Same day dentures is the term used to describe a process where a set of dentures is made in one day. The first impression is taken in the morning and the dentures are made during the day and then finally fitted at the end of the day. We look at some frequently asked questions around the subject.
How long do dentures normally take to make?
Typically, dentures are made in four weeks for acrylic dentures and five weeks for cobalt-chrome dentures. It normally involves four visits:
Visit 1 – primary impressions
This is where a basic impression is taken, using a generic impression tray, to get the rough shape of your mouth. This impression is then sent to the technician who will pour plaster into the impression to make a model. Then a special tray is made. The special tray is an impression tray that is make bespoke to your mouth.
It normally takes a week to get the special tray back from the laboratory.
Visit 2 – Secondary impressions and bite registration
During this visit we take an impression using the bespoke tray. This will be the final impression used to make your dentures.
From the impression, the dental technician will use dental plaster to make models of your teeth. Then he/she will line the upper model with the lower model using the bite registration. This then allows the technician to see how your lower jaw lines up with the upper jaw and therefore how you bite your teeth together. He/she will then add soft wax onto the models and then fixate denture acrylic teeth to the wax. This is called a try-in denture. It’s pretty much a replica of what the final dentures will be like and, as the teeth are set up in wax, we can move the teeth around as much a possible until the dentist and patient is happy.
The shape/size and colour of the denture teeth are normally chosen by the technician according to the size of the models. At The Denture & Implant Clinic, the denture teeth are chosen by the patient and dentist.
Visit 3 -try-in
At this visit the try-in denture is fitted into the patient’s mouth. We check many things such as – cosmetics, the bite and the fit.
If, for example, we feel the smile is too big i.e. you are showing far too much tooth when smiling, we would remove the try-in, adjust and then try it in again. We then recheck and repeat the process until everyone is happy.
Visit 4 – the fit
This is when the dentures are fitted in your mouth and the day you get to take the new dentures home!
Why does it normally take so long to make dentures?
Between each appointment, the general rule is that we need to allow a week so that the technician can carry out the laboratory stages. Then we need to factor in the transport times to and from the denture laboratory. Items are not delivered individually but sent in daily batches so if we miss the cut off time then we need to allow for an extra day in transport. This usually necessitates a week between each appointment.
How can The Denture & Implant Clinic make dentures in a day?
The simple answer is that we block off (pretty much) a whole day and dedicate all our resources to just treating one patient. As we have a denture laboratory on site at our dental practice there is no transport time lost, hence we have enough time to complete each stage.
Another thing to note is we used to provide next day dentures, so most of the stages are carried out in one day and then the dentures are made overnight and fitted the next day. This was because we needed to flask the dentures and the heat process overnight. New technology in dental materials now means we no longer need to heat cure overnight and can process within 90mins. Therefore, we can now provide “same day dentures” as opposed to “next day dentures” or “24-hour dentures”.
Can I just call and get the denture made today or tomorrow?
Unfortunately, this is impossible to do. Our clinic is very busy, and we need ample time to plan our diaries so that the dentist and technicians are available all day. This means it usually takes a few weeks to get an appointment. However, there are times when it’s possible to make the dentures to a quicker timeframe, but it will depend upon our (and your) availability. If you have a strict deadline and we can’t find availability to make the dentures in a day we could at least reduce the timeframe from one month to sometimes one week depending on the case so that we can meet your deadline.
What does the procedure involve?
The first appointment will involve us meeting you to discuss what the options are. If you have no teeth at all the process is as follows:
- Free consultation
We will assess your mouth and then give all the possible options including prices and availability. We will allow you to ask as many questions as you wish. If you are happy to proceed, we will book the appointments and take a deposit.
- Full day booked at our denture clinic in Carshalton.
We book out a whole day where the denture stages are carried out as described above.
At the end of the day, we will fit the dentures.
- Review(s)
We normally arrange a visit the following week to check how you are getting on with the dentures. We adjust as required and additional appointments are booked if needed. It is not unusual to need 2-4 adjustment visits after the dentures are fitted.
Additional points to note:
We cannot provide cobalt-chrome dentures on the same day as this requires additional technical work. Check out our blog on the differences between cobalt chrome dentures and acrylic dentures.
If you have natural teeth, we will need to do an examination prior to giving you options. The teeth will need to be checked and the dentures planned accordingly.
