Top full dentures

[Mel McC]

Hi. I have just had my top implant bridge removed as I was in pain due to failing implants. I am now so scared of more failures and pain I aha e decided to opt for a full removable denture . Looking for comfort and reassurance on this mammoth decision

 

[MattKW]

Dentures have been around from around 7th century BC, when Etruscans fashioned dentures from animal and human teeth. Modern dentures are made from a type of plastic (Methyl methacrylate) since the early 1930s. I have sometimes been very surprised how well people adapt to plastic dentures, but it will take some time and patience.

 

[Geparddent]

I agree with MattKW, dentures are actually nothing new. According to The History of Dentistry, dentures date even all the way back to 2500 B.C. when they were made from animal teeth. Centuries later, the ancient Egyptians and the Etruscans as MattKW mentioned made dentures from bone, wire, and repurposed animal and human teeth.

 

[YSI]

Hi. I have just had my top implant bridge removed as I was in pain due to failing implants. I am now so scared of more failures and pain I aha e decided to opt for a full removable denture . Looking for comfort and reassurance on this mammoth decision

I am curious also-I assume they create a custom mold to make a custom denture? Does the denture weigh the same as the sum of the missing teeth? As long as the plastic is as hard as bone it should weigh less than natural teeth??

Is there any 'suction' helping it stay on, or is it all down to the cement/glue? Those devices in the kitchen that attach to a plastic freezer baggie and suck all the air out before freezing-maybe there could be a port in the denture to create suction to hold the teeth on?

Could they surgically tether dentures to bone somehow instead of drilling into the bone as they did for implants?

Do you have to wait for a period of time for gum swelling to subside before proceeding to molding? Do they trim the gum tissue before molding/creating the denture? What do they call the u-shaped hard rim that our teeth are attached to?

I have noticed for years Joe Biden's teeth slipping during speeches-you can't tell he has dentures until he starts speaking.

 

[MattKW]

Yes, all dentures require a mould of your mouth. Modern dentures are quite light, but older ones ("Vulcanite") early 20th century were heavier. I have also seen some metal ones made in POW camps by inmates made in metal.
Modern dentures rely upon a good seal all around the edges to make a suction seal. If this is not possible (poor bone depth) then people may use denture adhesives to help. Dentures with suction cups were tried once, but they would create damage to the palate and are no longer made.
If you tether dentures to the bone, you still need to be able to remove them for cleaning. It would be otherwise like never taking off your shoes! Conventional implants can be used as a supplement for removable full dentures with O-ring type attachments (full coverage) or fixed (partial coverage, able to clean underneath). Sometimes mini-implants are used for removable dentures - easier to place, but mostly used while waiting for conventional implants.
Ideally you wait 3 months after extractions for the bone to heal and reshape (remodel). "Immediate" dentures can be made to replace your extracted teeth on the day of extracting, but will cost more and require more adjustment visits. Sometimes any bumpy bone is removed to make the fit easier. The bone is the alveolar ridge.