Dentures

Modern dentures bear little resemblance to the dentures of a generation ago. Careful impressions, thoughtful tooth selection and today's lightweight materials produce replacements that look natural, sit comfortably and restore the confidence to eat, speak and smile. At our Wimpole Street practice, dentures are designed around you — your face, your bite, your lifestyle — rather than produced to a formula.

Dentures suit a wide range of patients: those missing all their teeth in one or both jaws, those missing several teeth who want an economical, non-surgical solution, and those whose remaining teeth are failing and who need a planned transition. They are also a sensible route for patients who are not candidates for implants or bridges, or who simply prefer a removable option. As always, suitability is confirmed at an in-person consultation with a GDC-registered dentist at our Marylebone practice.

We provide the full range. Complete (full) dentures replace all the teeth in a jaw. Partial dentures replace several missing teeth and clip discreetly around your remaining natural teeth. Within partials, you can choose conventional acrylic, lightweight cobalt-chrome with a slim metal framework that many patients find more comfortable and secure, or flexible Valplast-type dentures with gum-coloured clasps that are virtually invisible in the mouth. Your dentist will explain the strengths of each for your situation.

Making a good denture is a craft, and it takes time to do well. Treatment typically involves three to five visits over a few weeks: initial impressions, precision impressions in custom trays, a bite registration to record how your jaws meet, a try-in stage where you see and approve the teeth in wax before anything is finalised, and the fitting itself. The try-in is your opportunity to adjust the shade, shape and arrangement of the teeth until you are genuinely happy.

Fees are transparent: full dentures from £1,095, partial dentures from £795, cobalt-chrome from £1,395 and flexible Valplast-type dentures from £895. The final cost depends on the type of denture, the number of teeth replaced, the materials chosen and the complexity of your bite. You receive a written, itemised quote before treatment begins, and finance can be discussed for qualifying treatment.

How do dentures compare with the alternatives? Implants replace the tooth root, feel most like natural teeth and help preserve bone, but involve surgery and higher costs. Bridges are fixed but require support from neighbouring teeth. Dentures are the most economical way to replace multiple teeth, involve no surgery, and can be adjusted or added to if your dental situation changes. Each has its place, and we will compare them honestly with written prices so you can choose what suits your priorities.

For patients who struggle with loose dentures — particularly lower ones, where there is less natural suction — implant-retained overdentures can transform stability in suitable cases. Two or more implants act as anchors that the denture clips onto: it stays firmly in place while you eat and speak, yet still comes out for cleaning. If this interests you, your dentist will assess your bone with a 3D scan and set out the options and costs in writing.

Be prepared for an adjustment period. New dentures typically take a few weeks to feel natural: speech settles quickly with practice (reading aloud helps), and starting with softer foods cut into smaller pieces speeds adaptation. Some sore spots are normal at first and are easily eased at review visits, which are part of your care. It is also worth knowing that gums and bone slowly change shape over the years, so dentures generally benefit from relining or remaking every five to seven years to maintain fit; timescales vary from person to person.

Daily care keeps dentures fresh and your mouth healthy: clean the denture over a towel or basin of water with a soft brush and denture cleaner (not ordinary toothpaste, which is abrasive), remove it at night to let your gums rest, and keep any remaining natural teeth meticulously clean. Regular check-ups remain important even for full-denture wearers, as we also screen the soft tissues of your mouth at every visit.

If you are replacing an old denture, bring it with you. An existing denture tells us a great deal — what has worked, what has rubbed, where the bite has drifted — and its better features can be deliberately copied into the new design while its problems are engineered out. Many patients who have struggled for years with an uncomfortable denture are surprised how much difference careful copying and refinement makes.

Immediate dentures deserve a mention, too. Where teeth are due to be extracted, a denture can be made in advance and fitted on the day of extraction, so you are never seen without teeth. Because gums shrink as they heal over the following months, immediate dentures usually need relining or remaking once healing is complete — we explain this timeline, and its costs, in writing from the outset so there are no surprises.

Patients come to us for dentures in London because of the time we take at every stage — from unhurried impressions to a proper try-in — and because everything is priced in writing before it begins. Our practice on Wimpole Street, in the heart of central London near Harley Street, is easy to reach, and we are always happy to see patients whose existing dentures have never felt quite right.

Review appointments are a built-in part of denture care, not an afterthought. In the first weeks after fitting, short visits let us ease any sore spots and refine the bite as you adapt — small adjustments that make a large difference to comfort. Thereafter, an annual review checks the fit, the condition of the denture and the health of your gums and any remaining teeth. Because gums remodel slowly, a denture that fitted well a few years ago can gradually loosen; a timely reline is usually far simpler and more economical than struggling on until a remake is unavoidable. We will always tell you honestly which is appropriate, with written costs.