If needed, patients can get a full set of upper or lower dentures, but many patients get partial removable dentures and keep as many of their natural teeth as possible. Partial dentures can replace one or more teeth in the upper or lower set, allowing spaces for natural teeth. In other words, the teeth in partial dentures do not need to be next to each other.
An overdenture is a removable dental prosthesis that covers and rests on one or more remaining tooth roots. A removable partial denture is a dental prosthesis that replaces some teeth and is built around existing natural teeth. Both the overdenture and the removable partial denture may be connected to the remaining tooth roots or remaining natural teeth with anchors made of metal or plastic. These connections improve stability and the retention of both prostheses.
