Dental dentures are artificial replacements used for your natural teeth and gums. If an accident, poor dental health, or disease has caused you to have only a few healthy natural teeth or none at all, a dentist or prothodontist will recommend dentures to replace the missing teeth.

Dentures are most ideal if you have significant erosion of the gum and jaw line which makes other dental procedures such as crowns and implants less desirable. They also may be used to replace an entire row of teeth rather than a single tooth.

The ideal candidate for dentures

Because dentures are relatively non-invasive, they are well suited to people who are unwilling to go through a more extensive dental procedure such as that used for dental implants.

Elderly people who cannot sit still for a long visit in a dentist's chair are ideal candidates for dentures. Some people also have eroded their teeth and jaw line to the point that it is difficult to do a crown or dental bridge.

Dentures also may suit you if you are missing a row of several teeth or your entire top or bottom teeth in a line. In these cases it may be easier and less expensive to get an entire set of false teeth rather than trying to rebuild each lost tooth.

What will the Dentist do first?

Your dentist will make impressions of your mouth and fit you with a false tooth or set of teeth that are molded based on the shape of your mouth. You will be asked to bite down on something to check for fitting. The dentures are affixed in place with an adhesive that you can buy in most chain grocery or drug stores.