Immediate Dentures
Immediate Dentures is the term used in the dental industry to describe dentures that are designed to be placed immediately over the oral tissues at the time natural teeth are extracted. This differs from a standard denture which is generally designed three weeks or more after extraction’s depending on how quickly a patient heals. For many people who have reached the point where full mouth extraction’s are required waiting to heal is not an option given work or social circumstances. For those patients an immediate denture may be worth considering.
There is however a number of disadvantages that need to be weighed against the advantages of having your new smile right away. Given that immediate dentures are designed on an assumption of what your mouth will look like after extraction’s, accuracy can be compromised. Most patients will require relines with in few months to refit the dentures correctly. This adds more cost to the overall case as the patient will be expected to pay for these relines as well as any temporary relines in between.
When the denture is designed while the patient still has natural teeth left there is also no opportunity to do a wax try in. The importance of a wax try in will be described in an upcoming article. For now lets just say , a wax try in is like a preview of what you will look like with your new denture and it gives you an opportunity to make changes before the denture is completed.
On the up side of immediate dentures, the day your natural teeth come out your new denture goes in. This has the advantage of acting like a bandage and minimizing some swelling.
There are many considerations before deciding which type of denture you will require. It is wise to make a consultation appointment with whoever will be designing your new smile well in advance of any extraction’s. This will ensure an appropriate treatment plan is laid out to meet your individual requirements and objectives.