What is the complete process for getting dentures?

Question

Also, if there are teeth broken off into the gums, what is done about that? How do they make dentures that look like your own teeth (normal) and how is it done in one day? Help! Need answers ASAP

Answer 1

First you go in for a consultation, they take an xray of your mouth and go over your options with you. If you need dentures, they take impressions of your mouth with basically metal mouthguards that size up with your gum line and give the shape of your mouth. Then they send your impressions to the lab to have your denture made. Then they pull your teeth, teeth broken off at the gumline are usually no problem. They come out rather easy from what my oral surgeon told me. Then they might have to file down the ridges (aveoplasty is what the process is called) on you jawline to make sure your dentures sit correctly on your gums. Then they stitch you up if you need stitches, pop your dentures in and send you home. Just remember to keep a positive outlook on things, and they will go a little easier.

Answer 2

I agree with Tom 100% and it sounds like my answer would have been if he had not written it first. The only thing I will add is that you will need to have the broken off teeth removed. You can't just leave them under a denture. If you are in a huge hurry, you can get the final (or "master") impressions made and then have the teeth removed, but you can expect that your bone and gums are going to shrink very rapidly and the fit of the denture will change very quickly. You would then need to have the denture relined and this would generally be at an additional fee. This is justifiable because most people who get dentures do not need this additional level of service.

I'm going to give a little editorial opinion here, too. You MAY be able to get dentures quickly from an office that is dedicated to this service and has lab technicians in-house. There are some that advertise this and do a lousy job and there are some where you just get lucky and find the guy who does it well. Like Tom, my experience with patients who go "out of town" for cheap dentures delivered overnight has not been very encouraging. And if you DO go to one of those clinics, do not go back to a "regular" dentist for adjustments and expect to get them for free. I don't know why people think that we all stick together and back each other up. If you buy a suit from Store A and it falls apart, do you think Store B will gladly give you a refund? We are just the same. If I make dentures for a patient, the fee includes six months of follow-up care. (Not relines, unless specified up front, though.) I think some of the high volume clinics that really make their money running bus trips to the facility or renting motel rooms at the place they own right across the street count on their patients going back home and taking their troubles with them.

Answer 3

it took more than a day for your teeth to go south, it's gonna take more than a day to make a quality denture. that said, here's the process that i use to make a custom denture.

day 1. primary impression
day 2. the next day...master impression
day 3. a week later....records. determines how open or closed your mouth is in resting position.
day 4. another week later. wax try in. you get to try in your teeth before they are actually processed. teeth are set in wax but it looks exactly how your final denture will look.
day 5. another week later. delivery. you get your teeth!
day 6. the next day. 24 hour adjustment. we do some little grinding to relieve high spots on your denture.

if you get a same day denture, i'll expect to see you asking questions on here about what is the best to hold in a denture. a quality denture takes time so don't rush it. the process in my office takes as long as a month total. can it be done quicker? yes, but i don't cut corners.