If you’ve been without teeth for some time, getting dentures is a significant step toward restoring your smile. These helpful prosthetics have been a staple of dental technology for decades, and they’ve never been more advanced than now! However, many patients wonder about the timeline when they are considering the denture process for the first time. How long will you have to wait for dentures?
Read on to learn the full denture process and how long you can expect it to take from start to finish.
Consultation and Evaluation
The first step in getting dentures is scheduling a consultation with your dentist or. During this appointment, your dentist will evaluate your oral health with diagnostic tools like X-rays. Then they will work with you and discuss your treatment goals. Together, you and your dentist can decide if a denture is the right step forward.
Preparatory Treatments for Dentures
Sometimes during your consultation, your dentist will find issues that need to be treated before the denture process begins. For example, if you currently have teeth that are severely decayed, they may need extraction. If your dentist finds gum disease, they’ll need to treat it with antibiotics or other means.
While not every patient will need these added procedures, being aware of them helps set expectations.
Impressions and Fabrication
Once your dentist has agreed to move forward with your treatment, they’ll take impressions of your mouth. These are eventually used by technicians in a partnered dental lab to make your denture to exact specifications.
After the informtation is passed along to the lab, you can expect a week or two to pass before your denture is complete. In the meantime, your dentist will fit you with a temporary one so you don’t go without teeth!
Test Fit and Final Fit
Sometime during the fabrication process, your dentist will call you into the office for a test fitting of a wax version of your denture. This is to ensure that the lab didn’t make any mistakes in the process.
After another week after the test fit, you’ll have another appointment where your final denture is delivered. If it fits comfortably, you’ll go home with it that day! Otherwise, it may need to return to the dental lab if it needs more than minor adjustments.
Getting dentures is a multi-step process that requires careful planning and a bit of patience. But, by understanding the process involved and working closely with your dentist, you can ensure a smooth and successful experience. Even if the process takes a month or more, the results will be well worth the wait!
About the Practice
Dr. Khushboo Gandhi has been practicing dentistry for nearly 20 years and she’s still just as passionate about it as ever. She loves helping her patients achieve their dream smiles whether it’s through minor cosmetic treatments of full denture prosthetics. Dr. Gandhi earned her dental degree in India before moving to the US where she underwent advanced training at both the Oklahoma College of Dentistry and the Baylor College of Dentistry. Call (972) 532-6506 to schedule a denture consultation at Murphy Dental Home or visit the website to learn more.