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Types of Removable Dentures

Dentures replace deciduous teeth after extraction. People have teeth extracted for a variety of reasons including decay, breakage and infection. In order to clean them properly, the majority of dentures are removable. Dentures attach by a variety of mechanisms including natural suction, rubber gaskets, metal clasps and mechanical implants.

  1. Standard Full-set Dentures

    • Standard dentures are a set of complete teeth for the upper and/or lower jaw. A dentist will fit someone with a set of standard dentures when they cannot retain any original teeth. Suction holds this type of dentures in place and depends on a correct fit to maintain a tight seal.

    Immediate or Temporary Dentures

    • Immediate dentures are full dentures placed in the mouth as soon as extraction is completed. They can be made for total extraction or to accommodate a few natural teeth. These dentures are made to sit directly over the bleeding gum and patients report little or no pain post-extraction. Since these dentures are only intended to be worn until the gums have healed, dentists also refer to these dentures as temporary dentures.

    Cu-Sil Dentures

    • Cu-Sil dentures are considered full dentures. When possible, a dentist will retain any healthy teeth because natural teeth retain pressure on the jaw bone and stop or slow down erosion and resorption of the bone. Cu-Sil dentures have holes surrounded by rubber gaskets that accommodate the natural teeth. The rubber seal provides a tighter fit by anchoring the denture in place.

    Implant Retained Denture

    • Implant retained dentures are used if all the teeth must be extracted. Implants extend into the gum and attach usually by a ball-and-socket mechanism to the denture. Implants have two types, standard and mini. Mini implants are approximately the size of a toothpick and can be inserted into the jaw bone immediately after extraction. Standard implants are larger and require surgery to drill into the jaw bone.

    Partial Denture

    • Partial dentures replace only a few teeth on one or both sides of the mouth. Partial dentures extend across the mouth even if the missing teeth are only on one side. They are held in place by clasps or inserted over adjacent teeth with the use of a metal coping. For partial dentures held by metal copings, the natural teeth receive a root canal and then a metal socket allows the partial denture to snap into the tooth.

    Nesbit Denture

    • A Nesbit denture is a partial denture that only clasps onto the adjacent teeth and do not stabilize themselves across the roof or lower palette. Typically, Nesbit dentures replace a single back tooth. This type of denture, however, is not highly recommended because chewing or speaking can dislodge the tooth and cause choking.

    Flipper Denture

    • A flipper denture is a partial immediate denture. As with a full-set immediate denture, the dentist will insert the flipper after extraction, and it is intended to be temporary.

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