The Difference Between Partial and Full Dentures

According to The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, the number of American adults who need dentures will jump from 33.6 million in 1991 to 37.9 million in 2020.

Although dental implants can last a lifetime, you can fix a broken smile with dentures right away. Here’s what you need to know about partial and full dentures.

Full Dentures

A dentist will recommend full dentures if all the teeth in the upper and lower jaw are missing. You can either opt for immediate or conventional full dentures.

Your dentist will make immediate dentures before he or she removes your teeth, inserting them into your jaw as soon as the removal procedure is complete. Conversely, conventional dentures are made once your gums heal after removing your teeth. This helps dentists design dentures that fit better and for longer.

Partial Dentures

A dentist will recommend partial dentures if you have some healthy teeth or if he or she doesn’t need to remove all of your teeth to achieve a succinct smile.

Partial dentures are made from plastic, replacement teeth and a metal framework that holds the structure of the denture in place. If a few teeth are missing, your dentist might place a permanent bridge between them. In this case, the dental lab will build a crown of artificial teeth that will attach to your existing teeth.