What Are Partial Dentures?
Partial dentures replace one section of your teeth, letting you speak, chew, and reclaim your appearance without surgery. The three kinds are:
- Plastic: all plastic with no metal components
- Hybrid: a metal frame covered by plastic
- Valplast: a flexible, biocompatible thermoplastic that is particularly comfortable, often combined with a durable metal frame
What Are Complete Dentures?
Complete dentures are full arches of replacement teeth: an upper denture replaces all the teeth in your upper arch, a lower denture the bottom arch. Some patients need both, others just one.
Conventional complete dentures: the team does any necessary extractions and prepares your mouth, you heal for several months while tissue and bone settle, then your dentist creates custom dentures from your exact measurements. If you already have dentures that are broken or do not fit, new ones can be fabricated.
Immediate complete dentures: extractions and new dentures on the same day, so you are never without teeth. Fit changes as you heal, so you come in for relines where the team shapes the denture base to fit better.
How Do Dentures Compare to Implants?
Implants are permanent, while dentures come out for cleaning. Implants cost more up front, but the difference evens out over time because dentures need relining every few years and eventually rebasing. Both are excellent, natural-looking replacements: the right choice comes down to your life and budget, and the team will help you decide.