What Are the Differences Between Complete and Partial Dentures?
A denture is a removable dental appliance that is used as a replacement for missing teeth and the surrounding soft tissue. They are custom designed to match the color, shape and size of your natural teeth, and oftentimes even enhance your smile!
There are two types of dentures - complete dentures and partial dentures. Complete dentures are necessary when all of the natural teeth are missing and a full-mouth rehabilitation is required; whereas partial dentures are an ideal solution when some of the natural teeth remain intact. A partial denture will fill in any gaps/spaces left by the missing teeth and actually will help prevent your other teeth from shifting.
Complete dentures may be either "conventional" or "immediate." A conventional denture is constructed after any problem teeth have already been extracted and all the surrounding gum tissue has healed; this healing process takes approximately 4-6 weeks, on average. Immediate dentures are made in advance of the extraction procedure and are immediately placed in the mouth, post-surgery.
Conventional dentures require highly accurate impressions (molds) and measurements to be taken to create a custom-made denture. This process ensures that the conventional dentures you receive are of the proper shape and color, and also have a natural, comfortable fit. That being said, the process itself takes an average at least a month to complete.
