Conventional Removable Dentures in Melbourne

A denture is a removable dental prosthesis (complete or partial) made to replace natural teeth. Certain patients lack the bone structure to receive implants or have a medical contra-indication to implant therapy are best suited to have teeth replacement with a removable denture.

Dentures are naturally retained in the mouth with metal clips and/or suction from the hard/soft palate. Learning to eat with artificial teeth requires considerable skill and practice. This is because every person's mouth has a different structure, which can affect the retention and stability of the denture. Also, the level of suction which helps hold the denture in place, particularly the upper denture, will vary according to the patient’s anatomy and amount of saliva produced. Many denture wearers find the lower denture particularly difficult to manage. Experience will help as will the use of a carefully selected denture fixative which can help to keep the denture in place and stable.

Partial dentures are made of acrylic or combination of metal and acrylic. Sometimes they incorporate wires clips which are attached to remaining teeth to help to keep the dentures in place. In certain circumstances, the teeth are prepared with small depressions in them (rest seats) to aid in supporting the more sophisticated metal alloy dentures. Partial dentures made of metal frame are more easily designed to rest on the remaining teeth. This is healthier than covering the gums. Metal is stronger than acrylic and is therefore thinner and often more comfortable to wear, however it is much more difficult to add additional teeth to a metal denture if more teeth are lost.

It is most important that dentures and the remaining natural teeth are kept very clean to prevent the damaging effect of plaque.