In most cases, yes. Fractured denture bases and denture teeth can be repaired or replaced if required. An impression is often required to ensure the denture is repaired to fit the oral tissues accurately, or to make sure the new teeth are placed in the correct position between your remaining teeth.

Broken dentures may cause injury to your oral tissues or remaining teeth. In most cases it is possible to wear the denture while a part is broken or missing. Have your denture looked at and repaired asap to prevent further damage.

Acrylic denture fractures, or breaks, and teeth additions can be repaired within a couple of hours. These appointments are scheduled with us earlier in the mornings to ensure we have as much time as possible to get your denture back to you before the end of the same day. Other more complex repairs, and repairs to some chrome dentures, may take several days depending on the circumstances.
When you contact us to schedule a repair, please provide a detailed description on what has happened to the denture so that we can accurately assess how long we will need to keep your denture before returning it to you.

Unlike with your natural teeth, when it comes to maintaining your dentures there’s no real need to come in every 6 months/yearly for a regular check.

Instead, we tell our patients to come in and see us when their current denture situation changes. It may be time to come in for a check if/when:

• Your denture starts causing pain or discomfort (such as rubbing or cutting into your gums), or if you notice ulcers starting to form in areas where the denture sits.
• You begin to notice the denture becoming loose, or starting to lift and move around/rock in place. While a loose denture may not seem urgent, the uneven pressure caused by the denture rocking on your gums and teeth is something that needs to be fixed before it begins to cause damage in your mouth.
• The denture teeth begin to show signs of heavy wear, such as from grinding.
• You may also want to come in and see us if you notice your denture starting to form stubborn or hard to remove stains, despite regular daily cleaning. In this case, your denture may require a professional clean and polish (a quick, affordable process).

All repairs are completed on site. We have dedicated equipment and materials to repair your dentures professionally.

Whether or not you choose to leave your dentures out at night depends on your personal situation.

While some patients choose to leave their denture out at night, others prefer to continue wearing the denture while they sleep. We recommend doing whatever is most comfortable for you.

In some cases, wearing your denture at night may be beneficial, helping to protect your remaining teeth and gums during sleep. If in doubt, your prosthetist will be able to help you decide which option is best for you.

If you do choose to leave the denture in at night, make sure to clean it properly beforehand to prevent a build-up of bacteria in your mouth while you sleep (much like with your natural teeth).

If in the morning you often find your denture have fallen out of your mouth during the night it may be best to start removing them before bed instead, to avoid accidently dropping or crushing them in the night.

In order to properly clean your denture, we recommend soaking the denture for a few minutes in a mixture of gentle/nonabrasive dishwashing liquid diluted with lukewarm water (never hot or boiling, as this can damage your denture). Once soaked, brush gently with a soft bristled toothbrush, and make sure to rinse thoroughly to remove any soapy residue before placing the denture back in.

When cleaning your dentures, always avoid strong chemicals such as bleach, and steer clear of products with abrasives like toothpaste. These abrasives can wear away at the surface of your denture over time, leading to an increased risk of fractures/breaks, and causing stains to build up faster on the surface of the denture.

You can also find dedicated denture cleaning tablets/products (such as Polident) available for sale at chemists and grocery stores. If you prefer to use one of these products, make sure to follow the instructions given by the manufacturer (for example, only leave the denture to soak in the cleaning solution for the time recommended on the package).

Over time, you may find your denture starts to stain. If this is the case, it may be time to bring the denture to us for a professional clean (a quick and affordable process).

When taking the denture out overnight or for longer periods of time, we advise our patients to store their denture dry (rather than wet/in water).
Despite the common misconception that letting your dentures dry out can cause long term damage or warping of the denture, there is actually little to no risk in storing your denture dry.
Keeping the denture clean and dry also helps to minimize the buildup of bacteria on the denture surface when not in use.

When taking the denture out (such as at night before bed) ensure you always thoroughly clean your denture first. If you choose to soak your denture in a commercial denture cleaning tablet (such as polident), be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions (most of which usually advise to soak for 3-5 minutes). It’s important to never leave the denture in this solution overnight, as this can damage the denture surface.

You can then dry the denture with a soft (clean) cloth or paper towel, and place in its denture box for safekeeping.

Generally speaking, our denture process consists of 4 appointments, each spaced 1-2 weeks apart. The timeline for your denture/s will depend on your individual case, and the type of denture needed (for instance, chrome and flexible dentures will require a few weeks longer than standard acrylic dentures, as the construction process is more complex).

Initial consult
For new dentures, the first step is coming in to see us for a consultation appoint (usually 30mins or so). During this appointment, your prosthetist will examine your mouth (and any current dentures) and work out a treatment plan and provide you with a quote according to your required needs. Often we find patients prefer to start treatment at this first appointment, while others may wish to take time to consider their options and return to start treatment at a later date.

If you choose to continue with starting treatment at this first appointment, your prosthetist will then take some quick alginate impressions of your mouth, which we use to form a custom impression tray used at your next appointment. Then, we can book your next appointment before you leave. If starting treatment, we will also need to take a deposit before you go (after that, no further payment is required until the very end of your denture treatment).

Second appointment – bite registration and custom tray impressions
In most cases, your second appointment will then take place a week or two after the initial consult and usually takes around 20mins. During this time, we use a special quick setting material to take an impression of your bite, a well as a second set of full mouth impressions using the specially made custom tray/s.

Third appointment – try in
After another week or two, we get you back for your third appointment (usually taking between 15-20 minutes). For this appointment, a not-yet finalised version of your denture is inserted into your mouth to check the bite and fit of the denture is correct. Once we are satisfied that everything is good to proceed, we will organise a time for your final insert appointment.

Insert appointment
For the final appointment, your completed denture is tried in and checked for any needed adjustments to the bite. We’ll then walk you through all the dos/don’ts of your new denture, including care and cleaning instructions, and demonstrate taking the denture in and out for you.

At the end of this appointment, the final payment is made (after claiming with your health fund, for patients that have one). Finally, your new denture is yours to take home and wear with a smile!

Follow up appointments/adjustments
In some cases, your prosthetist may book you in for a follow up appointment after the insert, to check on the status of the denture and how things are going. In other cases, we advise patients to get in touch with us if they have any concerns/issues.

As part of your denture treatment, these follow up and adjustment appointments are free of charge, and it’s not uncommon to need an adjustment or two in the few weeks after you receive the denture.

Currently our clinics don’t offer any afterpay/payment plan options for denture services, as these can often carry hidden fees that increase the cost of treatment.

Instead, when starting treatment for new dentures we ask our patients to pay a deposit towards their total invoice amount, after which no further payment is required until your final insert appointment.

For patients that may need help with the financial aspect of their denture treatment, we often advise looking into apps such as Zip or Klarna, which can help you access the funds needed upfront (often with minimal interest/fees).

For any denture treatment, your prosthetist will provide you with a quote for the total treatment amount before continuing, allowing you time to consider and make the necessary financial preparations.

In Australia, private health funds recognise that there may be a need for new dentures as often as once every 5 years. Depending on when your last denture was made, your health fund may cover a portion of a new denture for you as long as it falls outside of this five year waiting period.

How much your health fund will cover depends entirely on which fund you are with, and your level of coverage. For patients wishing to get an approximate idea of how much their health fund will cover, we may be able to provide a quote based on the treatment plan provided during the consult appointment.

However, it’s important to remember the amount paid by your fund can change from what you have been quoted, especially if you have had other dental work done since the time of the quote.

How long your denture will last is dependent on a number of factors. For some patients, a well-maintained denture can last 10-15 years. For others, it may require more frequent maintenance in order to prolong the life of the denture.

Generally speaking, your denture should continue to maintain a good, comfortable fit for as long as your supporting teeth and tissue/gums stay unchanged. Things like weight loss, tooth grinding, lost/extracted teeth, and gum or bone loss can all impact the fit of your denture.

If you begin to notice a change in how your denture feels/fits, it’s important to come in and see us to address the issue. Although often the cause of the change to your denture cannot be helped, there are a number of ways we can alter the denture in order to re-establish a proper and comfortable fit (without needing a whole new denture).

If your denture begins to rub or dig into your gums and cause discomfort, we understand your first instinct may be to remove or stop wearing the denture as you usually would. If you do start to notice any pain or discomfort, it’s important you come in for a quick checkup/adjustment as soon as possible.

While it may be difficult, we recommend that you wear the denture for at least a few hours before coming in to see us for your appointment. That way, your prosthetist can see exactly where the denture is rubbing and why.

If your denture isn’t comfortable, it’s important to come see us as soon as you can – particularly if you have chosen not to wear it in the meantime. In some cases, choosing not to wear your denture at all for an extended period of time can be problematic, as your gums and remaining teeth can shift and change subtly over time (causing the denture not to fit properly, or at all). Wearing your denture frequently/consistently helps to limit the amount of movement of your gums and teeth and keep the denture fitting well.

In most cases, it’s possible to modify your existing denture (such as adding an extra tooth after an extraction with the dentist). This will depend on the type, design and current condition of your denture.

For immediate additions to dentures (meaning the denture will be inserted by the dentist right after the extraction of a tooth), we recommend patients try to keep the denture in place for at least 48 hours.

Doing so helps to maintain the fit of the denture even as the gum swells and heals (as well as providing protection to the wound/extraction site while it initially clots).

After having a tooth or teeth extracted by a dentist, we recommend taking the following precautions to make the recovery process easier:

• Do not remove your denture during the first 24-48 hours. If removed too early and left out, swelling may occur around the extraction site and make it difficult/painful to put the denture back in.
• Avoid rinsing your mouth for the first 24 hours. After this time, you can begin to gently rinse your mouth 3 to 4 times a day, ideally after meals and before bedtime to keep the site clean. Continue this for 4 – 5 days.
• To rinse, use a lukewarm saltwater solution (½ teaspoon of table salt in a glass of warm water). Instead of forcefully spitting, tilt your head forward and let the liquid dribble out naturally. This minimizes suction and helps protect the extraction site.
• After 24 hours, you can begin to brush and floss the rest of your teeth.
• At this point, your denture should be cleaned thoroughly and placed back into your mouth immediately. When taking the denture out for the first time after extraction, take care and be very gentle. Avoid leaving the denture out for longer than 10/15 minutes at a time until healing is complete (to prevent issues with swelling/fit of the denture).
• Avoid certain activities after extractions, such as spitting, smoking, or sucking through straws. These actions can dislodge essential blood clots, disrupting the healing process.
• Stick to soft foods for at least 24 hours and avoid hard or crunchy items during this time. Avoid carbonated drinks and overly hot liquids.
• Contact your dentist if you have any concerns during this healing process, or if you experience any excessive pain or bleeding.