Dentures in Cronulla
Full and Partial Dentures in Cronulla
Considering dentures? Modern ones are better than their reputation, and the adjustment period is real.
Dentures carry an image problem inherited from a generation of appliances that fitted poorly and looked it.
Modern dentures are better made, better fitting and considerably more natural in appearance than that reputation suggests. They remain the most accessible way to replace multiple missing teeth, and for many patients they are the sensible choice rather than the fallback one.
They also require an adjustment period, which is the part most often glossed over. We would rather set that out honestly before you start.
Opening late November 2026. Book online now or give us a call.
Open until 7pm Mondays. Early appointments from 7am Fridays. Nervous patients are always welcome. We take time to explain your options clearly.
Full and Partial Dentures in Cronulla: in detail
The types
Full dentures
replace all the teeth in an upper or lower arch, or both. They rest on the gums and are held largely by suction and the shape of the ridge underneath.
Partial dentures
replace several missing teeth while your remaining natural teeth stay in place. They clip onto those teeth for support, which makes them more stable than a full denture. They can be made with a metal framework, which is thinner, stronger and generally more comfortable, or in acrylic, which costs less and is easier to modify later.
Immediate dentures
are made in advance and fitted on the same day teeth are extracted, so you are not without teeth while the gums heal. The trade-off is that gums change shape considerably as they heal, so an immediate denture needs relining or replacing after several months. This is expected, not a fault.
Implant stabilised dentures
use two or more implants to hold a denture firmly in place, usually via clips or a bar. This addresses the most common complaint about lower full dentures, which is movement. It costs more and requires the assessment described on our implants page, but for patients who cannot tolerate a conventional lower denture it can make the difference.
How they are made
Dentures take several appointments, and the sequence cannot be rushed without affecting the fit.
Impressions
, first preliminary and then a more detailed set taken in a custom tray made from the first.
Bite registration
, recording how your upper and lower jaws relate to each other. This determines whether the finished denture will function comfortably.
Try-in
, where the teeth are set in wax so you can see and comment on the appearance before anything is finalised. This is your opportunity to say something looks wrong. Shade, shape, length and position can all still be changed at this stage, and it is much harder afterwards.
Fitting
, followed by adjustments over the following weeks.
Typically four to six appointments spread across several weeks.
The adjustment period
This is the part that deserves honesty.
New dentures feel strange. They feel bulky. Speech is affected for a period, and certain sounds take practice. Eating is a learned skill again, starting with softer food cut small, chewing on both sides at once to keep the denture stable, and building up over weeks.
Increased saliva is common initially and settles. Sore spots are almost inevitable, because a denture that fits the model perfectly still needs adjusting to living tissue. This is why the review appointments are part of the process rather than a sign something went wrong. Come in and let us adjust it. Do not attempt to file it yourself.
Most people adapt within a few weeks to a couple of months. Lower full dentures are consistently the hardest to adapt to, because the tongue is doing work the denture cannot resist and there is less ridge available to hold it.
Looking after them
Clean them twice daily over a basin of water or a folded towel, so a drop does not break them. Use a denture brush and soap or a denture cleaner, not regular toothpaste, which is abrasive enough to scratch the acrylic.
Take them out overnight where advised, and store them in water so they do not dry out and distort. Gums benefit from the rest, and wearing dentures continuously is associated with fungal infection of the tissue underneath.
Clean your gums, tongue and any remaining teeth separately.
Keep attending check-ups even if you have no natural teeth left. We check the fit, the condition of the denture, and the soft tissues, including screening for oral cancer, which does not stop being relevant.
They will need adjusting over time
Jawbone gradually reduces in volume once teeth are gone. That is a normal process, and it means a denture that fits well today will fit less well in a few years as the ridge underneath changes shape.
Relining restores the fit by adding material to the fitting surface. Eventually a replacement is needed. Expect this rather than treating it as a failure.
Booking
We are at 13 Cronulla Street, Cronulla, and see patients from Woolooware, Burraneer, Greenhills Beach, Caringbah South, Taren Point, Kurnell, Bundeena and across the Sutherland Shire.
Call (02) 8599 9815 or book online.
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Doors open late November 2026, and we are already taking bookings. Book online or call (02) 8599 9815.