Types of Artificial Dentures

Do you have several missing teeth in your mouth? If yes, you can consider getting artificial dentures from a reputed emergency dental clinic to replace the gaps in your mouth and achieve a complete smile once again. Whether you recently had multiple teeth extracted due to an oral problem or you lost some of them in an accident or due to your advancing age, these prosthetic devices can solve your problem. Artificial dentures are also ideal if you have one or two natural teeth left in your mouth.

Here are the most common types of artificial dentures.

Partial Dentures

Partial dentures are ideal for people who have one or more natural teeth in place. These dentures prevent natural teeth from shifting and getting misaligned. Partial artificial dentures can either be fixed or removable. In the case of fixed partial dentures, the gaps created due to missing teeth are filled with a bridgework of artificial teeth. These dentures also have crowns that are fitted on the remaining natural teeth. This is the reason why these type of denture are also known as “crown and bridge” dentures.

Talking about the removable partial dentures, the denture or the bridgework is attached to a pink or gum-coloured acrylic base, which is sometimes connected by a metal framework.

Complete or Full Dentures

Complete dentures are the best solution to complete your dental arches and provide support while biting, chewing, and talking. These are the complete sets of prosthetic devices or artificial teeth that comfortably fit on the jaw bone and can be removed whenever required. Complete dentures are further classified into two categories:

Conventional Dentures

Conventional complete dentures can be fitted in the mouth about 10 to 12 weeks after the teeth have been removed and the gum tissue has begun to heal. Getting conventional complete dentures is a long process wherein you’ll have to visit your emergency dental clinic at least thrice for oral evaluation- providing the impression of your mouth, selecting the right material and colour of dentures, and trying them on.

Some types of full dentures can also be anchored by dental implants. These types of dentures are often referred to as implant-supported dentures – while they cost more than removable dentures and require a bit more dental work, they offer much more stability and strength. That makes implant-supported dentures feel more natural and lifelike, similar to having a full, original set of teeth. Not familiar with dental implants? You can learn more about them in this quick overview of dental implant basics.

Immediate (Same-Day) Dentures

Immediate complete dentures can be fixed in the mouth in the first dental visit itself. These dentures are pre-made or prepared quickly and fixed in the mouth right after the tooth extraction. So, you don’t have to be without teeth during the gum healing period. However, bones and gums shrink over time, especially during the healing period following tooth removal. Therefore, they require more adjustments to fit properly during the healing process and is generally considered as a temporary solution until conventional dentures are made.

Artificial dentures can also be classified based on the materials used to make them. Different materials used to make artificial dentures include porcelain, acrylic, and metal (chromium and cobalt). Generally, metals are used to make the base of the dentures, and the visible sections or artificial teeth are made of porcelain or acrylic mimicking the colour and appearance of the natural teeth.

If you aren’t sure which type of artificial denture will be ideal for your dental condition, visit our emergency dental clinic in Edmonton and talk to our dentists.