There are two types of dentures, full dentures and partial dentures. Full dentures replace all of the teeth missing on the top or bottom of the mouth. There are many different modifications that can be made to a full denture. Growing in popularity are implant retained dentures. This consists of the strategic placement of sometimes as few as two implants and modifying an existing denture to snap or screw on to the implants. This allows for excellent retention and also eliminates a great deal of bulkiness that can be bothersome with dentures. Full dentures can also be fabricated with some teeth remaining in place thus eliminating the need to go any time without teeth!
Partial dentures replace individual missing teeth to one arch. They can replace as little as one tooth or as many as all but one to any arch. There are several different materials used to make partial dentures ranging from cast metal to a flexible material that is lightweight and nearly undetectable.