Immediate dentures are a special category of dentures designed to be placed in your mouth on the same day that your natural Teeth are removed. You will wear them for the first several months after extractions as they provide an alternative solution that allows you to conduct your life without the embarrassment of walking around with no teeth while healing from dental extractions. 

Let’s delve deeper into the process so that you’ll understand the immediate denture steps and what to expect when getting dentures for the very first time.

What Are Immediate Dentures?

As the name implies, immediate dentures are temporary dentures that are inserted immediately after natural teeth are removed. As your mouth begins to heal and recover, they act as a placeholder to help maintain the shape of your gums and to support your face for the first several months after extractions. Immediate dentures are crafted based on an impression of your mouth taken while your natural teeth are in place. 

The denture laboratory technician will make the best guess effort to predict the expected size and shape of your mouth once the teeth have been removed. That way, your denture teeth can be set as closely as possible to the look and position of your natural teeth.

There are several advantages of immediate dentures. The most popular factor is that you will never need to appear in public without teeth. It is also easier to duplicate the shape, color, and arrangement of your natural teeth while some teeth are still present in your mouth. When dentures are inserted immediately after extractions, they act as a bandage to protect the tissues and reduce bleeding.

The biggest disadvantage to immediate dentures is the increased cost of having to purchase two sets of dentures in rapid succession. In addition, you don’t have the benefit of seeing how the denture will look before the teeth are extracted, and the immediate denture is inserted. Initially, immediate dentures do not always fit as accurately as a conventional complete denture, which are made after the tissues have healed.

Prepping for Immediate Dentures

Getting immediate dentures is a process rather than a single event. Anyone who has undergone a medical procedure of any type understands that there are stages to recovery. Expect the first few days with immediate dentures to be rough and uncomfortable. Think about it – your mouth has undergone a dramatic change all at once. 

There will be continued oozing from the extraction sites accompanied by excessive saliva production stimulated by having a foreign object in your mouth. Once the numbness wears off, you will feel like there is no space for your tongue, and you’ll never speak clearly again. But all of this is a temporary inconvenience. Better days are on the horizon as you adapt to your new reality.

Gather Post-Operative Necessities

Planning prior to undergoing anything new is prudent, and anticipating what you will need as you transition through the immediate denture process is no different. It is normal for immediate denture wearers to undergo a complete change of diet in order to maintain nutrition. Similar to any denture transition like receiving a partial denture or complete dentures, there will be diet disruptions.

Expect to eat soft foods that are easy to chew for the first two to three months after extractions. Little by little, you will find that you will be able to eat foods that are more difficult to chew.

Foods That Are Easy to Chew After Having Dental Extractions

• Soft scrambled eggs
• Smoothies
• Warm soup or broth
• Yogurt
• Cooked cereal
• Ripe bananas
• Creamed potatoes
• Well-cooked vegetables
• Flaky baked fish

Inform Workplace/Loved Ones

People, in general, want to help. Your friends, co-workers, and loved ones will be more willing to help you through the process and take up the slack if you articulate your needs prior to treatment. Often people will be glad to make accommodations for meal preparation or help with children and commitments so that it becomes easier for you to manage your life while continuing to focus on recovery after dental treatment.

Immediate Denture Steps

While there are variations in each person’s experience, the basic immediate denture steps remain the same. Eliminating an unhealthy situation caused by loose or decayed teeth and replacing them with dentures is the objective. 

Arriving at this end goal is predictably achieved by following some common immediate denture steps.

Teeth Removal

Depending upon your health and the type of anesthetic chosen, your dentist will make sure that you are comfortable before commencing treatment. Once numb, your teeth will be removed, and any planned oral surgery will be performed in order to accommodate the delivery of your temporary dentures.

Place Immediate Dentures

While your mouth is still numb, the dentist will fit and adjust your dentures so they are less likely to cut into sensitive gum tissues after the anesthetic wears off. Since the immediate denture fabrication is based on a prediction, sometimes it is necessary to make denture adjustments or reline immediate dentures right away to improve the fit. 

It is important for the dentures to make uniform contact with the underlying tissue in order to help control bleeding and begin the healing process.

Healing Stage

Healing and recovery from surgery is very patient-dependent. Depending upon the severity of your dental disease, your general health, age, and habits such as tobacco use, healing may be delayed. Plan for full healing and recovery from denture placement to take longer than expected.

Healing happens in two phases: There is the initial healing involved with the extraction sites forming clots that promote the production of new tissue to cover the holes that were left after the remaining teeth were removed.

Then, there is a longer healing process which can take anywhere from three to twelve months, on average, as your bone and gum tissue shrinks and remodels the shape of your jaw.

Place Permanent Dentures

The denture-making process starts over again, this time without your natural teeth and tooth extractions in the way. Impressions of your gum tissue and the shape of your jawbone are recorded to allow new dentures to be made to fit the shape of your healed anatomy. An additional step in the process lets you preview the appearance of your dentures in your mouth prior to them being completed. 

This trial form allows denture patients and the dentist the opportunity to modify the appearance and the bite before the final dentures are fabricated. The trial denture form is returned to the denture lab for alterations and processing before they are delivered and adjusted for comfort.

Plan for the Healing Stage

Keep immediate dentures in your mouth for 24 hours after insertion. This facilitates the underlying tissues to form and heal to the shape of your denture, allowing for better stability. If uncontrollable bleeding becomes a problem, the dentures can be removed for no more than 20 minutes at a time in order to apply direct pressure to the extraction sites with moistened gauze. The denture should be reinserted as soon as possible. 

If immediate dentures are left out for an extended period during the first few days after extractions, swelling may occur that may make it impossible to reinsert your dentures, defeating the benefits of immediate dentures.

It’s hard to know what to expect when getting immediate dentures when you have never experienced the process before. Each passing day of recovery brings about improvement. Initial healing after tooth extraction takes, on average, 6 to 8 weeks for the extraction sites to fully close and toughen enough to tolerate eating more solid foods. 

Total recovery time and complete healing of the underlying bone takes much longer, typically 6 to 12 months, for the sockets to fill in with new bone and for the majority of the shrinkage to occur. 

Premier Immediate Dentures with European Denture Center

The biggest obstacle to improving dental health is often fear of the unknown. Why leave immediate denture steps to chance? The experienced denture providers at European Denture Center will guide you through the entire process, addressing your fears and putting your mind at ease. 

See how dentures can improve your quality of life by making your consultation appointment with our caring professionals today!