Better Partial Dentures by Dr Chan Joon Yee This middle-aged Filipina lady came to us with a toothache on her upper right incisor. Root canal has been done on the tooth in the Philippines. A fibre post has also been permanently cemented. This makes salvaging the tooth very difficult. At the same time, she was also wearing a very unsatisfacory upper partial denture but was tolerating it. Since she could not afford bridges/implants but was concerned about her appearance, we advised her to do an immediate partial. How is this done and why is it called the immediate partial? Well, an immediate partial is a partial denture that is inserted into the patient's mouth immediately after the planned extraction of teeth. Without her old partial, the patient presents with a pair of pretty good canines. By taking out the incisor, we'll have plenty of space to arrange teeth in almost perfect alignment. A week before the denture was to be issued, the patient had an impression of her mouth taken. The tooth on the model was knocked out and 4 artificial teeth were placed in the space between the 2 canines. Once the acrylic denture has been processed, we called the patient back for the extraction and fitting of the denture. You can see above that the planned extraction has been done. This extraction was previously simulated on a plaster model of the patient and the denture was constructed as if the tooth was already gone. Above is the photo of the patient with her new immediate partial denture inserted just minutes after the extraction of the front tooth. Just compare and note the difference with the patient's old denture. A greatly improved smile. This is cosmetic dentistry with immediate partial dentures. This is only suitable for patients who can tolerate dentures. A new immediate denture is likely to be larger than the old denture. Some patients may have problems adjusting. As the denture was made before the gums have healed, a gap is likely to appear between the denture and the gums after a few months. Relining may be necessary. If more than one tooth is extracted, a new denture may have to be redone a few months after the immediate partial has been fitted. Of course, immediate dentures can also be used as interim dentures while the patient is waiting to receive dental implants. Cost Estimation S$400-S$800 (extraction costs not included)