Dental Prosthodontics is when one or more teeth are missing and artificial teeth are designed and created to replace those teeth.

Below is a list of some of the most-common Oral Prosthetics

Dentures: Dentures are artificial teeth to replace a full set of teeth. All teeth will need to be extracted prior to starting the process. If the extractions are recent, the patient will want to wait several weeks to heal before starting impressions. This process consists of several appointments and try-ins to make sure everything fits before moving on to the next step. Once healed from extractions, the patient will come in for impressions or a scan of the gums. This impression will be sent to a lab to construct the next step.

Immediate Dentures: If a patient does not want to go without teeth while healing, a set of immediate, or intermediate dentures can be made. The patient will come in for impressions prior to extractions, and the denture will be made and ready when the patient has extractions completed. This process is more expensive, and the immediate denture will need re-lined about a year later, because the gums will typically shrink after extractions.

Denture Reline: Sometimes a lab reline is needed when a denture no longer fits very well. For this process, an impression is completed, and the patient will leave their denture with our office and it will be sent to a lab. At the lab, the acrylic will be removed from the denture, and new acrylic will be placed to help the denture fit better. Once completed and returned to the office, the patient will come in to make sure everything fits before taking their denture back home with them.

Partials: Partials are similar to a denture, but are used when there are still remaining teeth. Partials are made with a metal framework that clasps onto the remaining teeth to hold in place. Artificial teeth are then attached to the framework to replace the missing teeth.

Implants: Implants typically only replace a single tooth and are fixed so they don’t come out. When a patient decides to do an implant, they will go to an oral surgeon to have the implant placed. The oral surgeon will extract the tooth and do bone grafting if needed. The implant will need to heal for several weeks before being ready to finalize with the crown (or artificial tooth). Once the oral surgeon has cleared the patient for restoration, the patient will come into the office for impressions or a scan of the area, and an artificial tooth will be designed and constructed at a lab. The patient will then come back in to have the crown placed on the implant. Once completed, an implant should look and feel like a natural tooth.