As you can see, dentures come in many shapes and sizes.

Some examples include full dentures, partial dentures, over dentures, immediate dentures, precision partial dentures, and implant retained dentures.  These dentures can be created to chew against natural teeth, fixed bridges, implant supported crowns or bridges, or almost any other type of dental prosthesis.

Here is an example of lower removable partial denture (RPD).

The missing teeth are replaced by plastic or porcelain teeth supported by a metal framework.  This type of prosthesis has the advantage of economy (many teeth can be provided for a relatively lower cost than fixed bridges or implants).  And, it is easy to clean and maintain.

The disadvantages of the RPD are that it doesn’t stimulate the bone the way natural teeth or implants would, so the amount of bone below the plate will decrease over time.  And, the RPD can cause an aesthetic problem, especially on the upper, if the clasps that hold it in are visible toward the front of the mouth.  To solve this problem, we sometimes make a denture that is retained by implants submerged in the bone.

The denture is still removable, but  there are no clasps because the RPD is retained by the implants.