A denture is a removable replacement for missing teeth, along with its surrounding tissues. Dentures
resemble the natural teeth and the gum tissues closely.

Dentures are usually made of acrylic plastic, but can also be made of metal or porcelain sometimes.
Dentures are of two main types- partial and complete. Complete dentures are given when all teeth are missing, while partial dentures are given when few teeth are missing.

Dentures can also be classified as immediate or conventional. Immediate dentures are given on the
same day as teeth extraction. This immediate denture helps in reducing the bleeding from the socket, as well as acts as a band-aid to protect the underlying tissues. The conventional denture is generally given 8 to 12 weeks after teeth extraction and once the gums are healed. However, some dentists may wait for a little longer before giving a conventional denture.

A Cast Partial Denture (CPD) is a removable partial denture consisting of a cast metal framework that contains artificial teeth set in an acrylic resin. As compared to the conventional acrylic denture, Cast Partial Denture is stronger, more durable and retentive.

Some new types of dentures are becoming quite popular. One of them is a flexible denture. A flexible denture is a type of a partial denture, which is made up of softer materials than regular dentures. They are generally made up of flexible, thin thermoplastic material like nylon, rather than
the much thicker acrylic material that is used in complete dentures.

The advantage of flexible dentures is that besides being flexible, they are also lightweight and comfortable, and help in better chewing efficiency. They are also more aesthetic as
compared to a conventional denture.

Another type of denture which is gaining popularity is overdenture. The overdenture may be tooth-
supported or implant-supported. Sometimes a few teeth are cut at the gum level after root canal procedure is performed, and with the support of these root canal treated teeth, a denture is placed on top. These are tooth-supported overdentures.

Similarly, sometimes a few implants are placed in the jaw, and with the support of these implants, a
denture is placed on the top. These are implant-supported overdentures.

The advantage of overdentures over conventional dentures is that they offer better retention, support, and stability than the conventional dentures.

A denture is usually recommended by a dentist when there are multiple missing teeth on both the jaws.

When there is a wide gap of three or more missing teeth and a fixed dental bridge cannot be placed due to lack of surrounding teeth support, and implants are either contraindicated due to poor bone or underlying medical conditions or due to the patient’s refusal, then a denture is the best option to replace the missing teeth.

Earlier older people would prefer to extract their highly deteriorated teeth due to years of wear and tear and replace them with dentures. However, with an advance in technology, a dentist will first always try to save the natural tooth, and only as a last resort extract the teeth and replace it with a denture.

Also, the dentures available now are of extremely good quality and aesthetically very similar to natural teeth. They are very sturdy, flexible and low-maintenance. If good care is taken, these dentures prove to be extremely useful in improving the quality of life in older people by helping in biting and chewing of food by the denture teeth just like natural teeth.

There are many advantages to a denture. They are:

• Dentures help in biting, chewing and swallowing of food just like natural teeth.
• They also help in improved clarity of speech.
• Improved aesthetics. With the loss of teeth not only the patient loses his/her beautiful smile, but also the facial tissues begin to sag. The dentures help in regaining the smile, and also give fullness to the cheek area, preventing sagging of the facial tissues.
• For older patients, teeth that cannot be saved and have been giving them pain for many years extraction of these teeth and replacing them with dentures is the more comfortable option
• Partial dentures help in the maintenance of space in between natural teeth, preventing the surrounding natural teeth from tilting towards the space created due to loss of a tooth.