In most cases, the denture is held in place with little hooks or clips which wrap around the nearby natural teeth. If there are no natural teeth remaining, the denture can be designed to provide suction against the gums of the jaw bone – this tends to be more effective on the upper jaw than the lower jaw.
Dentures can be a very efficient way of replacing several teeth at the same time. The jaw bone tends to resorb with time after teeth are extracted, which can make the face appear very flat. Dentures can be designed to support the upper and lower lips to give a fuller facial profile in these cases.
Dentures are constructed over 3 to 4 appointments, each about 1 week apart. Over these appointments, moulds will be taken, the relationship of the upper and lower jaws will be recorded, and a trial denture will be used to check for fit before the final denture is inserted.
It is important that dentures are taken out every night and cleaned – leaving a denture in the mouth all the time is similar to leaving your shoes on all the time! The skin underneath needs time to breathe.
