Full Dentures

About Full Dentures

What are Full Dentures?

Complete dentures are made of a plastic base that is coloured in order to replicate gum tissue and supports a full set of plastic or porcelain teeth.

The traditional full denture is held in the mouth by forming a seal with the gums. They can also be held in place by attaching to dental implants that are surgically placed in the bone of the jaws.

This treatment is much more expensive than the traditional complete denture.

What do Full Dentures look like?

Full dentures, otherwise known as complete dentures, are dentures that replace all of your natural teeth.

You can have them fitted for your top or bottom gum line, and are held in place by suction and/or the help of an oral adhesive.

Just like partial dentures, they are easily removable.

The materials they are using

What are Full Dentures made of

Processing a denture is usually performed using a lost-wax technique whereby the form of the final denture, including the acrylic denture teeth, is invested in stone.

This investment is then heated, and when it melts the wax is removed through a spring channel. The remaining cavity is then either filled by forced injection or pouring in the uncured denture acrylic, which is either a heat cured or cold-cured type.

During the processing period, heat cured acrylics—also called permanent denture acrylics—go through a process called polymerization, causing the acrylic materials to bond very tightly and taking several hours to complete.

After a curing period, the stone investment is removed, the acrylic is polished, and the denture is complete. The end result is a denture that looks much more natural, is much stronger and more durable than a cold cured temporary denture, resists stains and odours, and will last for many years.

Cold cured or cold pour dentures, also known as temporary dentures, do not look very natural, are not very durable, tend to be highly porous and are only used as a temporary expedient until a more permanent solution is found.

These types of dentures are inferior and tend to cost much less due to their quick production time (usually minutes) and low-cost materials. It is not suggested that a patient wear a cold cured denture for a long period of time, for they are prone to cracks and can break rather easily.

Why have a Full Denture?

Dentures do not feel like real teeth, nor do they function like real teeth.

Dentures can help people through:

Masticating or chewing ability is improved by replacing edentulous areas with denture teeth.

Aesthetics, because the presence of teeth gives a natural appearance of the face, and wearing a denture to replace missing teeth provides support for the lips and cheeks and corrects the collapsed appearance that results from the loss of teeth.

Pronunciation, because replacing missing teeth, especially the Anterior teeth, enables patients to speak better. There is especially improvement in pronouncing words containing sibilants or fricatives.

Self-esteem, because improved looks and speech boost confidence in the ability to interact socially.

People can become entirely edentulous (without teeth) for many reasons, the most prevalent being removal due to dental disease, which typically relates to oral flora control, i.e. periodontal disease and tooth decay.

Other reasons include pregnancy, tooth developmental defects caused by severe malnutrition, genetic defects such as dento-genisis imperfecta, trauma or drug use.

Periodontitis is defined as an inflammatory lesion mediated by host-pathogen interaction that results in the loss of connective tissue fibre attachment to the root surface and ultimately to the alveolar bone.

It is the loss of connective tissue to the root surface that leads to teeth falling out. The hormones associated with pregnancy increases the risk of Gingivitis and vomiting.

Hormones released during pregnancy softens the cardia muscle ring that keeps food within the stomach. Hydro-chloric acid is the acid involved in gastric reflux, also known as morning sickness.

This acid, at a pH of 1.5-3.5 coats the enamel on the teeth; at a pH of 6.5 and mainly affect the palatal surfaces of the maxillary teeth, eventually the enamel is softened and easily wears away

Dental trauma refers to trauma (injury) to the teeth and/or periodontium (gums, periodontal ligament, alveolar bone). Strong force may cause the root of the tooth to completely dislocate from its socket; mild trauma may cause the tooth to chip.

How do Full Dentures stay in place?

Retention is the principle that describes how well the denture is prevented from moving vertically in the opposite direction of insertion.

The better the topographical mimicry of the intaglio (interior) surface of the denture base to the surface of the underlying mucosa, the better the retention will be (in removable partial dentures, the clasps are a major provider of retention), as surface tension, suction and friction will aid in keeping the denture base from breaking intimate contact with the mucosal surface.

It is important to note that the most critical element in the retentive design of a maxillary complete denture is a complete and total border seal (complete peripheral seal) in order to achieve ‘suction’.

The border seal is composed of the edges of the anterior and lateral aspects and the posterior palatal seal. The posterior palatal seal design is accomplished by covering the entire hard palate and extending not beyond the soft palate and ending 1–2 mm from the vibrating line.

How much do Full Dentures cost?

The cost of your dentures will depend entirely on your needs and the material that they are made from. So, a partial denture usually costs less than a complete set.

Then again, the cost of both partial and complete dentures can increase if the number of fitting appointments starts to climb. Ultimately, the more specialist attention that you require, the pricier the dentures will turn out to be.

Unfortunately, this cannot always be controlled. There are some people who require a very brief amount of fitting time and there are others who require several different casts and a number of appointments.

Again, it will all depend on your unique needs. You may be able to make meeting the costs easier with a reliable and affordable dental membership plan. If you are concerned in any way about denture costs, discuss payment options with your dentist.  

If you are keen to opt for the highest quality cross linked polymer dentures the costs will be greater. These are more expensive, but they wear slower than standard plastic dentures.

Once again, it is best to discuss the options with your dental specialist, because they are the person who knows your teeth and mouth better than anybody.

They will be able to advise you on whether or not a premium polymer is worth the extra investment.

If tooth extractions are needed, on top of denture fittings and designs, the cost will go up. Sometimes this is necessary and, other times, extractions are a practical choice, so talk with your dentist about whether you need teeth pulled.

You should also ask about the kind of warranty that comes with your dentures, because you do need to be protected in case, they become damaged and you need an entirely new set.

Are Full Dentures comfortable?

Dentures that fit well during the first few years after creation will not necessarily fit well for the rest of the wearer’s lifetime. This is because the bone and mucosa of the mouth are living tissues, which are dynamic over decades.

Bone re-modelling never stops in living bone. Edentulous jaw ridges tend to resorb progressively over the years, especially the alveolar ridge of the lower jaw. Mucosa reacts to being chronically rubbed by the dentures. Poorly fitting dentures hasten both of those processes compared to the rates with well-fitting dentures.

Poor fitting dentures may also lead to the development of conditions such as epulis fissuratum. In addition, the occlusion (chewing surfaces of the teeth) tends to wear away over time, which reduces chewing efficacy and decreases the vertical dimension, (the “open-ness” of the jaws and mouth).

Stability is the principle that describes how well the denture base is prevented from moving in a horizontal plane, and thus sliding from side to side or front to back.

The more the denture base (pink material) is in smooth and continuous contact with the edentulous ridge (the hill upon which the teeth used to reside, but now only residual alveolar bone with overlying mucosa), the better the stability.

Of course, the higher and broader the ridge, the better the stability will be, but this is usually a result of patient anatomy, barring surgical intervention (bone grafts, etc.).

There are not many downsides to wearing dentures, besides no longer having the natural teeth. But this is the cause and not the consequence of dentures, so the option to retain them has usually long passed anyway. On average, patients need their dentures replacing every five years.

This is an inevitable consequence of aging and changes within the mouth. For some, it can be quite frustrating to have to keep up with these upgrades.

The cost is the other main disadvantage of dentures. As they are designed to be a constant fixture of daily life (until a replacement is needed), they can be fairly pricey, in the same way that something like spectacles are pricey.

The cost reflects the prolonged and heavy-duty job that dentures are created to fulfil. Nevertheless, it can still be tricky for low income patients to meet the costs of design and fitting.

For some patients, dentures are never able to fully satisfy as a replacement for teeth. These people constantly worry about the movement of dentures in their mouth and whether or not other people can tell that their teeth are not real.

They look at dentures as an annoyance and, as such, they become an annoyance. If you want your dentures to look and feel as natural as possible, you cannot constantly remind yourself that they are fake.

Are Full Dentures better than Partial Dentures?

Each type has their function to perform as per the requirement s of the individual client requesting a Denture, discussion with a Dental Health Professional will be the initial and most cost-effective way to start.

Are Full Dentures Top & Bottom?

Yes. They are classified as either a Full Upper, Full Lower or Complete Upper and Lower Dentures.

Can Full Dentures be flexible?

To date, no real flexible denture has had longevity on, or in the marketplace but they do exist and if requested, they can be sourced.

Can Full Dentures be Implanted?

As the name seems to imply, these are dentures which are anchored by dental implants. A dental implant is a permanent fixture that is anchored to the jawbone and can be used to replace any number of teeth.

They’re comprised of the implant itself, a metal post (usually titanium.

Implant-supported dentures have a couple of different ways in which they can attach, but should be cared for and treated like traditional dentures.

It’s more common to have them done on the lower jaw since the upper has fewer problems with fitting securely, but plenty of people have implants on both.

Can you eat with Full Dentures?

Once you are fully adjusted to wearing dentures, you should be able to eat almost anything. However, there may be some foods that will always be difficult to eat such as foods that are hard, sticky or contain small hard particles.

Where can I get Full Dentures?

From a licenced Dental Practitioner registered with the relative authority in Australia, provided with a Government-issued provider number.

When to get Full Dentures?

1. Visiting the dentist every six months is not a regular part of your oral health routine.
2. There are gaps between your teeth or your teeth are loose and shifting.
3. You have chronic toothaches.
4. You have red, swollen, tender or bleeding gums.
5. You have one or more missing teeth.
6. You struggle with eating some types of foods.
7. You have frequent indigestion.
8. You often hide your smile because of missing or damaged teeth.

Full Dentures for seniors

According to the 2017 national dental fee survey, a full upper and lower conventional denture (item 719) in Australia can cost up to $3,870. For either an upper or lower denture (not both) the cost can be up to $2,000.

Cost of Full Dentures without insurance?

Without dental insurance, dentures are quite costly. The average cost of complete dentures can be anywhere from $1300-3200.

If you need your teeth extracted first, the price goes up even more. Without insurance, it can cost up to $350 per tooth.

Comparing dentures and dental implants

Full Dentures vs Implants

Full Dentures v’s Partial Dentures?

Dentures are custom-made in a laboratory from impressions taken of the patient’s mouth. However, depending on how many teeth the patient has lost, I will determine what type of denture is most suited to the situation.

An ideal candidate is someone who is missing several teeth in a row, but whose oral health is otherwise good. For someone who is missing most or all of their teeth along the dental arch, full dentures may be the right solution.

However, if the patient is missing only a few teeth, then a partial denture may be the ideal solution.

The base of a full set of dentures consists of a flesh-coloured plastic or acrylic that rests on the gums and is perfectly moulded to fit snugly and comfortably.

The upper set covers the palate or roof of the mouth. There is a thin layer of saliva between the denture and the gums that form a seal to help anchor the denture, which is why a dry mouth can cause dentures to become loose.

Because there has to be sufficient space for the tongue, the lower set is horseshoe-shaped and stays in place by the muscles in the cheek and the tongue.

A partial denture is a plate that has one or more prosthetic teeth. However, if a patient has sufficient and strong natural teeth, a dental bridge can be a useful solution. Bridges connect the gap between two teeth.

We can anchor a false tooth to crowns on either side of the gap. However, if the natural teeth are not in sufficiently good condition, we can attach the prosthetic tooth to an implant in the jaw itself.

While it is certainly true that dentures take some time to get used to and will never feel the same as your natural teeth, the dentures made today look far more natural-looking and are much more comfortable than those made even a decade ago.

Full Dentures cost?

According to the 2017 national dental fee survey, a full upper and lower conventional denture (item 719) in Australia can cost up to $3,870. For either an upper or lower denture (not both) the cost can be up to $2,000.

With smile.com.au dental cover, you save up to 40% off the price of dentures.

Full Dentures before and after?

Full dentures, otherwise known as complete dentures, are dentures that replace all of your natural teeth. You can have them fitted for your top or bottom gum line, and are held in place by suction and/or the help of an oral adhesive.

Just like partial dentures, they are easily removable.