Dentures are removable prosthetic devices that are designed to replace missing teeth. They are generally categorized into full or partial dentures.

Candidates for dentures have lost most or all of their teeth. Dentures are designed to replace teeth of an upper or lower jaw. The following types of dentures are available:

• A conventional denture (removable) is placed in the mouth after all of the teeth have been removed and the extraction sites have healed, usually six to eight weeks after extraction.
• An immediate denture is placed at the time the teeth are extracted. To make this possible, measurements and models are taken during the preliminary visit. However, bones and gums can shrink over time, especially during the healing period in the first six months after extraction of teeth. When gums shrink, immediate dentures may require rebasing or relining to fit properly.
• A partial denture is a removable appliance usually composed of framework, artificial teeth, and acrylic material. It fills in the spaces created by missing teeth and prevents other teeth from shifting.
• An overdenture is a type of removable denture that is supported by a small number of remaining natural teeth or implants. Natural teeth must be prepared (reshaped) to fit the overdenture and provide stability and support for the denture.