Dentures in Sarasota, FL
Dentures have a reputation, and most of it comes from dentures that were made badly. A denture that fits properly, sits at the right bite height, and has teeth positioned for your face is a different object from the one that rocks, clicks, and needs a tube of adhesive to stay put.
Dentures are one of the core disciplines of prosthodontics — the specialty Dr. Kulangara spent three years training in and later taught at NYU.
Your options
Complete dentures replace all the teeth in an arch. Made from an impression of healed tissue, so they fit as precisely as a removable appliance can.
Immediate dentures are made in advance and placed the same day your teeth are removed, so you’re never without teeth. They need relining as the gums heal and reshape.
Partial dentures fill in around teeth you still have, with metal or flexible frameworks depending on where the gaps sit.
Implant-retained dentures anchor to implants in the jaw. No adhesive, no movement, and on the upper we can often remove the palate coverage so you can taste food again. If a loose lower denture is your problem, this is the answer to it.
Why fit changes over time
Once teeth are gone, the bone that held them begins to resorb. The ridge your denture rests on gets flatter every year. That’s why a denture that fit at delivery is loose at year four — the denture didn’t change, your jaw did.
This is normal and manageable with relines and rebases, which we do here. It’s also the strongest argument for implant support, since implants slow the bone loss instead of accelerating it.
Plan on a professional evaluation once a year and a reline roughly every two to three years.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get used to dentures? Two to four weeks for speech and a few months for confident eating. Start with soft foods cut small and chew on both sides at once.
Do I need adhesive? A well-fitting upper denture usually holds on its own. Lower dentures are harder because there’s less ridge to hold onto — this is the single most common reason patients move to implant support.
Can I sleep in them? We recommend taking them out overnight. Your tissues need the rest, and leaving them in raises the risk of fungal infection.
Will people be able to tell? Modern denture teeth come in a wide range of shapes and shades, and we choose them to fit your face and age. Slight irregularity is what makes them read as real.
Can I have implants later if I start with a regular denture? Yes, and in many cases your existing denture can be retrofitted to attach to them.