Dentures in Duluth, MN

Dentures Designed for You

A denture is a removable prosthesis that replaces missing teeth and surrounding tissues in your upper or lower jaw. Complete dentures replace all of the teeth in a jaw, while partial dentures replace one or more missing teeth alongside your remaining natural teeth.

As a board-certified prosthodontist, Dr. Esguerra evaluates your anatomy, existing dentures, bite, and oral tissues alongside your experience and priorities. She explains your options and what you can reasonably expect from treatment.

Explore Your Denture Options

• Conventional complete dentures replace all teeth in the upper or lower jaw and rest on the supporting gums. They are made after the tissues have healed following tooth removal.

• Immediate dentures are made before tooth removal and placed at the extraction appointment, providing temporary teeth during healing.

• Partial dentures replace one or more missing teeth while allowing you to keep your remaining natural teeth as anchors to improve stability of the prosthesis.

• Implant options include removable snap-in dentures and full-arch fixed restorations. Both use dental implants for support. “Snap-in” implant dentures are removed by you for cleaning, while fixed implant restorations stay in your mouth and are removed only by a dental professional.

The Art of a Custom Complete Denture

Your smile deserves time and attention. Tooth shape, color, and position, the support for your lips, and the way your teeth meet are carefully planned around you.

Our conventional complete dentures follow a time-tested process, with detailed impressions, bite records, and multiple try-ins to evaluate your smile, speech, and the way your teeth meet. You participate in selecting and approving the appearance before completion. Dr. Esguerra and her laboratory team then meticulously process your dentures in our in-house laboratory.

There is no rush for something as personal as your smile.

Milled Digital Dentures

We also offer milled digital complete dentures. Treatment still begins with impressions and careful clinical records. A partner laboratory creates a printed trial denture for evaluation before milling the final denture.

The stored digital design can be especially useful if you want multiple sets or need a replacement after loss or damage. Dr. Esguerra will explain the benefits and considerations of each fabrication approach.

Upper and Lower Dentures Work Differently

Your anatomy affects how a denture fits and functions. Dr. Esguerra’s specialist evaluation helps establish what you can reasonably expect from a well-fitting upper denture.

For the lower jaw, Dr. Esguerra recommends implant retention whenever appropriate to improve stability. The McGill and York consensus statements identify a two-implant lower overdenture as the first-choice treatment for patients missing all lower teeth.²˒³ A conventional lower denture may be considered when implant treatment is not suitable or feasible.

Denture Fit & Maintenance

Your mouth changes over time, particularly during healing after tooth removal. Adjustments, soft liners, relines, or eventual replacement may be needed to maintain comfort and function.

Regular examinations allow us to evaluate your denture’s fit, bite, and wear, along with the health of the tissues beneath it.

Had a Disappointing Experience With Dentures?

Before accepting that dentures simply “don’t work for you,” have them evaluated by a specialist. Precise impressions, accurate bite records, thoughtful tooth placement, and carefully shaped contours are fundamental to a well-made denture. When these details are compromised, comfort and function can suffer. A specialist evaluation distinguishes problems in the denture’s design and fabrication from limitations of your anatomy—and identifies what can be improved.

As a board-certified prosthodontist, Dr. Esguerra carefully evaluates these factors to explain what can be improved, what limitations remain, and whether implant support would better meet your needs. Her published work includes a technique for remaking complete dentures using functional impressions and careful assessment of appearance and speech.¹

References

1. Haney SJ, Esguerra R, Mansueto M. Functional impressions for complete denture fabrication. A modified jump technique. Texas Dental Journal. 2010;127(4):377–384.

2. Feine JS, Carlsson GE, Awad MA, et al. The McGill Consensus Statement on Overdentures. International Journal of Prosthodontics. 2002;15(4):413–414.

3. Thomason JM, Feine J, Exley C, et al. Mandibular two implant-supported overdentures as the first choice standard of care for edentulous patients—the York Consensus Statement. British Dental Journal. 2009;207:185–186.

Custom Conventional Dentures
See the details: Individually arranged teeth and sculpted gum contours, meticulously processed in our in-house laboratory.

Custom Milled Digital Dentures
See the details below: Personalized tooth positions and alignment, brought to life through digital smile design and precision milling.

Read what our patients share about their care below.