A complete denture consists in removable tooth replacement for an edentulous patient. Normally 28 teeth are set in an articulator to imitate the movements of the patient’s jaw. It’s highly recommended to set the teeth in a balanced occlusion to prevent instabilities in the mouth when the jaw is moving.

When patients still have some of their natural teeth,  partial dentures are used.

There are two types of complete dentures:  conventional or immediate. A conventional denture can be placed in the patient’s mouth eight to 12 weeks after teeth removal. Immediate dentures are made in advance and can be placed right after removal of the teeth. This type of denture is often preferred, as the wearer does not have to be toothless during the healing period.

However, immediate dentures require more adjustments to fit properly during the healing process compared with conventional dentures, so that they should only be considered a temporary solution until conventional dentures can be made.

Nowadays, there are many technical possibilities to set teeth and there are also a lots of different tooth types available. A famous brand is Ivoclar, from Ivoclar Lichtenstein, made in the Philippines.