Changes in your mouth may require the need for replacement dentures even though you may consider your current dentures to look fit and fine. These gradual changes may be compared to your eyeglasses and the frame, but not as much to the vision/sight. Dentures are very much the same and must be considered for a change anywhere between seven to ten years. Your general health, weight, nutrition, blood pressure, and strength of your bite, medication you are taking: all these factors and more can influence the fit and comfort of your dentures. Complete dentures are best made of acrylic (plastic). Partial dentures can also be made wholly of acrylic. Alternatively, they can consist of acrylic teeth on a light metal alloy base: this type of partial denture is more secure and less bulky, but also more expensive.

Full or Complete Dentures:

Full dentures (or 'false teeth') should be comfortable and painless. Tooth loss in itself is a symptom of disease or can simply be the result of the aging process. Regardless of its cause, living without teeth not only damages your appearance but can also be detrimental to your health. It is important to choose the dentures that are right for you, and to keep your dentures clean and your mouth healthy. Full dentures are meant for patients who have lost all of their teeth. The unique impression of your teeth, bite, and the shape of your jaw shape will be used to create the dentures. Specially molded dentures slip over the gums and fit the specific contours of the patient's mouth.

Complete dentures have an acrylic (a special plastic) base that rests against the gum tissue and either acrylic or porcelain teeth. Complete dentures are held in place by the adaptation of the base to the gum tissue. Many people require the use of adhesives to give additional retention. Full dentures aid chewing, improve speech, and help to keep the mouth and surrounding facial area in correct alignment. Thankfully, modern advances have made it almost impossible for the average person to differentiate between full dentures and natural teeth. Typically, conventional complete dentures require a one-to-two month wait after the extraction of your teeth, so that your mouth and gums will have time to heal, permitting a more accurate fitting. However, if you cannot afford to be without the missing teeth even for a short time, dentures can be inserted immediately after the extraction. Over time your mouth will change, but your dentures will not. The jawbones and gum can shrink or recede. You can have your dentures remade or refitted when necessary.

For the sake of appearance following removal of affected natural teeth extractions, most people want and are able to wear the temporary appliances, called an Immediate Denture. Your immediate denture not only helps you to feel comfortable with your appearance, it may also help in the healing process of your gums. If periodontal problems are not of any serious nature, the dentist may encourage you to wear your new denture immediately after extractions. In most cases it will assist with healing by acting as a band-aid to help control bleeding, and minimize discomfort when the swelling subsides. Before immediate dentures are worn, a mold of the patient’s mouth – specifically the jaws – must be made in order for the dentures to be customized for the individual.