Denturists are health care professionals specialising in the design, fabrication and fitting of complete and partial dentures. Most Denturists will have started off their careers as dental technicians, however, to become a Denturist requires at least two further years of intensive study and practice specialising in dentures. Be sure that when you attend a ‘Denturist’ that you are attending a qualified health care professional with the correct credentials.

Denturists work alongside dentists to optimise the success of your new dentures. Denturists are unique in the dental field, in that they will hand make your dentures as well as fit them, giving them a creative edge over other health care professionals. If it is the best denture treatment which you are seeking, then you should attend your local Denturist to discuss your new dentures.

In many cases, you will be referred to a Denturist from your own dentist. You may choose to attend a Denturist directly and denture treatment can commence providing the Denturist is happy with your oral health. If you have had dentures for between 5-10 years it is possible that they have become loose due to gum recession or tooth loss. Loose dentures can cause many issues in your mouth and may cause damage to your soft tissue.

You may also find that your dentures are coming loose when eating or talking causing embarrassment. If you have been fitted with dentures recently and they are ill fitting or lose you should see your Denturist. It may be possible to adjust them or reline them to improve the fit.

Here at Gorey Denture Clinic we can supply you with either an acrylic denture or a Chrome denture. Each have their own pros and cons.

An acrylic partial denture is a polymer based denture which is secured in your mouth around your existing teeth or held in with the addition of stainless steel metal clasps. Acrylic dentures can be added to and repaired relatively easily, however, many additions and repairs will weaken your denture and reduce its retention. You can expect to have an acrylic denture for up to 5 years before needing to replace it.

A Chrome denture is a light weight metal alloy and can be designed palate free. You can expect to have a chrome denture for between 5-15 years depending on how well your oral hygiene is. Chrome dentures are fixed around the teeth using cast metal clasps and are highly retentive. A chrome denture is however, more difficult to add teeth to, so preserving your teeth is very important when wearing a chrome denture.

Here at Gorey Denture Clinic we can turn around dentures quicker than most dental practices with the addition of our in-house dental laboratory. Depending on how busy a particular day is, most small dentures can be made within two days. Repairs and denture additions can be carried out while you wait in many cases.

Full upper and lower dentures will take a little longer and will require 3-5 appointments:

1. Primary impressions
2. Secondary impressions
3. Bite registration and tooth selection
4. Try in
5. Finish and adjust

Some of the above appointments can be carried out on the same day if you are flexible with time.

You may have visited your dentist and been told that you require an extraction. If you want to opt for a denture you will need to have an immediate denture made. This will involve visiting your Denturist a day or two prior to having your tooth/teeth extracted. You can then have your tooth extracted and return immediately to your Denturist, where your denture will be fitted immediately filling the unsightly gap!

Immediate dentures will require adjustment after fitting as the extraction site will heal and recede away from the denture. You can then return to the Denturist for a chairside reline of the area immediately around the extraction site.

You can sleep with your dentures in and many people do, however, it is important to let the underlying tissue rest and regenerate during the night, so it is recommended that you take your dentures out for the night and clean them in water with a denture cleaning tablet before leaving them for the night in water.

It is also a good idea when brushing your own teeth to gently brush the underlying tissue to remove any dead tissue cells and help keep the gum tissue healthy.

Having dentures fitted for the first time can be a very difficult time for patients. Eating will require plenty of patience and time especially with regard to complete dentures. Your taste may be affected also as many dentures require palatal coverage and will reduce your enjoyment of flavour. It may be necessary to start off eating soft food until you become efficient and then you can introduce more chewy foods.

With any denture it is important to have a healthy expectation of how much or which food you can manage. It will not always be possible to eat all the foods you once ate when you had your natural teeth. When you begin to eat with your dentures you may find that the forces used during eating is causing you soreness on your gums. This may subside as your gums become accustomed to the new dentures, however, if the pain continues or develops into an ulcer it is important to return to the Denturist to have the dentures adjusted.