What are dentures?

Dentures are dental appliances made to replace a person's teeth. Dentures can replace a single tooth, called a partial denture, or every tooth in the mouth, called complete dentures, states WebMD.

Partial dentures are either removable or fixed, according to WebMD. In both cases, there must be remaining teeth in the mouth to which the partial denture connects. A permanent partial denture is a bridge, which connects to the remaining existing teeth with cement.

Patients wear conventional dentures approximately eight to 12 weeks after teeth removal, which allows the gums time to heal. They require fewer adjustments than immediate complete dentures, which patients wear as soon as the teeth are removed, WebMD reports