Dentures

Complete or partial dentures can replace your missing teeth and give you the confidence to smile. Dentures can be used to replace teeth that have been lost due to trauma, decay, or gum disease. It is important to replace missing teeth, not only because teeth help with eating food, but because they help support the facial muscles and are critical for speech.

Full Dentures

There are two different types of removable full dentures; immediate and conventional. Immediate dentures are typically made when the patient’s existing natural teeth are being removed and the new dentures are delivered the day of the extractions. Conventional dentures are typically made when existing dentures are being replaced.

  • An edentulous jaw
  • The denture seated

Partial Dentures

  • A partially edentulous jaw
  • The partial about to be seated
A partial denture is a removable dental appliance that replaces multiple missing teeth. It can be attached to the teeth with clasps, which are like small metal “c” clamps that hug nearby teeth, or may be attached to teeth with crowns with precision attachments (hidden clasps). Both types typically have a metal framework and plastic teeth and gum areas. A temporary partial denture may have a plastic base with no metal.

Implant Option

  • In this case, two implants are placed to create an implant bridge.
  • After the implants are placed and the bone around them is allowed to heal, porcelain teeth are attached to the implants.
Implants are an option in some cases. There needs to be sufficient bone for an implant. If there is not enough bone present, we may be able to add more bone through grafting. Please read our Implants page to see our Implants Gallery for more information. In the above case, a three-tooth bridge is placed on top of the two implants. This stays in the mouth and is only removable by a dental professional if maintenance is necessary.

Dentures Gallery

This section of the gallery displays cases in which some or all of the patient’s teeth were missing. In these cases, traditional removable full or partial dentures were used to restore form and function to the patient.

Case #1

  • Before
  • AfterDentures
This patient had severe gum and bone problems, which required the removal of all of the upper teeth except for the two front teeth. A removable partial denture was made that closely matched the remaining front teeth. The result a significant improvement in his appearance.

Case #2

  • Before
  • After
This patient was missing the bottom molars on both sides of his mouth, as indicated by the white arrows. A removable partial denture was made to restore lost chewing surfaces.

Case #3

  • Before
  • After
This patient is missing all of his teeth. A traditional full denture is needed. Dentures are made more realistic by making them slightly less than perfect.

Case #4

  • Before
  • After
This patient lost all of her teeth with the exceptions of the front four teeth on the bottom and a portion of a tooth, which has a gold crown on top of the root (bottom right of the photo). It is important to save the root of a tooth because it helps preserve the bone, which is critical. The metal holding the partial denture in place is not visible when the patient speaks or smiles.

Case #5

  • Before
  • After
This patient had a developmental defect that caused a malformation of the jaws as well as the teeth. A removable partial denture was made for both the top and bottom to replace the missing teeth and to restore the aesthetics.

Case #6

This patient lost his front tooth in a skateboarding accident. The left front tooth was badly chipped and was repaired with tooth-colored bonding, but the root on the right front tooth was split in two and could not be saved. We made a temporary retainer with a tooth attached to the wire until the bone healed. After the bone healed, an implant could be placed.