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4 Simple Steps in the Denture Process

Dental Tech are renowned for making bespoke high-quality dentures that fit you really well, function properly and look natural.  We have been doing this for almost 50 years and not only make dentures for our own clinicians. We also make dentures for dentists and dental practices around Ireland too. You could say during that time we have learned a thing or two about making dentures. This helps us to make the denture process as efficient and convenient as possible for you, our patients…

It may be a while since you had dentures made or you might be new to dentures and are unsure of the process. Here is a brief explanation of how things work:

Well fitting, comfortable Dentures require 4 key steps and a few visits to our clinic to complete successfully. 

While we have been known to perform miracles and replace a lost denture in the same day. We would advise taking your time during the process, as it’s such a personal experience and fit is paramount. A typical partial or full denture takes about 4 – 8 days for the full process to be complete.

Step 1 – First Appointment

• We will take a look at your gums and any remaining teeth to assess your suitability for dentures
• Even if you already wear dentures, the shape of your mouth and gums can change over time. This means an appointment will still be necessary.
• You may need to receive additional dental care at this point before the denture process can proceed. This will be discussed with you before we start.
• Once you are ready to get started we will take an impression/mould of your mouth which will be used to create the base of your new dentures
• These moulds are sent to our in-house lab to have wax blocks made for your next stage and custom trays

Step 2 – Second Appointment

• At this visit wax models are placed in the mouth to establish where your teeth meet. We also register your bite and orientation for the teeth on your new denture. Our team will help you to select the size, shape and shade of the teeth for your new denture. 
• We may also take secondary moulds/impressions with the custom trays
• The impressions and wax models are then sent to our in-house lab so they can create a mockup of your denture. Then you will move to Step 3 of the process.

Step 3: Try-In 

• At this appointment you will see the mockup/trial of your denture.  The teeth you selected at the start will be set up in wax and ready to present and try in as the trial. While it wont fit you well at this point as it is made in wax. This will give you a great opportunity to see what your denture will look like before it is finished.  
• At this stage you can decide if you like the way everything looks or you can use this as an opporutiy to make changes
• As the denture teeth are set up in wax we can move them, lift them up or drop them down. We can also place more or even put a slight twist on some teeth to mimic your natural ones.
• If there are big changes needed, we may arrange for an additional try-in appointment so you will get to see the trial again before it is finished
• We also recommend you taking home the trial denture for a day so you can see how it looks in your own environment.  We will of course provide care instructions for looking after it while you take it home. 
• Once you are happy with how the denture looks it will be sent to our lab to create your final denture. 

Step 4: Final Fitting

• Our lab has now used the mockup to create your new teeth and set them into a hard, tissue coloured acrylic base. 
• At this stage we may need to carry out some minor adjustments to allow the new denture to bed in.  
• Over the next few days or even weeks, you may need to come back for some easing or adjustment as you get used to the new dentures. Remember they will fit you in places that your old dentures no longer fit so it is perfectly normal to need to come back.  
• If for any reason you don’t feel you need to come back then we will book you anyway for a review appointment at 6 weeks from your fitting.  This is to review your bite and ensure everything is bedding in well

With our extensive experience making dentures the process tends to be seamless from start to finish. From time to time though there are other things to consider that might arise, but our friendly caring team are on hand to help you. Some of the most common ones we see are:

• Teeth Extraction

Some patients may need to have a tooth or teeth extracted before we take impressions. We need the gums to have healed completely before taking impressions. This ensures the best possible fit and we will discuss the process with you, and support you along the way.  We can always temporarily add teeth onto your existing denture if needed and before we start the new denture

• Change of mind on Appliance

We recommend that you take your time when choosing the size, shape and shade of your dentures. Our team will work closely with you on this. But we understand that sometimes people change their mind at the try in stage which is why we recommend taking the trial home before we finish.  At the trial stage we can make changes easily and also book you for additional trial stages before we finish and this is all part of the process.  However, once the dentures have been finished changes cannot be made without an additional fee.  

We hope that our denture guide above is helpful to anyone considering getting dentures. In addition to our patients who would like to understand the process a little bit better. Our friendly experienced team are always available if you have any questions or queries about the denture making process and will happily help answer them for you.

Article by Bevin Mahon, B.Soc.Sc. Managing Director of Dental Tech Group and passionate about improving quality of life for our clients 

Contact us on 01 4551866 or email clinics@dentaltech.ie to book a FREE denture consultation with one of our specialists. 

You can find Dental Tech Denture Clinics in the following places: 

DUBLIN – Whitehall House, Terenure, Dublin 6W – Call 01 4551866 

WEXFORD – The Whitemill Medical Centre, Wexford – Call 053 9192999 

WATERFORD – Waterford Health Park, Waterford – Call 051 365999 

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