3737 E State Route 36, Decatur, IL, 62521
Custom Made Tooth Replacement for Complete and Partial Tooth Loss
A denture is a removable appliance that replaces missing teeth and the surrounding tissue. A full denture restores an entire upper or lower arch, resting on the ridge and held by suction, tissue contour and muscle control. A partial denture fills in several missing teeth while your remaining natural teeth stay in place, using precision clasps or attachments to hold securely without damaging those teeth.
Every denture we make is built specifically for one mouth. Tooth shape, size, shade and arrangement are all selected deliberately, because a denture that looks manufactured is immediately recognizable while one that is properly individualized simply looks like teeth.
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What Well Fitted Dentures Give Back
- A workable diet again. Foods that became impossible to manage come back into range.
- Clearer speech. Teeth and the palate shape sound, and missing teeth blur specific consonants noticeably.
- Facial support. Teeth hold up the lips and cheeks, and tooth loss allows that support to collapse and deepen folds around the mouth.
- Even chewing distribution. Force is spread across the arch rather than concentrated on a few overworked teeth.
- Protection for remaining teeth. With a partial, filling the gaps stops neighboring teeth from drifting and over erupting.
- Confidence in social settings. Most patients say this is what they notice first.
Which Denture Option Fits Your Situation
- Full dentures are indicated when all teeth in an arch are missing or when the remaining teeth cannot be saved due to advanced decay or periodontal disease.
- Partial dentures work when several teeth are missing but healthy natural teeth remain to provide support and stability. They are often the practical choice when gaps appear in multiple areas of the same arch, where a bridge would not be feasible.
- Immediate dentures are fabricated in advance and placed the same day teeth are removed, so you are never without teeth. They require adjustment and eventual relining as healing changes the ridge shape.
- Implant supported dentures anchor to dental implants placed in the jaw, which dramatically improves stability for patients who struggle with a lower denture in particular. Panorex imaging lets us evaluate whether you have the bone volume to support this approach.
Our team reviews imaging, assesses your ridge, gum health and remaining teeth, and walks through which options are realistic before recommending anything.
How Your Dentures Are Crafted
Denture fabrication is a sequence of carefully verified steps, generally spread over several appointments, because accuracy at each stage determines comfort at the end.
01
Evaluation and Planning
We assess your oral health, bone structure, and discuss the best denture option for your needs.
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02
Initial Impressions
Preliminary molds are taken to create custom trays tailored to your mouth.
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03
Final impressions
Detailed impressions capture the exact shape of your gums for a precise fit.
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04
Bite and Design
We record your bite and select the shape, size, and shade of your new teeth.
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05
Try-in Stage
A wax model lets you preview and approve the look and fit before final fabrication.
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Delivery and Adjustments
Your finished dentures are fitted, adjusted for comfort, and refined over follow-up visits.
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The Adjustment Period Nobody Warns You About
New dentures feel large and unfamiliar for the first few weeks, and this is universal rather than a sign of poor fit. Increased saliva flow, awkwardness with certain sounds and sore spots are all typical early on. A few things genuinely help. Start with soft foods cut small, chew on both sides simultaneously rather than favoring one side, and practice reading aloud to retrain speech patterns faster. Wear the denture as consistently as you can, since the tissues adapt through use. Come in for adjustments rather than tolerating a sore spot, because a small relief takes minutes and enduring it for weeks creates ulceration.
Daily Care and Long Term Maintenance
Remove and rinse dentures after eating, and brush them daily with a soft brush and a cleaner made for dentures, since regular toothpaste is abrasive enough to scratch acrylic. Clean over a folded towel or a basin of water, because dentures fracture readily on a hard floor. Store them in water or cleaning solution overnight so they do not dry out and warp, and give your tissues that nightly rest. Brush your gums, tongue and palate daily even with a full denture, and continue seeing us for examinations, which include oral cancer screening and evaluation of the underlying ridge. Bone remodels continuously after tooth loss, so relines are a normal part of denture ownership rather than a sign something went wrong.
Insurance, Payment and Financing for Denture Treatment
Dentures fall under major restorative treatment on most dental plans, commonly covered around fifty percent after any deductible and subject to your annual maximum, with replacement frequency limitations that typically restrict coverage to once every several years. Decatur Dental Care accepts most PPO plans, is a Delta Dental provider, and files claims on your behalf. We verify your benefits and provide a written itemized estimate before treatment begins, and where extractions and dentures span a benefit year boundary, sequencing can sometimes increase what your plan covers. CareCredit financing is available, and we accept cash, check, Visa, Mastercard and Discover.
Missing Teeth Affect Far More than Appearance
Nutrition, speech, jaw comfort and confidence all depend on a functional bite. Call 217-423-2400 or request an appointment to discuss which denture option suits your situation.
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