DENTURES
(PROSTHETIC DENTISTRY)

Prosthodontics (Dentures) is the branch of dentistry pertaining to the restoration and maintenance of oral functions, comfort, appearance, and health of the patient by the replacement of missing teeth and contiguous tissues with artificial removable substitutes.  The two different types of dentures are partial and complete dentures. 

PARTIAL DENTURES: 
A partial denture helps to preserve the life of your remaining teeth.  It consists of a removable metal/acrylic framework with one or more porcelain or plastic replacement teeth attached.  Partial dentures are a good option if you are missing more than one tooth.  They can replace teeth in both the anterior and posterior of the mouth.  There are two different types of partial dentures.  Traditional partials have a metal framework with metal clasps.  Valplast partials are more esthetic, having a non-metal framework (see pictures to the left).  At Chesterfield Valley Dental Group we design your partial denture by first taking an impression of your surrounding teeth .  After the impression we  send it to our lab to make the framework, which usually takes 1-2 weeks.  At the second appointment we try the framework in to make sure it fits.  At this appointment we also get a bite relation and choose the shade and type of teeth.   We then send the framework back to the lab and it is completed.  The third and final appointment we fit the partial, checking for pressure spots on your gum and evaluating the denture's effect on your bite and appearance.  We will show you how to put the partial in and take it out, so you will not harm your natural teeth or the partial.  It may take a few more visits to make sure your denture fits properly against your teeth and gums.

COMPLETE DENTURES:
                               Complete dentures replace all the teeth in an entire arch.  You can have complete dentures on both the upper and lower arches or just in the upper or lower arch.  At the first appointment we take impressions.   The second appointment consists of seeing how you bite or how your upper and lower jaws relate to each other.  We also pick the size, shape and color of the teeth.  The third appointment is a wax try-in.  This is where the denture teeth are placed in a wax up to check for function and esthetics.  The fourth appointment is the delivery of the complete denture.  At this appointment we fit the denture to your mouth, checking for pressure spots on your gum tissue and evaluate the dentures effect on your bite and appearance.  We will show you how to take the denture in and out of your mouth.  It may take a few more visits to make sure your denture fits properly against your gums and to make sure your bite is accurate. 
      If you have existing teeth in an arch, we make an immediate denture.  To make an immediate denture we do preliminary impressions and make a denture based on the teeth in the mouth.  At the same time we extract the teeth we place the denture with a temporary lining to secure an accurate fit.  After all the bone has healed, usually 6-12 months, we reline the denture with a permanent liner for an even better fit.