Dentures
Dentures are removable prosthetic appliances that may be a good option as teeth replacements for certain patients. Complete dentures replace all of the teeth in the mouth and partial dentures are fabricated to replace some of the teeth in the mouth.
Complete Dentures
Complete dentures have a gum tissue-colored acrylic base with plastic or porcelain teeth. The teeth come in many sizes, shapes and colors. In some cases, metal reinforcement, must be placed inside the denture to prevent fracture, or if the denture has been fabricated to attach to an implant retained milled bar. Overdenture is the name given to a complete denture that attaches to implant locators or an implant retained bar, and these are nice options for patients who have difficulty retaining a denture due to loss of bone or the morphology (shape) of the mouth.
Partial Dentures
Partial dentures are made of the same materials as complete dentures, but they often have a cast metal framework to provide stability and metal clasps that secure it to the teeth. All-acrylic partial dentures are an option for patients who would prefer not to have a metal framework as the base of the denture. These dentures use wrought wire clasps to attach to the teeth for retention. A flexible partial denture has no metal at all and is made of durable nylon or similar material. While they are a nice esthetic option, they are difficult to repair and do not afford the option of adding teeth if necessary.
Many patients who have dentures that are not implant retained require some form of adhesive (i.e. Polygrip or Fixodent) to help secure the denture in the mouth.