Restorative Dentistry
Immediate Dentures in Los Angeles
You do not leave without teeth.
When teeth have to be removed, the gap between extraction and a finished denture is the part people dread. An immediate denture is made beforehand and fitted the same day. Smile LA Downtown Modern Dentistry offers it as one of four denture types.
Fitted the same day
How it works
The denture is made in advance, from impressions taken while your teeth are still in place. On the day of the extractions it goes straight in, so you never appear in public without teeth and the tissue underneath is protected while it heals. That second point is easy to overlook and worth as much as the first: a denture seated immediately acts as a dressing over the sites, which is a practical benefit rather than only a cosmetic one. What you are trading for it is stated on this page rather than discovered afterwards — a denture fitted on the day is fitted to a mouth that is about to change shape, and it will need attention as that happens.
The trade-off
The trade-off, stated plainly
Gums and bone change shape as they heal after extraction. A denture fitted on day one is fitted to a mouth that is about to change, so it will need adjusting — and eventually relining or replacing — as things settle. That is not a fault in the denture; it is the price of not going without one.
- What you gain No period without teeth, and protection for the healing site.
- What it costs Adjustments afterwards, and a reline or a definitive denture later.
- The alternative Waiting for the gums to heal and having a conventional denture made to the settled shape.
Worth asking about at the same time
If implants are in your plan at all, it is worth raising before the extractions rather than after — an unstabilized denture allows bone loss, and the bone available is what determines the options later. See implant supported dentures.
Immediate Dentures FAQ
- Will I leave the appointment with teeth?
- Yes. That is the entire purpose of an immediate denture — it is made beforehand and fitted the same day your teeth are removed.
- Will it need adjusting?
- Yes. The gums and bone change shape as they heal, so an immediate denture needs adjustment and eventually relining or replacing.
- Is it the same as a conventional denture?
- No. A conventional one is made after the gums have settled, so it fits the final shape from the start — but you go without teeth in the meantime.
- Should I consider implants first?
- It is worth discussing before the extractions rather than after, because the bone available afterwards determines what is possible.
