Partial Dentures

There are over 56,000 different designs of partial dentures that can be fabricated. Patients loose their teeth in many different patterns and orders, and we're here to help our patients transition from their natural teeth to having some of their teeth accompanied by a partial denture.
Partial dentures are the first type of denture that many of our patients experience first. These dentures are vastly different than having a complete denture as it stays in place mainly through a balance of bio mechanical components such as clasp and hooks. These keep partial dentures in place because of the remaining natural teeth and their shape/condition.

We work alongside with our patients to achieve the style of their smile, and to ensure the best function achievable for our patients situation.

We offer two different types of partial dentures:

Cast Metal Framework Partials

This type of partial denture is made with a metal framework in place to keep the prosthetic light, strong and long lasting. This type of denture is made for patients who have stable and healthy natural teeth with little to no concern of loosing any more natural teeth within the next five years. These partials can be made of either titanium or chromium cobalt.

• Titanium Cast Partial Denture: made with medical grade titanium for an ultra light and strong framework. We recommend titanium to anyone who has any sensitivities to metals as titanium is a hypoallergenic metal.
• Chromium Cobalt Partial Denture: made with noble and base material metals to have a light and durable finish to it.

Acrylic Partial Dentures

Acrylic partials or also know as "flipper" dentures are made for patients that need a temporary prosthetic device and are expecting some of the natural teeth to be extracted within five years. We make these dentures so that we are able to easily modify the dentures as our patient is transitioning from natural teeth to having no teeth. We make these dentures a little thicker than our framework partial dentures because they are not as strong and durable and do not have the same stability as a cast metal partial.
These dentures are great for partial immediate denture patients, patients who are expecting to loose more teeth within five years, and patients who will be transitioning to a complete or cast metal partial denture within a couple of years.

What to expect once you've decided to have a new partial made:

Just like complete dentures, it takes many different appointments and is a very involved process. Each and every patient we work on has a very different mouth and situation which we consider before making new set of dentures. This being said each patients timeline and framework for appointments may vary because of these differences. 
The following appointments to expect are in this order:

Consultation and Preliminary Impressions:

This is the time that we get to know you and your situation, and what option of treatment works best for your lifestyle. Once that is decided and you've chosen to start treatment, we start by taking preliminary impressions to make study models off of. We then make you a custom fitted tray to take tighter fitting, more accurate impressions.

Final Impressions

We use highly accurate materials in a custom tray to take a detailed final impression. This impression turns into our working model in which we build our patients dentures on. This step effects the fit of the dentures and ensures your new teeth have the most accurate shape as possible. After the impressions are taken we are able to send the models of your remaining natural teeth out to our metal works laboratory to have a cast metal framework made. This can take 1-3 weeks between appointments and is dependent on what metal was chosen.

Framework Try-In, Bite Registration and Tooth Selection

Once the framework is back, we try it in the mouth to make sure the fit is function is desirable. In order to build comfortable dentures, we need to know how tall we need to make your dentures, and where your jaws line up. We then take a "bite" to find this relationship. We will then discuss the aesthetics of your denture and will pick out teeth that we will use for our try-in appointment.

Try In

This appointment you get to see what your teeth will look like in wax. We use wax because the material allows us to make changes to the setup of the teeth and also allows you to view the dentures before they are made. Depending on the changes that need to be made, we sometimes do additional try-in appointments. This is because as denturists we like to make sure our corrections are accurate and that you're completely satisfied with the appearance of your new teeth before they become acrylic dentures. After we proceed with making your new teeth, we are unable to move the teeth and can only make minor adjustments to the dentures. It's always a good idea to bring an extra set of eyes to this appointment to have a concrete second opinion.

Insert 

The dentures are made and you're ready to go. Our denturists will check over your bite, and make any refinements they see are needed. After this point we give you home care instructions and don't make any other scheduled appointments at this time. Because dentures are a fitted prosthetic device, we find that 50% of our patients will develop sore spots in their mouths. These should be addressed as they appear by booking adjustment appointments.

Your new set of dentures should last you 5-7 years and then be replaced. This ensures you are always wearing a clean, properly fitted appliance that enhances your health and not detracts from it.

Adjustments

All of your needed adjustments within the first year of a new set of dentures made are covered by our clinic. Sore spots are pressure spots in your mouth that can develop for a wide variety of reasons. If you've had a new set made, don't tough it out - come into the clinic and have your denture adjusted. It sometimes takes several adjustment appointments to have them fitted properly. A reason for this is because your dentures do settle into your gums over a matter of weeks.

We ask all of our valued patients to not attempt to do their own adjustments as this will void your warranty on your dentures.

Relines and Maintenance

For partial denture wearers, we do not typically reline the base of these dentures. This is because the underlying bone in the mouth is maintained by the remaining natural teeth and bone levels do not change significantly. As for maintaining a comfortable fit for your partial, we suggest having it replaced every 5-7 years as you may find over time the holding clasps/hooks may loosen, and the fit of the denture over many years may affect it's functionality.