A complete denture is a removable dental appliance used when all upper or lower teeth are missing. It rests directly on the gum tissue and will closely resemble your natural teeth. You will take it out to clean it and you should also take it out at night so that the underlying tissue in your mouth has an opportunity to rest/recover from the pressure of wearing it all day.

A conventional complete denture is made after the teeth have been removed and the gum tissue has healed. Complete healing usually taking 4 to 6 weeks. During this time you will go without teeth. After healing is complete an impression will be taken and the  denture made. This usually involves 3-4 appointments. The (1) initial impression, colour and shape determination; (2) a try in of a wax mock-up to check fit, as well as the shape and colour of the teeth, (3) a final fit where you will leave with the denture. You will likely require some (4) minor adjustments over the next 24-72 hours as your tissue adapts to the new denture.

An immediate complete denture is made before the teeth are removed and immediately placed after the teeth are removed, preventing you from having to be without teeth during the healing process. Once the tissues shrink and heal, adjustments will have to be made. In this case the first impression will be taken before the teeth are removed, and you will likely also require a ‘reline’ of the denture later as the tissue heals and shrinks.