Immediate Dentures

An immediate denture may be the best solution when complete extractions of your remaining teeth is unavoidable. An immediate denture allows you to avoid the embarrassment of living without teeth.  It is placed by your oral surgeon or dentist immediately after your teeth are extracted  so you go home with your new smile.

We begin the preparation for this procedure before your teeth are extracted. The first step is taking impressions of your existing teeth and gums to create accurate duplicates for placement after tooth removal. Taking the impressions before your extractions allows us to incorporate the shape and size and placement of your natural teeth in the design of your new denture.

When fabricating immediate dentures, we use high quality teeth and materials, the same as we do when making new dentures.  This appliance will be your permanent denture after healing.  We will reline it, refitting  and recontouring it, to fit your healed ridges but the teeth and their placement will remain the same.

Interim Dentures

An interim denture is a temporary denture that will be remade after healing. Prior to extractions, a denture is fabricated using your existing tooth placement.  Because your natural teeth are still in place, we are unable to try your new denture in prior to processing to confirm aesthetics and function. We do our best to see that the fit, appearance and comfort will be ideal but in some cases, this can be difficult. If we feel your case may be to complex, we may recommend an “interim denture” instead of an immediate denture. 

An interim denture is made to be adjusted and modified while you heal. After healing, a brand new denture is fabricated allowing you to try your new denture in wax prior to processing so we can adjust tooth placement, aesthetics and function.   You get to keep your interim denture for a backup, as an added bonus, just incase something unexpected happens!

Tissue Conditioners

After the extraction of teeth, there is a significant change to the ridge area that once supported your teeth causing your denture to become loose and bulky. To help stabilize the denture while you heal, we place several tissue conditioners, a temporary soft liner, during this time.  These tissue conditioners fill the voids created while your ridge crest shrinks, re-stabilizing and in most situations re-securing the dentures/partials.

You may still need to use some adhesive during this healing period, especially in the beginning.  Even though we place conditioners, your ridges are constantly changing.  After roughly six to eight months of healing, we will reline your dentures with a hard reline (or begin fabrication of your new denture)  replacing the tissue conditioners with acrylic and once again stabilizing and re-securing the dentures.

What to expect with your immediate dentures

Initially it will be a little uncomfortable. Your mouth is healing after extractions, there may be some bruising and it will take a few weeks before your first tissue conditioner can be placed.  At first, you may only be able to eat soft foods such as yogurts, eggs and soups, although a diet high in protein helps in the healing process.  Each person is different, however, so experiment with different foods.  Your mouth will tell you what you can eat and when!

Speech is sometimes very heavily affected.  You now have, what feels like, a mouth full of teeth and your tongue has something new to adjust to. Saliva can also be severely increased, more so in some than others. The more you’re able talk and leaving the dentures in are key to faster adaptation. 

Adjustments are also common. Your denture(s) could not be tried in prior to placement and, especially in the beginning, your tissues and ridges are constantly changing.  You may need modification to the occlusion (tooth to tooth contacts), to areas of heavy contact on the inside causing hot spots and/or to the edges   A lot of times there are adjustments that need to be made due to a sore spot.

These are all just some of the issues that people experience during this healing period.  It is all normal, and not everyone has the same experience.  Your brother may have had a heck of a time, while your best friend skated without any issues.  Everyone is different and there is really no way of predicting the outcome, or how you will cope with the different situations.