Dentures and Partial Dentures in San Francisco, CA

Custom-fitted Dentures That Look and Feel Natural

Tooth loss not only poorly affects oral health, but can leave you feeling self-conscious about your smile. You may cover your mouth in photos or refrain from laughing or eating around other people. At Symphony Dental Studio, we can restore your smile’s appearance with custom full or partial dentures. Contact our office in San Francisco, CA, today if you have one or more missing teeth. Dentures may be the perfect solution for you to love the way your smile looks again!

What Are Dentures?

Dentures are artificial teeth that are custom-made to fit comfortably in your mouth. They rest on top of the bony ridge and, when created by a dental professional, they will fit snugly over the gums. Dentures are a quick way to restore your smile’s aesthetics and may be fixed or removable. If you wear removable dentures, you will take them out when eating and brushing. Fixed dentures are held in place with adhesive or dental implants and are designed to stay in your mouth.

Depending on your restoration needs, you may choose full dentures or partial dentures. Full dentures, or complete dentures, replace an entire row of teeth. Partial dentures replace several teeth and are used when there are still some natural teeth remaining. If you have teeth in your mouth that are healthy, a partial denture is ideal because it will fit around your existing teeth. If you have some teeth remaining but they are beyond the point of saving, we can extract them and restore your entire smile with a full denture.

Conventional Dentures and Immediate Dentures

When you receive dentures, we can prepare your prosthesis as conventional or immediate dentures. Both options will provide you with a complete smile and your dentist will determine which is better for your dental needs.

Conventional dentures are created after your teeth have been removed and the gums have healed. Once the tissues have healed, we will take a mold of your gums to create your custom-fitted prosthesis. This means you will have to wait until the gums fully heal before you can wear your prosthesis. The healing process can take around 8–12 weeks.

An immediate denture is placed immediately after the teeth are extracted. Because they are placed right after the teeth are removed, immediate dentures serve as a bandage to help control bleeding and protect the gums as they heal. When you receive immediate dentures, you do not need to wait for the gums to heal and can begin wearing your prosthesis immediately.

The Process of Getting Dentures

First, we will take dental X-rays of your mouth to assess your oral health. Getting dentures will require several visits to our office, and we will walk you through each step so you know exactly what to expect.

If you have teeth that are failing and need to be removed, we will extract them before you get your denture. To ensure your comfort during tooth extractions, we will numb the area using local anesthetic. We will take highly accurate impressions of your teeth to create your custom-fitted denture. There will be several appointments to ensure your denture fits properly, feels comfortable, and is the desired color.

Your exact timeline will depend on the type of denture you are receiving. Patients receiving immediate dentures will leave with their final prosthesis immediately following extraction, while patients receiving conventional dentures will wait for the gums to heal and then return for the final prosthesis.

Why Should I Replace Missing Teeth?

Your teeth are an important part of your overall health. They help you bite and chew food, speak, and preserve facial structure. There are many reasons to replace missing teeth with dentures, including:

Modern dentures are designed to fit comfortably and look natural in your mouth, helping you feel more confident about having a complete smile.
Dentures are cost-effective.
Tooth loss causes the jaw bone to deteriorate over time and can lead to sagging facial features. Although dentures do not stimulate the jaw bone like natural teeth roots, they decrease the rate of jaw bone resorption.
Partial dentures prevent dental shifting by preserving the space created by missing teeth.
Dentures improve speaking ability and prevent wear on your natural teeth by distributing chewing force throughout the mouth.