Complete tooth loss can be devastating to a person’s emotional wellbeing as well as their oral health. It stops you from being able to eat certain foods, can make your face appear sunken and aged and can also affect the way you speak. Tooth loss can make you look, feel and even sound like a different person, but thankfully there is a massive range of treatment to restore your smile to its former glory, one of the best being complete dentures.

Dentures for missing teeth

Dentures have been used to replace missing teeth for many, many years and are one of the most cost-effective options for restoring a smile.

Making custom-fitted dentures requires around five appointments, which might involve:

• Checking and assessing your oral health
• Making a dental impression of your gums and mouth
• Using a ‘try-in’ denture to see what kind of denture suits you
• Fitting you with a temporary denture while you wait for your custom-fitted denture
• Making sure your new denture fits you perfectly

Some patients may also require tooth extraction before they can be fitted with dentures and in this case we will wait eight weeks to give your gums time to heal.

How to look after your denture

A denture can last 10-15 years without needing to be altered, if you keep the health of your mouth in optimum condition. This requires keeping your gums clean and soaking your dentures overnight. It is advisable to always take your dentures out when you sleep, to allow your gum times to rest.

Also avoid putting your dentures in hot water, as this could warp the denture, making it unwearable.

Dentures and dental implants

Dentures can also be held in place using dental implants, which increases the stability and strength of your smile, making eating, speaking and smiling as easy as it was with natural teeth.