Hi dental fans! So I get asked by patients,
“what’s the difference between a regular denture and an immediate denture?
In this video I’ll talk about what an immediate denture is
and how it’s different than a regular denture. So in a couple of my previous videos,
I discussed what a regular denture is and why it gets looser over time.
I’ll leave a link to those videos down in the description below.
The big difference between a regular denture and an immediate denture is how it’s made.
A regular denture is a denture that is made for a person who has no teeth.
An immediate denture is a denture that is made for a person who still has teeth in their mouth.
If you have no teeth in your mouth and want a denture, I will make you a regular denture.
If you still have teeth in your mouth and want a denture, I may make you an immediate denture.
For an immediate denture, I will make the denture first, then once it’s ready,
I will remove your remaining teeth and fit the immediate denture that same day.
That way you walk into my office with teeth, maybe looking like this. and
you leave my office with teeth looking like this. So, if you’re someone who needs a denture, you’re
probably thinking, “Hmmmm, an immediate denture sounds like the best way to get a denture.”
I will say it is the most popular method for first time denture patients,
but it does have some downsides. Let’s look at the pros and cons of
regular dentures vs. immediate dentures. The first category is never without your teeth.
That’s a con for regular dentures, and a pro for immediate dentures
Now this is only true if you still have teeth. If you are missing all your teeth already, I can
only make you a regular denture. For an immediate denture, I will make the denture first,
and only remove your teeth when I can fit the immediate denture that same day.
In order to make you a regular denture, I would have to remove your teeth first, wait 6-8 weeks
for your gums to heal, then start making the regular denture. So you would be without teeth
for 2-3 months. That is the main reason why people with teeth usually opt for an immediate denture
rather than a regular denture. So the second category is looks.
This category is going to be close since I can customize both a regular denture and
an immediate denture however you want. I can customize the size,
shape, color, and arrangement of teeth as well as the color of the gums and shape of the gums.
Since I’m making the immediate denture while you still have teeth in your mouth,
I will have to use the location of your existing teeth to help
guide where the denture teeth will be. Most of the time the result looks great,
but sometimes it’s not perfect. This is because I can’t try-in
the immediate denture in your mouth to show you exactly how it looks.
When I make a regular denture, I can try it in to see how it looks before I make the denture.
I can fine tune the setup of the teeth and have you see how it will look.
I can also adjust the gum part of the denture as well.
So, I’m going to give this category to regular dentures.
The third category is fit. In my video “Why do dentures get looser
over time?” I explained what happens to your jaw over time and why dentures get looser over time.
When I make a regular denture, your jaw has been healing or it has been healed
for a bit of time and it’s somewhat stable. I can usually make a denture that fits really well.
When I make an immediate denture, your jaw is undergoing large amounts of change.
First off, I’m removing teeth which changes the shape of your jaw. Then there is some swelling
and inflammation associated with having your teeth extracted. Once the swelling goes down,
your jaw starts to heal and it starts to shrink. The most shrinkage occurs in the first
1 to 2 months after having your teeth removed. Afterwards, it continues but at a slower pace.
So at first the immediate denture will fit well, but then it will start to get loose.
You will need a reline of the immediate denture in about 6 months or so.
A reline adds more plastic to the inside of the denture to make it tighter again. I will
do this either in the office while you wait, or I may have to send it overnight to the lab.
It depends on your particular situation. So the fit category goes to regular dentures.
Both types of dentures will need adjustments after you start wearing them.
Immediate dentures usually need more adjustments. So tell me, do you have dentures? Did you get
immediate dentures? What was your experience with them? Please leave your comments below.
Thank you very much for watching! And talk to you soon.