Dentures and False Teeth in Edinburgh
Dentures are removable false teeth that replace missing teeth, helping with eating, speaking and the look of your smile. At City Dental Care on Earl Grey Street we provide dentures to replace one, several or all of your teeth. We also provide bridges and implants, so we'll tell you plainly which option suits your mouth, and you'll have an itemised price in writing before anything starts. Dentures are available privately and, for patients registered with the practice, on the NHS.
Transparent pricing
Partial dentures from £450Full dentures quoted after your assessment
Your assessment confirms the price for your case, itemised and in writing, before any treatment begins. 0% finance available on private treatment from £250.
Full and partial dentures
Gaps left by missing teeth can make eating and speaking harder, and the teeth either side may tip into the space. A denture is a removable plate carrying false teeth that fits over your gums. We offer all types of denture, including acrylic dentures, metal-framed partial dentures and immediate dentures. Which design suits you depends on how many teeth are missing and the condition of your remaining teeth and gums, and your dentist will talk you through the options at your assessment.
There are two main kinds:
- Complete (full) dentures replace all the teeth in your upper or lower jaw, or both. They are used when all the teeth in a jaw are missing or need to come out, or to replace an old complete denture.
- Partial dentures fill the gaps left by one or more missing teeth when you still have some of your own. They usually clip onto some of your natural teeth with metal clasps, and can be unclipped easily to take out.
Acrylic dentures
Acrylic is the most common material for both full and partial dentures. A full acrylic denture is held in place mainly by suction on your gums, and an acrylic partial denture usually clips onto some of your remaining teeth.
Metal-framed (cobalt-chrome) partial dentures
A partial denture can also be built on a thin cobalt-chrome metal framework, which can make it smaller and lighter than an all-acrylic one. Whether it suits you depends on the teeth that will hold it, your gums and your bite, which your dentist checks at your assessment.
Immediate dentures
If teeth need to come out, an immediate denture can often be made beforehand and fitted as soon as they are removed, so you are not left without teeth. Immediate dentures often need adjusting or replacing up to a year later, because your mouth changes shape as it heals. Occasionally the gums need several months to heal before a denture is made. Your dentist will tell you which applies in your case.
Is a denture right for me?
A denture is often the simplest place to start if you are missing several teeth, or all of them. It involves no surgery and can restore a full smile at once. The trade-offs: a denture comes out, it can move when you eat, it needs cleaning out of your mouth every day, and it does not stop the jawbone shrinking where teeth are missing.
If you would rather have something fixed, a dental bridge or a dental implant may be possible, and for some patients an implant-retained denture, which clips onto implants for stability, is a middle path. Implants, bridges and dentures are all done here, so the advice follows your mouth rather than what we happen to offer. If implants might interest you later, mention it at your assessment, because bone recedes where teeth are missing and that can affect implant planning. Our guide to implants, bridges or dentures sets out how the options compare.
How dentures are made and fitted
It usually takes a few weeks for a denture to be made, over several appointments, and your dentist will give you the timings for your case, including what changes if any teeth need to come out first. The usual steps are:
Assessment: your dentist examines your mouth and the teeth and gums you have left, talks through the options, and gives you an itemised plan with the price in writing before anything is done.
Moulds: your dentist measures your mouth and takes impressions (moulds) so the denture can be made to fit you.
A trial fit: usually a trial denture is tried in first, so the fit and the look can be checked and the shape or colour changed before the final denture is made.
Fitting: the finished denture is fitted, and your dentist explains how to use it and look after it.
Do dentures hurt? Getting used to them
Having a denture made involves no surgery: the appointments are examinations, moulds and fittings. If any teeth need to come out first, that is done under local anaesthetic.
Getting used to a new denture can take a few weeks. At first, especially with a full denture, it may feel big and bulky, you may have more saliva than usual, and some words may sound a little different; these generally settle. A lower full denture usually feels looser than an upper one and can take longer to get used to. Sore spots are common early on. Don't put up with one that doesn't go away, or with a denture that clicks, slips or feels uncomfortable: come back so the fit can be checked, because a poorly fitting denture can cause mouth sores and problems eating and speaking.
A well-fitting denture shouldn't need adhesive, though some people feel more confident using a little at first.
When you start eating with your denture:
- Start with soft foods cut into small pieces.
- Chew slowly, using both sides of your mouth.
- Avoid chewing gum and anything sticky, hard or sharp-edged at first, then gradually build back up to your usual diet.
Denture repairs and relines
If a denture cracks, breaks or loses a tooth, or has become loose because your gums have changed shape, we can repair or reline it, including dentures made at another practice. Repairs and relines usually have a same-week turnaround. A reline refits the underside of the denture to your gums, so a loose denture can often fit well again without a new one being made. We'll always tell you before any work whether it's NHS or private, and what it costs.
How to look after your dentures
Keep having regular check-ups, even with no natural teeth left. Your gums and jawbone slowly shrink, so a denture can loosen or wear, and the Oral Health Foundation says dentures often need replacing every five to eight years. See your dentist sooner if your denture clicks, slips, feels uncomfortable or looks worn, or if you have bleeding gums, bad breath or a sore area that doesn't go away.
Day to day:
- Clean your denture at least twice a day, morning and night, by brushing it with unperfumed soap and water or a non-abrasive denture cleaner. Don't use toothpaste, which can damage it.
- Rinse it in cold water after meals, and clean it over a bowl of water or a folded towel: dentures can break if dropped.
- Unless your dentist advises otherwise, take it out at night to rest your gums, and keep it moist in water or a denture-cleaning solution so it doesn't dry out and change shape.
- With the denture out, brush your gums, tongue and any remaining teeth with fluoride toothpaste, morning and evening.
If you'd rather clean it in a machine as well, we sell the Zima Dental Pod, an ultrasonic cleaner for removable appliances: dentures, night guards, retainers and aligners. We're an official Zima Dental reseller, and it's bought at the practice - £69.99 for the pod and £7.99 for a pack of 30 cleaning tablets. Your dentures don't need one: it sits alongside the daily brushing above rather than replacing it.
How much do dentures cost in Edinburgh?
Private partial dentures are from £450 at City Dental Care, as published on our price list. That is where the price starts. We don't publish a price for full (complete) dentures: they are quoted after your assessment. For either kind, your assessment confirms the price for your case, itemised and in writing, before any treatment begins.
The first step is an examination. For private patients it's £85.00 as a new patient and £55.00 as an existing patient, including any X-rays needed. NHS examinations are free for everyone in Scotland. A refundable £10 holding fee is taken if you book an NHS examination online.
0% finance is available on private treatment from £250 up to £5,000, repaid by monthly Direct Debit over 6, 9, 10, 11 or 12 months.
NHS dentures in Edinburgh
Dentures are among the NHS treatments we provide for patients registered with us as NHS patients, and our NHS list is open, with no waiting list. NHS Scotland sets the charges: you pay 80% of the cost, capped at £384 for a single course of treatment, and under-26s, pregnant women and new mothers, and people on certain benefits pay nothing.
We will always tell you before any treatment whether it is NHS or private, and what it costs. In Scotland you're entitled to mix NHS and private care, and our guide to NHS vs private dentistry in Scotland explains how the two compare.
Why choose City Dental Care for dentures?
Dentures, bridges and implants under one roof, so the advice isn't shaped by what we happen to offer.
The price in writing: partial dentures from £450, published on our price list; full dentures quoted after your assessment. Either way, the price is confirmed in writing before anything starts.
Repairs and relines: including dentures made at another practice, usually with a same-week turnaround.
NHS and private patients: dentures are provided on the NHS for patients registered with the practice, and we are currently accepting new NHS and private patients.
Evenings until 8pm, Monday to Thursday (until 5pm on Friday), a short walk from Haymarket Station.
Book a denture assessment
Book a denture assessment online, or call the practice on 0131 228 2442. If you already wear a denture that has become loose, uncomfortable or broken, tell us when you book: we repair and reline dentures, including ones made elsewhere.
