Conventional Dentures.
Well-made removable teeth, designed around your face rather than a standard mould.
What is a conventional denture?
A conventional denture is a removable replacement for missing teeth, either a full denture replacing all the teeth in a jaw, or a partial denture filling gaps and clasping onto the remaining teeth. Modern dentures are made from acrylic, or with a slim cobalt-chrome framework where a partial denture needs strength and thinness.
Why has this been recommended?
A denture may be the right answer where several teeth are missing and implants are not suitable, not wanted, or not affordable, or where an immediate solution is needed after extractions while longer-term plans are considered. A well-designed partial denture can also protect the remaining teeth from over-loading and drifting.
What to expect during treatment
Making a good denture takes several visits and they are worth taking properly. Impressions or digital scans are taken, then a second set in a custom tray for accuracy. Records are taken of how your jaws meet and where your lip sits when you smile. A wax try-in follows, where the teeth are set in wax so you can see and approve the shape, colour and position before anything is finalised. This is the appointment to be honest and particular; changes are easy in wax and difficult in acrylic.
The finished denture is fitted, checked for comfort and bite, and adjusted. Expect to need one or two review adjustments in the following weeks. Sore spots in the first days are normal and easily eased.
Risks and possible complications
The main difficulty with dentures is adaptation. Speech takes a week or two to settle, eating takes longer, and the lower jaw is always harder than the upper because there is less suction. Some people never find a lower full denture comfortable, which is why implant retention exists.
Other issues include sore spots, increased saliva initially, gagging in a small number of people, and denture stomatitis, an inflammation of the palate linked to wearing dentures overnight. Over the years the bone beneath a denture shrinks, so it becomes looser and needs relining or remaking. Partial dentures can increase plaque accumulation around the teeth they clasp, so hygiene matters more, not less.
Benefits and expected outcomes
A carefully made denture restores appearance, supports the lips and cheeks, and returns a good deal of chewing function without surgery and at modest cost. Partial dentures can be very successful indeed. The honest expectation to set is that a denture is a good replacement for missing teeth, not an equivalent of natural ones.
Aftercare and home care
Clean the denture over a basin of water or a folded towel so it does not break if dropped. Brush it daily with a denture brush and soap or denture cleaner rather than toothpaste, which is abrasive. Clean your remaining teeth and gums separately.
Leave the denture out overnight in water. Attend regular check-ups even if you have no natural teeth left, so that the fit, the tissues and the mouth generally can be examined. Report any sore spot that does not settle within a few days, and any ulcer lasting more than three weeks, without delay.
Common questions
How long do dentures last?
Why is my lower denture looser than my upper?
This page is written by Dr Steve Conteh, BDS (Hons) MSc, GDC 251055, and is general information rather than advice for your particular mouth. Your own plan, costs and risks are set out in writing before any treatment begins. Last reviewed August 2026.
Ask me about your own case
Every case begins with an unhurried consultation: a proper look, a proper listen, and a written plan you can take away and think about. There is never any pressure to proceed.