Cosmetic Dentures Goodlettsville

Immediate Denture: Treatment Procedure Description

A denture that can be used immediately after extractions is a popular treatment choice for many people. In fact, it is very rare that a patient chooses to go without teeth on the day of tooth extraction surgery. In many instances the entire procedure can be completed in one day. Since each patient’s healing period and ability to accommodate an immediate denture varies, the feeling of being “comfortable” will be different. Of course I would highly recommend that you consider Sedation Dentistry for this procedure.

Sedation dentistry can be achieved with pills or IV. I have a comprehensive sedation license, which means I can provide sedation to my patients with pills or the IV sedation. I prefer oral sedation with pills. It works as well as the IV option for my patients, and I feel very comfortable with this option. I have provided over 2,500 cases in my career with sedation dentistry.

Generally speaking, when all the patient’s top maxillary and/or bottom mandibular teeth are extracted and is now faced with healing from multiple extractions plus getting used to wearing a “plastic/acrylic” plate with teeth on it. Immediate dentures are often relined on one or more occasions soft relines help cushion the hard denture base against the healing extraction sites.

Once all the teeth are extracted, the jawbone starts to heal and shrink over the extraction sites. Over the next year or so the jaws may shrink approximately 15-30% or more until the bone stabilizes. Since the jaw shrinks back as healing occurs, the current immediate denture will loosen up and may not be as retentive as it was at the time of original treatment. I will often place a hard reline in the denture around the six month mark from the extraction surgery to form to the new shape of the jaws. Sometimes we may add a silicone soft base to the underside of the dentures for increased retention and comfort.

To idealize the use of immediate dentures, you can add dental implant anchoring devices under the denture so that the denture can snap in for super retention and will help prevent future loss of jawbone.

Dental implants will help retain a denture and act like tooth roots to “stimulate” the bone and prevent it from shrinking away. This is especially true for lower dentures which have much less retention versus upper dentures. Every time you eat, speak, or drink your tongue moves. When your tongue moves, the floor of your mouth moves, which tends to kick out a lower denture.

An upper denture has a full palate (roof of the mouth) to create a suction seal. A bottom denture has no suction seal and usually just sits on and rides the lower jawbone. Over the years the bottom jaw will lose bone due to pressure necrosis of the denture sitting on the jawbone.

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