Dentures
Dentures and partial dentures are a great way to replace missing teeth and cost much less than dental implants. They are custom made for each person and can restore your self-confidence and chewing function.
The Dentures Process
At Chappell Family Dentistry, we believe in making high-quality dentures and don’t cut corners. It usually takes five appointments to make a good set of dentures. Dr. Travis Dickey starts the process with an initial examination; if there are still teeth present, we discuss dentures and all of your other options. If you already have dentures, we inspect them to see if and how we can improve them.
Step One: If you decide that dentures are right for you, we take initial impressions. We make study models from these impressions and fabricate custom impression trays from them.
Step Two: On your next visit, the custom impression trays are used with a more accurate impression material so that we can ensure the best fit for your dentures. The lab uses these impressions to make the bases that will become your dentures. They send us back the bases with pink wax and no teeth.
Step Three: At your third appointment, we use these bases and pink wax to determine where your teeth should be. We can add or remove wax to push your lips in or out, to make your teeth look longer or shorter, and to change how your teeth come together. We let you select the shade for your teeth, and take measurements to determine the right size and shape for you. We send the wax bases back to the lab to have the teeth added to them.
Step Four: The fourth appointment is the try-in. You get to see what your dentures will look like before we are committed to anything. If the teeth look too long or too short, we can move them. If the bite is off and the teeth don’t meet properly, we can correct it. Sometimes we get things right the first time, and sometimes we need to try again. We can have the lab move the teeth until you are happy with the way things look. When you are satisfied with the way they look, we have the lab process the denture and return it to us for delivery.
Step Five: We deliver the dentures and check the fit. We like to see you a week after delivery for any adjustments, and continue to see you until things are comfortable.