REMOVABLE PROSTHODONTICS

COMPLETE DENTURES

Most social occasions revolve around a dinner table ...

The fabrication of complete dentures is becoming a lost art in the UK - the orphan of modern dentistry. The construction and fitting of a complete set of dentures is arguably the most challenging task that a dentist encounters in his or her practice. So much so that a great many dentists eventually throw in the towel and cease trying to make dentures. This is a great pity for the patient and the profession as good denture prosthetics remains an essential service for those unable to afford dental implants or those without sufficent bone in their jaws for implants.

Eating and drinking are one of life's great pleasures ...

Competence in the fabrication of dentures is essential to the success of implant dentures. The same problems with aesthetics and phonetics occur with implant dentures. Most social occasions revolve around a dinner table. People with ill-fitting dentures often shun such events as they are embarrassed at being unable to eat many foods and self-conscious about being stared at or being the butt of childish jokes. In despair many patients seek out the services of a dental mechanic or denturist.

I could never understand why anyone with a chronic problem would look to someone with less education for a solution than one with more education. A prosthodontist is trained to treat difficult prosthetic cases as well as those requiring implant and restorative dentistry. Successful denture prosthetics requires not only more knowledge but considerable more chairside and laboratory time. A prosthodontist like Dr. Wright will normally perform all of the laboratory work associated with the dentures. All too often in general practice a dentist will send the labwork off to a technician who has never seen the patient.

Before making an implant retained denture it is necessary to make a conventional denture. The denture acts as a template for the surgeon who places the implants. If a dentist is unable to make a reasonably successful conventional denture he or she will struggle to get an optimum aesthetic and functional result with an implant denture despite the denture being better retained.  Dr. Wright prides himself in being able to provide patients with dentures that improve the facial appearance of his patients.

Even the placement of two small implants can significantly improve the retention of a complete denture in the lower jaw. Four implants may be rquired in the upper jaw if the bone is of a poor quality. Considering the improvement in the quality of life the investment in a couple of mini implants is a small price to pay over your lifetime. If you would like to find out more about dental implants, mini dental implants or implant-retained dentures you will find pages dedicated to those on the home page. 

  Dr. Wright will normally require about ten to twelve one-hour appointments to make an aesthetic set of dentures like those depicted in this group of photographs. Each person is different with unique challenges and it is never too late to improve a person's appearance and emotional well-being. Out oldest patient was 99 years of age and had worn the same set of dentures previously for over 40 years. His spirits and health improved significantly after receiving comfortable more attractive dentures. He told Dr. Wright that he looked forward to coming in for treatment and would miss our sessions at the practice. This makes professional practice that more rewarding.