Dentures
Jason Kirouac, RD has teamed up with Driftwood Dental to provide dentures to patients in Courtenay and the Comox Valley. For those in need of dental implants or extractions to improve the fit and comfort of their dentures, we’re able to offer full denture and dental care often in a single appointment. Of course, if you need a little help relaxing during your appointment, ask Dr. McGaw about sedation options.
Every type of denture requires approximately five appointments. Here’s what you can expect on your way to a new smile:
1st Appointment:
Consultation, treatment plan and preliminary impressions are taken
2nd Appointment:
Final impressions taken to begin building your new smile
3rd Appointment:
Bite Registration and tooth selection for aesthetics.
4th Appointment:
The Try-in. Jason will construct a set of wax dentures for you to take home and consider before the final dentures are created. There is no pressure to hurry this process. It’s your smile and we want you to be happy.
5th Appointment:
The final finish and insertion of your new dentures.
Types of Dentures
Standard Dentures
Most dentures are made of acrylic and can be fabricated two different ways.
- A conventional (standard) denture is made after all teeth have been extracted and the tissues (gums) have healed.
- An immediate denture is fabricated and inserted immediately after the teeth are extracted and the tissues are allowed to heal under the denture.
- An upper denture has acrylic, usually flesh colored, that covers the palate (roof of the mouth).
- A lower denture is shaped like a horseshoe to leave room for the tongue.
The teeth are made of plastic, porcelain or a combination thereof. Dentures can be fabricated to fit over endodontically treated teeth and a complete denture can be attached to dental implants to allow for a more secure fit of the appliance.
Dentures over a normal course of time will wear and need to be replaced or relined in order to keep the jaw alignment normal. The alignment will slowly change as the bone and gum ridges recede or shrink due to the extraction of the teeth. Regular dentist examinations are still important for the denture wearer so that the oral tissues can be checked for disease or change.
