Every denture we make is individually designed and made for you, so there are several stages involved. Most patients will attend around 4–6 appointments, including impressions, bite registration and a wax trial before the denture is finished.
As a guide, treatment usually takes around 6–12 weeks, depending on the type and complexity of the denture, the number of appointments required and your availability.
The trial stages give both you and your clinician the opportunity to check the appearance, tooth position and bite before your finished denture is made.
At The Denture Shop, your dentures are made in-house by our own dental technicians, rather than being sent away to an external dental laboratory.
Our denture patients are treated by Ehlana Boult, Clinical Dental Technician (CDT). A CDT is a dental professional who is both clinically and technically qualified, meaning Ehlana can assess patients directly while also having the technical training involved in designing and manufacturing dentures.
This allows the clinical and laboratory sides of your treatment to work together under one roof, with much greater continuity throughout the process.
That is largely up to you.
Some patients love the appearance of their existing dentures and want us to reproduce them as closely as possible. Others come to us specifically because they would like a change.
We can discuss tooth colour, shape, size, position and other characteristics with you to create an appearance appropriate for your face, age and preferences. Depending on the denture option you choose, there may also be greater opportunities for individual characterisation.
The important part is that you are involved in these decisions. During your wax trial, you will have an opportunity to see the proposed tooth arrangement before the denture is finished.
A new denture is a new object for your mouth to adapt to, even if you have worn dentures for many years.
It is normal for a new denture to feel different initially. Your tongue, cheeks and muscles need time to become accustomed to its shape, and you may temporarily notice changes when eating or speaking.
Occasionally, small areas of pressure or soreness can also develop once you begin using the denture normally. These can usually be resolved with an adjustment.
We provide appropriate aftercare following the fitting of your new dentures and would much rather you contact us about a problem than try to tolerate an uncomfortable denture.
You may notice a temporary difference in your speech when a new denture is fitted, particularly if its shape or tooth position differs from your previous denture.
Your tongue has effectively learned where everything is in your mouth, so it needs a little time to adapt to something new. Reading aloud and speaking normally can help this adjustment.
For most patients, speech settles as they become accustomed to their new denture. If you have ongoing concerns, please contact us so that we can assess it.
There is usually an adjustment period with any new denture.
We recommend beginning with manageable foods, taking smaller mouthfuls and chewing slowly up and down rather than grinding, while you learn how your new dentures behave. Where possible, try to distribute food across both sides rather than repeatedly chewing on one side.
A denture is a removable prosthesis and cannot completely reproduce the function of natural teeth or implant-supported teeth. Our aim is therefore to achieve the best combination of fit, stability, function and appearance that your individual mouth allows.
Dentures sit on movable, living tissues and are affected by your tongue, cheeks, lips, bite and the shape of the underlying gums and bone. This means that some movement can occur, particularly with full lower dentures.
Excessive movement can also be a sign that a denture no longer fits as well as it should, that the bite requires assessment, or that an adjustment or reline may be appropriate.
If your denture has become noticeably less stable, we recommend having it assessed rather than simply increasing the amount of denture adhesive you use.
A newly fitted or recently adjusted denture can sometimes create a localised pressure point as your mouth adapts to it. Existing dentures can also begin to cause soreness if the fit changes over time.
Please do not attempt to adjust or file the denture yourself. Removing material from the wrong area can make the problem more difficult to correct, and will invalidate any remaining warranty.
Contact us and we can assess where the pressure is coming from and make an appropriate adjustment where required.
If you have an ulcer, swelling, unexplained pain or another area in your mouth that is not healing, this should also be appropriately assessed by your dentist rather than assumed to be caused by the denture.
As a general rule, we recommend removing your dentures at night.
This gives the tissues underneath the denture an opportunity to rest and makes it easier to maintain good denture and oral hygiene. We recommend aiming for around 6 hours a day where your gums can ‘rest’ which is usually least intrusive overnight.
We understand that some patients may occasionally prefer to keep their dentures in overnight for personal or social reasons, but routinely removing them for sleep is preferable where possible. If you do intend to wear them overnight, good oral hygiene is very important.
Your dentures should be cleaned every day to remove food debris, plaque and staining. Handle them carefully when cleaning them, as dentures can fracture if dropped onto a hard surface.
You should also clean your mouth, gums, tongue and any remaining natural teeth.
Avoid making alterations to your denture yourself and be cautious with very hot water, household cleaning products or anything abrasive that could damage the denture material.
We recommend periodic oral-health reviews, even if you have no natural teeth remaining.
Yes. The Denture Shop operates by appointment for the majority of our services, including consultations, new dentures and our alteration services.
You can book a consultation online or contact the clinic directly and a member of our team can help you choose the appropriate appointment.
If your denture has broken, you may benefit from our Walk-In repair service. Please contact us before attending so that we can advise you about the appropriate repair service and availability.
Please let us know as soon as possible if you are running late. We operate a standard 5 minute grace period for lateness.
Denture appointment time is allocated according to the clinical or laboratory stage being completed, and some stages cannot safely or effectively be shortened. If there is not enough time remaining to complete your appointment properly, we may need to rearrange it, and a Failure To Attend fee may be charged.
We can provide same-day services for many denture repairs, tooth additions and relines, subject to clinical suitability, laboratory capacity and the time the denture is received.
Because the work is carried out in our own laboratory, your denture does not normally need to be sent away to an external laboratory.
Not every denture can or should be repaired or altered. We will assess the appliance first and advise you if we believe a repair is unlikely to provide an appropriate or lasting result.
Yes. If you are unwell or have an illness that could be passed to other patients or members of our team, please contact us to rearrange your appointment.
Please give us as much notice as reasonably possible.
It depends on whether you have natural teeth remaining.
A Clinical Dental Technician can provide complete dentures directly to patients who have no natural teeth.
If you still have natural teeth, Implants, or retained roots and require a partial denture, you will need to be dentally assessed and we require an appropriate prescription/referral from a dentist before we can provide your new denture. This ensures that your remaining teeth and oral health are suitable and stable enough for us to proceed.
We work with dentists and referral partners and can explain what is required if you are unsure. Your dentist can refer you directly to us via the referral link on our website.
The Denture Shop is a specialist denture clinic.
Our clinical denture treatment is led by a Clinical Dental Technician, and the dentures themselves are manufactured by our dental technicians in our own laboratory. This means the people assessing, designing and making your dentures work together directly.
We also focus specifically on removable dentures, denture repairs, alterations and related denture services rather than providing general dentistry.
If you have natural teeth, we work alongside your dentist because the health and treatment of those teeth remains within their care.
In suitable cases, we can use an existing denture as a valuable reference for your new one, particularly if there are features you would like to retain.
However, an old denture is not necessarily something that should be duplicated without assessment. Your mouth changes over time, and an existing denture may contain worn teeth, an incorrect bite or a fitting surface that no longer accurately matches your mouth.
We will therefore discuss what you want to preserve and what would benefit from being changed, rather than automatically reproducing every feature of the old denture.
Your consultation gives us an opportunity to understand what you want from your dentures and to assess your existing dentures, mouth and individual circumstances.
We will discuss what you like and dislike about your current dentures, your priorities for your new ones and the different treatment options that may be suitable.
Where appropriate, we can then provide a treatment plan and quotation. If you have natural teeth, we will also explain any dental referral or prescription requirements before treatment can proceed.
A consultation is about establishing the right treatment for you, rather than simply selling you a particular type of denture.
Yes. We offer Denture Protection for suitable dentures.
If you have a well-fitting denture that you are happy with and which is suitable for the service, we can digitally scan it and securely retain its 3D design.
If that denture is subsequently lost or damaged beyond repair, having the digital information available can allow us to reproduce the saved denture much more quickly and at a significantly lower cost than starting an entirely new denture from the beginning.
We recommend having Denture Protection completed before you need it – particularly if you would struggle to manage without your denture.
Not necessarily.
A loose or uncomfortable denture does not automatically mean that it needs replacing. Depending on the age, condition, tooth wear, bite and overall design of the denture, it may be possible to improve it with an adjustment or reline.
In other cases, the denture may have reached a point where making a new one is the more appropriate option.
We can assess your existing denture and explain the available options before you decide how you would like to proceed.
