the teeth can only be viewed and not physically tried in the mouth.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER MY TEETH ARE EXTRACTED?
After your extractions are completed followup care is very important. I like to see you the next day without exception to review homecare, how and what to eat while healing, and to have you briefly practice removing and inserting your denture. Changes due to healing make it important to check your progress periodically. This also aids in keeping you comfortable by adjusting the denture as needed. Sometimes I add temporary soft liners to increase retention of the denture. By six months most changes in the ridge are done and the definite reline can be completed on the denture. Proper home care is vital to keep your mouth healthy and the dentures free of bacteria, stains and calculus buildup.
