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Removable dentures
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025

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In cases where it is impossible to compensate for the absence of one or more teeth using bridges and crowns, removable dental prosthetics are used. Many people may be frightened by such a proposal; their memory immediately conjures up images of grandma or grandpa's dentures in a glass of water. But today dentistry has improved not only the materials from which prostheses are made, but also the technology. Modern orthopedics is able to provide quality care to both elderly patients, who have most of their dental problems due to the negligent attitude of Soviet dentists to their work, and young people who have lost teeth, for example, as a result of an injury.
A removable denture is made according to individual measurements, so it causes a minimum of inconvenience. At the same time, not only the aesthetic function is restored, but also the chewing function, which is important, since it is well known that poorly chewed food causes disruptions in the functioning of the entire gastrointestinal tract. Modern dentures, thanks to durable material, improved manufacturing technology, have not only a beautiful appearance, but also are highly durable, have good fixation, are easy to put on and take off, do not require special care.
A high-quality removable denture is practically indistinguishable from real teeth. No one except you and your dentist will guess the secret of your smile.
Indications for removable dental prosthetics
The main indication for which removable dental prosthetics is necessary is a defect in a row of teeth. Such defects include loss - partial (when the root is preserved) or complete chewing teeth (as a result of destruction by caries, injury, etc.). The absence of more than 3 teeth in a row in a row indicates the need to install removable dentures. In addition, indications for installing a prosthesis include various pathological conditions of the periodontium. Removable dental prosthetics will be the best option for patients susceptible to severe periodontitis. In dentistry today, removable prosthetics is an ideal technique based on the ratio of beauty, quality and price. In each specific case, the dentist will help to decide and select the best option, taking into account the condition of the patient's oral cavity, his preferences and wishes, as well as financial capabilities.
Advantages of removable dental prosthetics
Today, removable dental prosthetics has a number of advantages, in comparison with the prostheses of the recent past. The development of new technologies, the emergence of new materials, the improvement of professional skills indicate that modern removable orthopedic structures have aesthetic, durable, and hygienic properties. Removable prostheses have no age limit, the features of the patient's jaw are taken into account during production, i.e. production is strictly individual in order to minimize discomfort when using a removable prosthesis.
Modern removable dentures do not require special care, are easy to use, and also have an almost ideal ratio of parameters: aesthetics, quality, price.
The most common types of removable dentures are:
- Complete plate dentures are installed when the patient has no teeth at all. The denture is a row of artificial teeth that are located on a plate (hence the name plate). The plate is completely identical in shape and color to the gum. The advantage of plate dentures is their rigidity, since the load distribution in the oral cavity is uniform.
- Partial plate dentures are installed when teeth are partially missing from a row of teeth and there is no possibility of their restoration with removable structures (bridge denture, crown).
- A clasp denture is installed when teeth are partially missing, when it is impossible to restore the dentition with fixed dentures. A clasp denture has a light metal arch in its design (not a solid wide plate), due to which it is perfectly fixed, preserves teeth and gums due to the optimal distribution of the chewing load between the gums and supporting teeth. A clasp denture is more comfortable to wear than a plate denture, and there is no need to remove it at night. Getting used to this denture occurs a little faster. There are two types of clasp dentures: with a lock and clasp fixation systems. A denture with clasps is attached to the supporting teeth using cast metal hooks - clasps.
- Prostheses on telescopic crowns. Such prostheses are held on the teeth with the help of a crown, which consists of two parts: a metal cap, which is attached to the supporting tooth, and a crown, located on the prosthesis itself. When attaching a removable structure, the two parts are combined, tightly adjoining each other and providing maximum fixation of the prosthesis. Prostheses with telescopic crowns can be made on the supporting tooth or on implants.
Disadvantages of removable dental prosthetics
One of the main disadvantages of removable dental prosthetics is the need to remove them every day in order to maintain oral hygiene and the prosthesis. It is also worth noting the period of getting used to the prosthesis. In each specific case, everything happens individually, it is impossible to say the exact time frame, one person will get used to it in a couple of days, another will need a couple of months. During the adaptation period, you should additionally visit a dentist who will perform the appropriate correction of the prosthesis. Each type of removable prosthesis has its own disadvantages.
When using plate dentures, atrophy (drying out) may occur due to pressure on the tissues underneath the denture. Their use may also lead to inflammation due to continuous impact on the oral mucosa or caries in the area where the clasp and base are adjacent to the teeth. In addition, the components of the denture may cause allergic reactions in the oral cavity (especially the base part, made of colored plastic and in almost continuous contact with the oral mucosa). In this case, it is recommended to use dentures made of colorless plastic.
Clasp dentures have significantly fewer disadvantages compared to plate dentures. This is achieved due to the support clasp that appeared in the design, which fixes the denture on the existing teeth, locking devices, a smaller area of the base, divided into parts that are connected by a light metal arc.
Distribution of chewing load by Brugel dentures occurs between the gum and supporting teeth. Such dentures are used in the early stages of destruction of the dental arch, when there is no risk of functional overload. The framework of the denture corresponds to the denture bed as accurately as possible and consists of very thin parts, while maintaining rigidity.
Removable dentures in dental prosthetics
Removable dental prosthetics are carried out using plate, partially removable, clasp (arc), nylon, and immedia dentures.
Thanks to manufacturing technologies, the prostheses are durable, easy to remove (put on), well fixed, and aesthetically attractive.
Plate dentures are indistinguishable in appearance from those that our grandmothers held in a cup, but this is where their similarity ends. Such dentures are made of modern plastic, a set of teeth, clasps (hooks), impression material, etc. The base plastic is now not only pink, but can have a vascular-capillary pattern that replicates the real mucous membrane of the oral cavity with maximum accuracy. Artificial teeth are highly wear-resistant, while their appearance is practically indistinguishable from real ones.
The installation of a complete plate denture is often the only way to restore the complete absence of teeth. Fixation in the oral cavity occurs due to the ability to suck (similar to how two wet pieces of glass are attracted to each other). The lower jaw, unfortunately, does not have such a strong effect, since the minimal support area and high mobility do not allow the artificial jaw to suck well, especially since the closely located tongue makes the task almost impossible. Therefore, the lower jaw is called "floating", since it floats, and does not fit tightly, and getting used to such a prosthesis takes much longer.
A partial plate denture can be installed if one or more teeth are lost. Such a denture is made entirely of plastic (except for metal clasps). The denture is fairly light, but takes up a lot of space in the oral cavity and is supported entirely by the gum, which makes it short-lived. An excellent option for temporary dentures. A partial denture can be secured not only with clasps, but also with attachments – fastening structures that are practically invisible when fixed in the oral cavity. Such fastening significantly increases the cost of the denture.
Plate prostheses are now technologically advanced, made from high-quality modern materials, although in appearance there are few differences from their previous “brothers”.
Nylon dentures have a virtually invisible to others fixation with clasps, which are made of the same material as the denture (and not metal as in other dentures). Such dentures look very realistic due to their translucency to match the color of the oral cavity. Nylon dentures are securely fixed in the oral cavity, have a small volume, due to which the process of getting used to them is faster. When fixing the denture, the supporting teeth are maximally preserved, since they are not ground down during the installation of the denture and, during wear, they do not loosen. From time to time, the denture needs to be cleaned with a special solution.
The advantages of such dentures include higher strength compared to others, elasticity, stable fixation, lightness, ease of wearing, maximum hygiene (does not absorb moisture in the oral cavity, therefore bacteria do not spread in it), beautiful appearance even after long-term use, the process of getting used to the dentures is minimal. Nylon dentures are used to correct both a small defect in the oral cavity (one or two teeth) and for more significant defects. There are dentures similar to nylon: made of quadrotti (flexible plastic) and polyurethane (have a lower cost).
Clasp or arch dentures are fundamentally different from plate dentures. They have a thinner structure, take up much less space in the mouth, which makes them much more convenient and can be firmly and securely fixed in the oral cavity due to clasps. Usually, clasp prosthetics requires several supporting teeth, otherwise the chambers will have nowhere to be fixed. It is this nuance that allows them to be made much more accurately in volume. However, there are several points: the supporting teeth must be selected very carefully, since they are subject to a fairly high load. People with clasp dentures are advised not to put much load on the jaw, otherwise the supporting teeth will quickly become loose. The method of fastening can be using clasps or attachments. In the second case, the prosthesis becomes almost invisible, but also an order of magnitude more expensive.
Complete removable dentures
Complete removable dentures - involves the restoration of dental arches in the oral cavity when natural teeth (for some reason) could not be preserved. The removable denture is attached to the gum due to the suction ability. The complete denture has the form of a curved plastic plate that covers the palate and jaw (for the upper jaw), artificial teeth are fixed to the plate. The teeth used in removable dentures are manufactured at factories and supplied in a set. The color and shape can be selected based on the individual needs and desires of the patient.
A removable denture is a gum made of artificial material (base) on which teeth are fixed. The optimal tooth option for each patient can be selected from ready-made sets, and the gum color is selected as close to natural as possible. Pink plastic is used to make the base, and in case of allergic reactions, a base made of colorless plastic is used. Complete dentures are made in the absence of natural teeth for some reason or when several teeth in relatively good condition remain in the jaw. Such teeth are used as a kind of "locks". The dentures are fixed by adhesion to the gum, which is why the area of the base is quite large, and the denture itself looks impressive. On the upper jaw, the denture is fixed (sticks) to the upper palate.
Hard plastics such as acrylic or soft (nylon) are used as a material for dentures. Hard (acrylic) dentures create an even distribution of the load on the gum, which allows you to chew food fully. Soft nylon dentures are too flexible, so their use in complete dentures is not common.
In the process of manufacturing a full-row denture from any type of plastic, first of all, impressions are made, the base is cast, teeth from an individually selected set are attached to the base, and then adjusted to the patient's jaw. The technique for manufacturing an acrylic denture is simpler - using a method known among dentists, injection molding. For tight fixation, such a denture occupies a large area in the oral cavity. That is why the process of getting used to the denture is delayed, and people with an increased gag reflex sometimes cannot adapt to such a denture and must refuse it, replacing it with another. A nylon denture is much smaller and more comfortable to wear, but the manufacturing process requires complex equipment and qualified employees.
In orthopedics, removable dentures of a full row of teeth made of acrylic are popular. The base here looks like a plate corresponding to the contour of the gum, hence the corresponding name - plate. Acrylic plate dentures are quite simple to manufacture, have a low cost - which makes them accessible and widely used. Recently, orthopedic dentistry began to use complete removable dentures made of nylon. The bases in them are elastic, due to which they are better held on the jaw. But, nevertheless, most dentists prefer plate dentures, which cope with the chewing function much better, precisely because of their rigidity. Today, approaches to dental prosthetics have changed somewhat. If earlier it was believed that prosthetics should be done only in extreme cases, then at present, the high strength and aesthetics of the structures have radically changed the views of dentists on this problem.
To improve the fixation of a denture, you can use special products, which are abundant in the modern market today, and there is always a product that is right for you.
Removable dentures require the same amount of care as natural teeth. You need to take the denture out from time to time and clean it of food debris. Ideally, you should do this after every snack, but it will be enough to do it twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. Whether to leave the denture on overnight or take it off - depends on the patient's wishes, there are no special requirements here. Also, patients with removable dentures should monitor their diet: do not eat foods with a viscous structure, in particular, reduce the consumption of hard food, refuse chewing gum, toffees, etc. You also need to protect dentures from chemical and mechanical damage. Under no circumstances should you file or grind them yourself. If defects are found (chips, cracks), you should stop using the denture and consult a dentist. Do not forget that you need to undergo examinations by a dentist twice a year, even if you do not have any problems with the denture.
Prices for removable dental prosthetics
The price of a dental prosthesis includes the cost of materials (fasteners, gums, teeth, etc.) and the complexity of the work. For example, removable dental prosthetics made of plastic will cost much less than nylon. Also, two prostheses made of the same material can have different prices - the set of teeth, types of fasteners, etc. are taken into account. The cost of prosthetics on implants depends on the price of the screws required for the prosthetics, plus the work of the doctor. In any case, only after a preliminary consultation with the dentist, and a discussion of all possible options for prosthetics, taking into account the condition of your jaw, your preferences and financial capabilities, can we talk about the approximate cost.
Removable dental prosthetics is sometimes the only way to get back not only a beautiful smile, but also to restore the chewing function, which is no less important for human health. If at least one tooth is missing in the oral cavity, this can lead to jaw deformation: neighboring teeth begin to fill the empty space, merging with each other. In addition, poor chewing of food can lead to disruption of the stomach, pancreas, gallbladder, and liver. Prosthetics will not only restore aesthetics and chewing function, but also protect the jaw from further destruction.