Paul talks about Fitting Dentures

Please explain the process the patient will go through on the day of fitting

When a patient wants to have a denture made immediately very quickly for trauma or because they do not want to leave the practice without a denture then it’s as quick as impressions, models are made, the denture’s manufactured in the laboratory. This can take an hour to an hour and a half. And then the denture is fitted really, it can be a process that could take up to 4 hours, can be done very quickly for an interim or temporary type of denture while the master denture is being made.

How will the patient feel in the immediate days after the fitting?

As to feeling the actual denture in place, normally most patients will complain that the dentures feel bulky, feels big, that there isn’t enough room for their tongue, but its amazing how after two weeks most patients feel quite comfortable with the denture.

When and under what circumstances should a patient go back to the dentist?

As the denture settles in then the edges of the denture could rub in various areas, it just depends whether the teeth have been extracted to where the dentures could rub. This is quite normal and we always advise patients to go back immediately and get the denture adjusted.

Will I be able to eat normally immediately after the fitting?

Some patients that have never worn a denture before may struggle to begin with and it may take two weeks, perhaps a little bit longer to know what types of foods that they can cope with, eating an apple is always quite tricky, tough meats can be quite hard, but then when the patient’s worn the dentures for long enough they can tackle most foods, and all foods really.