Immediate Dentures

also known as “Temporary dentures or Aesthetic Dentures”

What is an immediate denture ?

It is a removable dental appliance which is immediately inserted after extractions to replace the missing teeth (or just one tooth). To be more specific: The dentist extracts your teeth but instead of leaving you with gaps or a toothless jaw, an “Immediate Denture” is immediately inserted whilst you are still in the chair thus, giving you back your ability to function after an adjustment and settling in period.

The process

We take an impression of your mouth but remember your teeth are still in your jaw bone. We as dental prosthetists can fabricate your dentures removing your teeth on a plaster model by making a considered guess how your gums would look after the extraction. There is however only little accuracy in this technique as we cannot know exactly how your gums will shape up and heal. There are usually 3-4 visits before we handover the finished denture, so you can take it to your dentist. We always discuss and or communicate your treatment plan with your dentist who will be the person to decide which teeth to extract and when to insert your dentures.

Why consider this treatment?

It is difficult to face extractions and to be left with no teeth or big gaps. This is often not an acceptable solution for many. People need to go to work and be able to go about their daily chores. Some experience fear and embarrassment to have to face their family and friends and members of the public if no teeth were present. We understand how some people feel and because of these circumstances we provide immediate dentures. We also know that having immediate dentures comes with some major benefits such as:

  • promoting better healin
  • better appearance than just having missing teeth
  • better chewing ability
There are some disadvantages:
  • when a tooth is pulled there is a hole left in the jawbone where the root comes out. This hole will close. Your bone will shrink and resorb quickly and considerably. The denture that was placed immediately does not shrink so it will need to be re filled (relined) to take up the shrinkage
  • Immediate dentures can look bulky around the upper lip especially if people have bulky gums
  • difficulty to adjust to, keeping them in while chewing
  • ongoing maintenance costs
  • need to remake dentures from scratch if oral condition changes considerably (temporary dentures)

It should be noted that some people manage to wear immediate dentures successfully with only few insignificant symptoms leading to no real damage. There a few who ignore the necessary maintenance leading to significant oral damage.

Always come back to us on a regular basis to be sure all is going well. Visit your dentist if your natural teeth “play up”.

ALWAYS KEEP GOOD ORAL HYGIENE AND YOUR DENTURES CLEAN

Why do we prefer for you to wait?

Apart from the reasons listed above we prefer for you to wait so your gums and bones can settle before making your dentures. This will allow us to work on a more accurate foundation and possibly provide you with a better job. The longer you allow for your gums to heal the better it can be. So how long is a good time. Well this is entirely up to you. From our perspective we need your gums healed and closed over before we commence. With some people this can happen within a week, some take a few weeks. Each person’s circumstances are different.

If unsure just contact us? WE ARE HERE TO HELP.