Dentures:

Dentures (plates, false teeth) are a cost effective way to replace missing teeth. They can replace anywhere from 1 missing tooth to all 32 teeth in the mouth. Dentures can be removed from the mouth at any time, making them easy to clean.

There are many types of dentures that can be made, depending on the number of missing teeth.

If some teeth remain in that particular jaw, a partial denture can be made to replace the missing teeth. This type of denture uses metal clasps to anchor it to the remaining teeth. Sometimes they have metal attachments to anchor them to dental implants instead. They can be made completely from plastic or have a strengthening metal framework inside the plastic.

If all the teeth in a particular jaw are missing, a full denture is made that replaces all the teeth. Because there are no teeth left to act as anchors, this type of denture relies on suction to stay in the mouth.

Having a denture made can take several appointments to complete. This is because dentures are made in layers with each successive layer building upon the previous ones. The process involves taking several impressions and various measurements which are passed along to a dental laboratory that will construct the denture according to the dentists instructions. After the final denture is delivered and fitted, you will usually need to return to your dentist regularly for adjustments.